Options for first bespoke suit

I'm 26 and looking to purchase my first bespoke suit. I want a navy, two button, side vent, notch lapel suit. I thought my heart was set on a piece by Thomas Mahon. Then I visited the Alan Flusser custom shop in New York. I loved their clothes. And I like the idea of having my tailor nearby (Mahon is in Cumbria, England).

So, a Flusser suit costs around $4500 and takes around two months to complete. A Mahon costs around $3800 and takes around six months to complete.

Do any of you have experience with either group? Which would you choose?

And here's a wildcard - A friend who owns a men's shop offered me my choice of off the rack Sartorio suit for $1,000 (normally $5,000). I'm torn!

What is your budget? What kind of style are you looking for? FYI, Flusser is not a bespoke suit, it is really made to measure (this does not mean its a bad product, but it is nto the same thing. He is a stylist, not a tailor. Mahon would be cutting and fititng your suit. Flusser would not be cutting or tailoring anything himself. There are true bespoke tailors in NYC also, I use Leonard Logsdail. If you give an idea of your budget, may be easier to give recommendations.

Between those two, I would use Mahon.

There are lots of other options, though.

Thanks for the responses.

I was under the impression Flusser does offer a true bespoke in addition to MTM, which is an upgraded Southwick suit.

As for my budget... I would spend up to $4,500. I'd prefer to keep it at $4,000.

I would definitely go with Mahon over Flusser. I am not sure if any of the NYC tailors do anything for 4k. Logsdail iand fioravanti are well above that, I am not sure about corvato, rafael, nicolosi. In addition to Mahon, you could consider other english traveling tailors. I know that Dege and Henry Poole visit and are in the low 4,000s (poole is 4,200 at current exchange rates). Obviously, they are a different style than Mahon. If you like the A&S style (personally I do not, but many people love it) then Mahon is a good choice, people have seemed happy with him. If you really loved the mahon stuff you have seen and are not in a time crunch, go for it.

I would try on plenty of suits to get an idea of style and cut and go from there. Does OTR fit you pretty well?

Originally Posted by dragon8

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I would try on plenty of suits to get an idea of style and cut and go from there. Does OTR fit you pretty well?

+1 if your going to spend that kind of money this is a great idea. You want to have the best possiable fit so you look just as good in the suit as what you paid for it.

I really enjoy working with Mahon and very much like his house cut, so would chose him in preference over Flusser. That said, I haven't used Flusser, and can only judge based of what I've seen on the interwebz.

On a side note, I suppose I'm a bit confused as to why your "wild card" would be relevant to this discussion, if at all. If you're considering bespoke, OTR doesn't seem like it should even enter into the equation. If you are considering OTR as a an option, perhaps you shouldn't be considering bespoke in the first place?? I'm not trying to be snobbish or critical, just wondering what you really want?

Originally Posted by academe

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On a side note, I suppose I'm a bit confused as to why your "wild card" would be relevant to this discussion, if at all. If you're considering bespoke, OTR doesn't seem like it should even enter into the equation. If you are considering OTR as a an option, perhaps you shouldn't be considering bespoke in the first place?? I'm not trying to be snobbish or critical, just wondering what you really want?

I would prefer a bespoke suit. But I'm also interested in getting the best value for my money. I know it's difficult to compare, but I was basically asking if the group thought a high-end Italian OTR suit for $1,000 would offer a better value than a $4,000 bespoke suit.

And OTR fits me relatively well... I am somewhat barrel chested. I've found Ralph Lauren/Brioni/Zegna fit the best.

Originally Posted by the goldsmith

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I would prefer a bespoke suit. But I'm also interested in getting the best value for my money. I know it's difficult to compare, but I was basically asking if the group thought a high-end Italian OTR suit for $1,000 would offer a better value than a $4,000 bespoke suit.

And OTR fits me relatively well... I am somewhat barrel chested. I've found Ralph Lauren/Brioni/Zegna fit the best.

Your degree of indecision suggests avoiding having custom clothes made up.

Moreover, listing Flusser, Mahon, Ralph Lauren, Brioni and Zegna seems a bit scatter shot to me. At 26, maybe you should wear RTW a bit longer and settle into your preferences first.


- B

If OTR fits you reasonably well, I'd get three Sartorio suits for $1k each and spend the remaining $1k on tailoring, shirts, shoes and ties.

Twotone

Originally Posted by the goldsmith

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I'm 26 and looking to purchase my first bespoke suit. I want a navy, two button, side vent, notch lapel suit. I thought my heart was set on a piece by Thomas Mahon. Then I visited the Alan Flusser custom shop in New York. I loved their clothes. And I like the idea of having my tailor nearby (Mahon is in Cumbria, England).

So, a Flusser suit costs around $4500 and takes around two months to complete. A Mahon costs around $3800 and takes around six months to complete.

Do any of you have experience with either group? Which would you choose?

And here's a wildcard - A friend who owns a men's shop offered me my choice of off the rack Sartorio suit for $1,000 (normally $5,000). I'm torn!

FYI, Flusser is not a bespoke suit, it is really made to measure (this does not mean its a bad product, but it is nto the same thing. He is a stylist, not a tailor.

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Not so. Flusser's shop does both full bespoke and made-to-measure. Alan Flusser, as you say, is not a tailor, but I've met the tailor (cutter) in his employ - a very pleasant eastern European fellow who's name escapes me at the moment - and I've chatted with him while he was drawing patterns in Flusser's shop.

I say go with Flusser for several reasons. First, he's local, thus, more convenient. Second, you get the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with his shop if you have many more such suits in mind, all of which can be delivered in a fraction of the time that might otherwise be the case if you work with Mahon. But most importantly, third, it's high time somebody posted pics around here of a fully-bespoke Flusser suit! There seem to be far more opinions about Flusser's work than there are informed opinions ... and while a pic on the foum does not provide enough good information to judge, I would love to hear your take on the process and final product.

I was going to go this route myself this summer but, alas, the finances will not allow it. Having lost 60 pounds since February, I have to replace my entire wardrobe which means there's no room for the big, expensive bespoke suit in the near future ... hence, I must live through you!

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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Your degree of indecision suggests avoiding having custom clothes made up.

Moreover, listing Flusser, Mahon, Ralph Lauren, Brioni and Zegna seems a bit scatter shot to me. At 26, maybe you should wear RTW a bit longer and settle into your preferences first.


- B

Could be good advice. From my experiernces so far, I prefer suits in the A&S style (soft shoulder, drape). However, I will definitely try on as many styles as possible before making a purchase.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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At 26, maybe you should wear RTW a bit longer and settle into your preferences first.

Boooooo!

Originally Posted by the goldsmith

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Could be good advice. From my experiernces so far, I prefer suits in the A&S style (soft shoulder, drape). However, I will definitely try on as many styles as possible before making a purchase.

Well, you can't really "try on" bespoke suits. You pick your tailor based on educated guesses and after having established comfort with what bespoke really means. That is to say you should not fool yourself into believing that you will get exactly what you expect, or that you will be able to control the outcome to any significant degree. Rather, you should be prepared to be pleasantly surprised. If that sounds stupid to you, bespoke most likely won't make you happy.