WW Chan vs Bhambis vs Saville Row trunk show?

[beninfl]

Hi Everyone - looking to get into my first bespoke suit/tux. I live in Maine so basically no options here, but don't really mind traveling a bit.

Curious what the thoughts were on:

WW Chan Boston trunk show
Bhambis in NYC (used them for minor alterations in the past)
Steed and Poole - both come to boston

Any other recommendations also welcome, but would definitely prefer to hear from people who have first hand experience with the tailors (ie have at least seen a suit made by them in person). Thinking $5k ish for a budget.

Contacted Logsdail and I think they are a bit out of my price range for this one.

Thanks!

 

[usctrojans31]

Those styles are all pretty different. What do you want out of your suit?

 

[beninfl]

The most critical thing for me is going to be fit . I have suits and shirts in various styles that I enjoy, but I think could fit better. Most of my suits are OTR Italian and US brands.

 

[9thsymph]

Hi Everyone - looking to get into my first bespoke suit/tux. I live in Maine so basically no options here, but don't really mind traveling a bit.

Curious what the thoughts were on:

WW Chan Boston trunk show
Bhambis in NYC (used them for minor alterations in the past)
Steed and Poole - both come to boston

Any other recommendations also welcome, but would definitely prefer to hear from people who have first hand experience with the tailors (ie have at least seen a suit made by them in person). Thinking $5k ish for a budget.

Contacted Logsdail and I think they are a bit out of my price range for this one.

Thanks!

I use both Steed and Chan. They are quite different, but I like them both for different reasons (Steed is my first choice for everything, but I still use Chan for some unstructured summer stuff...)

 

[brax]

Bhambis should be your last option. I used them on OTR alterations and they were good but not great. I can't imagine that their bespoke offerings could be much better.

The other three options have good reputations but, of the bunch, I've only used Steed and think it is a very good option for those looking for that type of English cut.

 

[dieworkwear]

It might help to think about what kind of silhouette you want. Any good tailor should give you a suit that fits well (although, this is often more in theory than practice). For Poole, Steed, Chan, etc, I would consider a good fit to be the baseline. The rest is about getting a style that you like. Poole is somewhere in the middle of the two big English tailoring traditions, Huntsman (padded) and Anderson & Sheppard (soft).

To be honest, I think Steed at this point is more old school A&S than actual A&S (I've used both). The cut has a soft shoulder, slightly fuller chest, and nipped waist. You can see examples of their cut in the Anderson & Sheppard Expatriates thread on this forum. One of the many things I like about their service is that they're always happy to take garments back for adjustments, even if its been years after final delivery. (I just sent a pair of custom trousers back for alterations a few months ago, and this was maybe three years after delivery). I find it's easier to get a good suit this way since the tailor is willing to work with you. I also really like that old school A&S style and think it looks flattering on many different types of figures. Not too padded, but also not too soft. It has just enough structure and a natural v-shaped silhouette to make you look good.

I've never used Chan, but they have a reputation for being an affordably priced, flexible tailoring house. So they can make things in a number of different styles. In being flexible, however, they also don't have a strongly associated house cut, which makes it hard to judge whether you should go with them. The best looking suit I've seen from them is a house cut they developed for BRIO, a menswear shop in Beijing, but the cut is exclusive to that shop.

Your best bet is to look at suits they've made, ideally in person if at all possible, and see if you like the style. Also think about the different parts that go into a suit's style -- the shoulder line, the lapel design, the quarters, etc. On some level, the real advantage of bespoke isn't really about the fit alone, but how the suit looks on a person, which is a combination of fit and style. Fit is just the baseline -- you should always expect to get a good fit -- but whether a tailor can deliver a style you like is a harder challenge. The process also makes you think more about how you want a suit to look on you, style wise.