Tux - Tom Ford MTO vs "cheaper" Savile Row type MTM option

[Agresvig]

Gents,

I'll be getting married this summer and I'm deciding on where to by my new tux/dinner suit, which I've decided will be:
A single breasted, one button jacket in midnight blue color, with a shaw collar in a black (satin-silk?) finish. Matching pants with the classic black stripe.

So far I've boiled it down to two buying options, see title.

The Savile Row (type) tailor is the very nice owner of Taliare, "London’s newest tailoring house, offering a full bespoke and made-to-measure service in the finest tradition of Savile Row style and craftsmanship."
I have not previously purchased anything from them, but it has become my brother's go-to place for suits, jackets and shirts. He tells me the quality is fantastic for the money.

Taliare offers me a made-to-measure dinner suit as specified for around GBP 850, with a lead-time of 4-5 weeks. I think this sounds exceptionally cheap and quick, so much that it makes me skeptical to the craftsmanship and material involved. But again, my brother vouches for it.

The Tom Ford option is through a local reseller here in Norway. They offer a Made-to-order version of the O'Connor tux matching my specifications for the equivalent of GBP 2,750, with a lead-time of 10 weeks.
I went there the other day and looked at fabrics and options. They did not have a TF tux in my size in stock, but I tried a TF Suit and liked it very much. Especially the chest impressed me, the suit looked so flat and elegant with minimal "fuss" in the upper front area, and I hear these are among the details that make TF quality & look so remarkable.
Just to clarify: TF MTO means that they build you a suit as you specified, based on an existing model. But the sizes are RTW sizes that then gets tailored to me.

Now for the challenge
I have an athletic build, so for example for the TF suit I needed a 52 jacket size for a proper fit over the shoulders/chest, but a 50 or even slimmer for proper fit around the waistline and lower back. The arms would need extending too.
Moreover, I have very long legs, in jeans I wear typically a 32/33, or a 50 with "long" inseam. I have never found a jacket that fit me well off the rack, which is the reason I'm leaning towards MTM.

I like slim fit suits, with a very lean, italian cut. But the dinner suit is a classic attire, so I do not want to go overboard with the slimness. The O'Connor is slim but not too slim, I believe the legs for example are 20cm.

The questions
Besides the significantly slimmer wallet, what does the TF give me over the MTM option? Since I am very much in between sizes, I am worried that with the MTO TF I may be dropping close to 3K on something that is 90% and not 100%. If that's the case, its certainly not worth it to me. But then again, taking a 52 sz jacket down to be a 50 in the waist area is well within the boundaries of what's possible without adversely affecting the "look" of the jacket too much, right?

I can only assume that the MTM will fit me better, and to me fit trumps all other factors. For instance the weave of the cheaper may be of lesser quality than the MTO, but if the fit is better then it will still be a much better looking suit on me. Am I not right?

So in summary, is it so that a TF suit just looks so much better overall that (attention to detail, the cut, the material etc) a sub 1K MTM just cant touch it? Or am I better off getting a MTM that I hopefully know will fit me perfectly, and save the extra cash? I mean, I could get a tux and 3-4 sport coats at Tailare for the price of that TF...

All insight and advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Yorker]

I'm not the best opinion around, but if you're in london, why not consider a bespoke piece from a proper savile row tailor? Maybe anderson and sheppard? I imagine it would be around the same cost as the Tom Ford MTM (maybe a bit more) and would undoubtably look better.

Maybe if you're certain you'll never need the tux again, you could get it converted to a standard suit after the wedding?

 

[Agresvig]

Thanks for the suggestion.
I think I am a bit restricted due to time constraints. The wedding is in the begging of June, and I can't travel to London until end of march. I believe this rules out bespoke as an option, especially as it would require several visits to the tailor for fitting..
I've realized now I should have started this process six months ago..

Oh and btw., the wedding won't be the only time I'll be wearing this suit, but it will certainly be the first.
I typically wear my tux 3-5 times a year. So not often, but when I do wear it, I wear it hard

 

[TOstyle]

The better value is by far in custom garments, whether that be made to measure or bespoke. Tom Ford has a great brand name, but the disconnect between relative quality and price is - in my opinion - so wildly out of whack that it isn't even worth considering.

But before I rant on that, this issue may really come down to timing.

If you don't have time to go custom, well then you don't have time and it isn't an option.

What you might want to consider is a quasi-bespoke or MTM option, that would still give you much better value than TF and not take as long as full bespoke (and still deliver a great quality garment).

I won't speak to specific options in London, since I don't have enough experience to know, but I think that view on your available options is a fair point for you to consider.

 

[Agresvig]

The better value is by far in custom garments, whether that be made to measure or bespoke. Tom Ford has a great brand name, but the disconnect between relative quality and price is - in my opinion - so wildly out of whack that it isn't even worth considering.

But before I rant on that, this issue may really come down to timing.

If you don't have time to go custom, well then you don't have time and it isn't an option.

What you might want to consider is a quasi-bespoke or MTM option, that would still give you much better value than TF and not take as long as full bespoke (and still deliver a great quality garment).

I won't speak to specific options in London, since I don't have enough experience to know, but I think that view on your available options is a fair point for you to consider.

Thanks, valuable input.

As stated, I agree that the importance of fit trumps that of other factors. I'm really leaning towards the MTM option from Taliare, and I do realize that while the TF looks great and has an excellent cut IMO, it just isnt worth it. I've become convinced the MTM will fit me better, and then thats really the end of it.

No, I do not have time for bespoke, what would probably have been the best alternative to the TF by far.

But I do have time for MTM, and I think thats the route I'll go.

 

[aussieboy]

I bought a Tom Ford suit for my wedding and have since had suits tailor made. The tailor made suits fit me better and cost less than half the amount. I love my Tom Ford suit but you are paying a significant mark up for the label and are not necessarily getting a better product.

 

[GBR]

Consider 'The Cad and the Dandy' in London - there have been good reports of this firm.

 

[chobochobo]

If you know what you want, and you have a good tailor that you trust, then bespoke is the way to go. I bought my TF tux before I got into tailored stuff, I had to have it tailored (by one of my tailors) before I wore it for my wedding. It's a nice suit, with a great cut but way overpriced - I could have got my tailor to make something similar at a third of the price (or less).

 

[TOstyle]

I agree with all these responses. And the extra thing is, it's not even about cost. If you took that out of play and just asked where you were going to get the best suit for your wedding, I still think the MTM/ bespoke route would win out.

When you factor in cost, it's a clear winner - on everything but timing. In that case, it is the TF RTW that wins out - but a pyrrhic victory.

 

[Agresvig]

Appreciate all the input received here. I ended up going with Taliare M2M - and I am confident it was the best option.
Taliare, by the way, gets my highest recommendations.

Here are some pics of how the tux turned out, for anyone interested:

 

[Bureaucrat]

That tux looks pretty good to me. I'm sure you made the right choice! Sleeves could be a tad longer, but I like them a bit on the shorter side too.

And congratulations! a lifetime of happiness for you and your lovely wife!

 

[Dachshund]

Awesome choice - couldn't fault that at all.

 

[Dachshund]

^ I mean the tux. Comment could apply equally to the wife though!

 

[Agresvig]

Appreciated gents!

 

[jsb0809]

Pretty good tux, I guess I found a good example for my future wedding!

Congrat!