Suit Tailoring...

BennyC

BennyC

BennyC

Soldato
Joined
25 Sep 2006
Posts
14,434
Hi guys,

It's been about 4 years now scince I brought my first suit which was for my year 11 prom. Fitted fine (albeit with a few alterations from my mother who's a seamstress) until the end of year 13. Come the end of my first year of Uni when it was considerably snugger due to some rather intense weight training.

At the end of my second year and contiuned training it's now safe to say I no longer fit in as just trying to get in to was a battle followed by ripping! My waist has not changed but my thights back, chest & shoulders have all grown considerably.

A very painful trapse round the shops provided nothing, next, suits you, burtons, john lewis, topman etc.

Unfortunatley I have my fathers funeral in the very near future and would like to have a suit that fits. Currently around 5'10" fitting a 44R/44S jacket nicely with approx 29/30" leg and a 34" waist. Some irregular proportions I know.

Looks like the door to a tailor may be opening near me...

Does anybody know the rough cost for a tailored suit? I don't want anything made from 'hair off a virgins toes' or any fancy 'smooth as foetus's arse lining'. Any ideas for rough hourly rates? Anybody able to recommend any around the Watford/Rickmansworth area?(Can make it into London if need be) and most importantly the turn around for how long it would take to make?

I know there are a lot of vairables on style of suit and materials available, but if we assume its a bog standard run of the mill tailored suit any rough ideas guys? How much have you paid for yours?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Benny C
 
Tailored suit is going to be £400 upwards depending on fabric.

The measurements you give are noting that you can't buy off the peg though. Yopu just need to buy from somewhere that does mix and match with the sizes. 44 short jacket and 34 short trousers by the looks of it. M&S would be my first port of call. £150 for a decent enough suit.

edit: Oh and if you're having trouble with shirts because of your muscles, try M&Ss online custom made shirts. The business for £40. My neck is dispraportionately large compared to the rest of me and they do great shirts that I can do up at the neck and don't look like I'm wearing a tent.
 
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Get a mixer suit. Should be able to buy one from an independant retailor. The normal Starting price £99 upwards
 
My first tailored suit cost about £500, that was a lovely suit though.
I've been hearing good things about these guys:
http://www.raja-fashions.com/
Meant to be well priced and great suits. They measure you up in the UK and then send off your measurements to hong kong or vietnam or somewhere, where they make the suit.
 
Thanks for the replies & recommendations guys.

Suits You, had a mix and max section but unfortunatley these we're all plain and weren't particulary nice (fusspot me eh!)

M&S was the only place we didn't try actually as I didn't wan't a suit from M&S but beggars can't be choosers it seems!

The problem lies where my shoulder width is created by my back and not my shoulders so I have lots of excess suit jacket between my arm and side and there's only so much my mother can take in due to the pockets.

Perhaps I'll just don a spandex/lyrca all in one with a shirt and tie printed on it :p

Headed into another 'suits you' type place called 'Moss' on Saturday as they were closed this evening.

Shirts I seem to be alright with for now.... but will bear that M&S can custom make shirts :)

Edit: Zara had a nice suit which seemed to have a steep taper, which is what I was after but only had a double not single breasted in a 44!
 
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I've had a look through the M&S site previously and perhaps it's just the models but every suit looks massive and ill-fitted. Which is precisely what you get from Next.
 
Rotty said:
a bespoke suit from one fitting meeting :confused:
Click to expand...

yeah, how does that work??

:confused::confused:

i get mine made from an ex saville row tailor who visits london every 4 weeks (from Yorkshire)

costs me £600 and up depending on cloth. he lets me pay in instalments so it costs me £50 a month.
 
Rotty said:
a bespoke suit from one fitting meeting :confused:
Click to expand...

does it say that? not sure where all the confusion is coming from

from their FAQ:"How long does it take to tailor a suit?
Your suit is ready for your first fitting 6-8 weeks after you place the order (or we offer a 3-4 week express service if you would prefer). We will contact you personally to invite you to our next suitable fitting day, so that you can try on your suit in front of an expert. Please note that further fittings are often required to ensure a perfect fit. This is perfectly normal and is all part of the bespoke tailoring experience. Indeed, it is an aspect of our service of which we are very proud, since many of our competitors do not offer it. If your suit requires any 'tweaking', alterations usually take about 10 days. You will then be invited to return for a second fitting."

"Step 5 - Fitting
It takes 3-8 weeks of painstaking work to complete the suit. We will then contact you to invite you try on your suit in front of an expert. This is called a fitting and it's what makes buying bespoke so special. We ask you how you feel in the suit and offer our own advice. If your suit requires any 'tweaking', alterations usually take about 10 days. These are done by our team of in-house tailors - some of whom are ex-Savile Row. You will then be invited to return for a second fitting. Sometimes multiple fittings are required. Again, this is all part of the service. We offer a full fit guarantee for your piece of mind."
 
I get around said:
My first tailored suit cost about £500, that was a lovely suit though.
I've been hearing good things about these guys:
http://www.raja-fashions.com/
Meant to be well priced and great suits. They measure you up in the UK and then send off your measurements to hong kong or vietnam or somewhere, where they make the suit.
Click to expand...

Had a few suits from them over the years, however, where as before the suits were made in HongKong, they are now also making them in China - the quality has dropped a bit imo. Also you need to make sure the guy is listening to you when you specify you're suit preferences (cut, vents etc). The last guy I dealt with was obviously not that interested and didn't pay full attention - when my last suit turned up it was wrong, no rear vent, lining colour etc. Wasn't impressed and sent it back.

There are a lot of tailors available down Savile Row, but the prices can differ greatly depending on what you want.

n
 
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I just buy a size above and get a tailor to "bring it in" costs about £20 or so, but cheaper than a tailored suit. So I'll buy a 48 jacket, and get it "pinched" to fit, and 18" shirt and again put some pinches in, and similarly get a 38" trousers and get the waist brought in - I have to buy 38s as my legs don't fit otherwise (I also have 34" waist).

I bought several suits during the sales from MOss Bros and M&S, cost me a few hundred quid for all of them, but then for all the alterations it cost me just a shade under £100. So I've got 3 suits and 4 shirts that now fit much much better for the same price as a full custom tailored suit would cost. Seems excessive to a lot of you, but I'd rather do that then just 1 tailored suit. Since I have to wear suits for work, I needs a selection (I have about 6 different ones).

My tuxedo is tailor made however.
 
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