Custom Tailored Suits

[babysham]

Do any of the guys here have any custom tailored suits?

How much do they cost? Do you know any good tailors in Toronto? Are they better quality than a suit off the shelf?

Share your experiences here.

[sonick]

A MTM (made to measure) suit would start at around $700 at the low end. A totally bespoke would probably start at two grand?

Made to measure means the tailor already has patterns set out for suits, and all they do is measure you, and then they alter the patterns to fit you.

Bespoke means it 100% totally custom made for you, from new patterns.

[CanAm]

I have suits made by Hong Kong tailors that travel to major Canadian cities and do fitting, etc. then send the suits to you. Here is one I have used:

http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/

[S14_Raven]

I have suits made by Hong Kong tailors that travel to major Canadian cities and do fitting, etc. then send the suits to you. Here is one I have used:

http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/

What's the typical cost on these? I know that getting custom suits in HK/China are really cheap (well depending on the fabric).

[eelfliw]

Cost depends on fabric and your size. Typical suits require 2 yards. But some ppl need 3 years. Cost also depend on suit design/style. There's no easy answer.

In China, if you find the right tailor (who knows how to make western suits), a suit can be made for less than $80 labour ($500 RMB). You just have to supply your own fabric because they can't easily source nice fabric there. Some other tailors sell you overpriced fabric but will make the suit for you for free.

Whatever you do, keep in mind that it'll take about a week (2 - 3 fittings) to make a nice suit. Some tailors require you visit their shops. Other tailors show up at your home/office so it's a lot more convenient. Costs vary with the degree of convnience.

[trusoulja2g]

If you are actually planning to get custom made suit in China/HK or other cheap place, make sure you go to a reputable tailor. Many "tailors" can measure you and sew a suit - but they don't necessarily have a high degree of skill. Also, many tailors have a standard cut that they use...i.e. Asian suits generally have a lot of padding in the shoulders. When I went to China, I had planned to get custom made suits, but everyone I talked to said that upscale department store RTW was better. Department store RTW is about 2000 RMB, tailor MTM is about 1000 RMB or less. Of course, there are good HK tailors, but I wouldn't recommend that you go to the typical tourist places. In China, locals do not go to the tailors...expats go because local sizes don't fit them. OTOH, if you're Asian, local RTW will probably fit you very well.

[CanAm]

What's the typical cost on these? I know that getting custom suits in HK/China are really cheap (well depending on the fabric).

They are very well priced and excellent quality. They were recommended to me by a top lawyer. Apparently many lawyers use them.

[bobaroo]

What's the typical cost on these? I know that getting custom suits in HK/China are really cheap (well depending on the fabric).
I used Maxwell's a year and a half ago. $495 for 1 suit and 3 monogrammed shirts. paid $10 extra for lined pants. shipping was $50-60 if I recall correctly and customs/duties/tax ended up being around $120.

I was super happy with the quality and the fit... Been meaning to go get some more shirts and maybe another suit made, but I've been busy whenever they come back to the GTA... They usually come twice a year (mar/sept).

[sucka]

The problem with custom-fit suits, shirts and pants is that you might be spending a couple of grand on everything but by next year none of the stuff fits because you went out for drinks a little too much and have a beer belly then everything looks a little too fit and you have to give all the stuff to your little brother if you know what i mean. That's a couple of grand down the drain unless you can make a comeback :lol:

[peppy5]

sucka is abosolutely right. if you are going to go made to measure or bespoke, don't gain or lose too much weight, an inch or inch and a half tops. also, go for a conservative style as you don't want to be out of style two years down the road after unloading 1000s of bucks. one other thing, always go for an extra pair of pants as the pants will wear faster than the jacket.

look into options like buttons that work on the cuff of the jacket or buttons for suspenders etc. have fun


The problem with custom-fit suits, shirts and pants is that you might be spending a couple of grand on everything but by next year none of the stuff fits because you went out for drinks a little too much and have a beer belly then everything looks a little too fit and you have to give all the stuff to your little brother if you know what i mean. That's a couple of grand down the drain unless you can make a comeback :lol:

[chicadam]

For a nice suit you are looking at over 1G anyways so why not go custom. If you do some research, you can get a pretty good suit for little over a grand.

The key to a good suit is the fit, so if you gained some weight and the suit still fits you, your suit did not fit you properly to begin with.

[Cruel_Angel]

i have one. it's a coppley that I got from holt renfrew a few years ago. I was quite happy with it then, now my taste has changed and I find the suit rather boaring. It's a great suit though, depending on the fabric, and options you want a TTM suit at holts (or harrys) can run you from 900 to a few thousand.

[boblobob]

i've had a few. had a few from india, hk, here i used to go to rego. recently went to a little hole in the wall called your choice tailors at dufferin and eglinton with my own material. walked out with a three piece for about $500 cash. never been happier.

[mr_raider]

I had nice made to measure suit done for around 950$, using fairly quality materials. Of course, you need to drive to Montreal three times!

[nosidam]

I have suits made by Hong Kong tailors that travel to major Canadian cities and do fitting, etc. then send the suits to you. Here is one I have used:

http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/

I use them to.

[light2]

Hello,

So I've started working for a year now, and I have been getting most my dress shirts from BR/CMonaco/Mexx/Zara/etc. I have some off the rack suits and i am starting to try to expand my wardrobe with custom shirts/suits.

I just have some questions regarding maxwells (http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/) and tailored man (http://www.tailoredman.com/).

-Has anyone had experience with both and would like to share pros/cons?
-Are there any other custom vendors that travel to toronto area and are relatively cheap?
-How is the fabrics for those $500.00 suits people are mentioning here? What I mean is, do they look or feel cheap?

Any help will be appreciated.

[Neovingian]

no indochino?

[iamaaronlol]

no indochino?
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=52943

More Indochino information than one can handle. I suggest searching up threads on SF for reviews of various places.

Anyways, the general consensus from the two or three pages I skimmed is that their products are generally slim, and lacking in quality.

[Odd I/O]

Mytailor (http://www.mytailor.com) will be here on March 23 - 24 at Sheraton City Centre (123 Queens St West Toronto). I have shirts from them and they do good work. They have cheap fabric to really expensive fabric.

LeeBaron (http://www.leebaron.ca/main.html) is a Hong Kong tailor with a satellite office across from the Eaton Centre is another good option from what I hear.

[light2]

thanks, i will check out styleforum.

but if anyone else has any input on the quality of the vendors above , feel free to comment. thanks.

[yamahar6]

thanks, i will check out styleforum.

but if anyone else has any input on the quality of the vendors above , feel free to comment. thanks.

http://im-label.com/

http://blog.im-label.com/ - Blog

They have 2 locations, one in Markham and one Downtown Toronto. Great guys to deal with, excellent customer service and reasonable prices. I've bought 3 shirts from them and have to pick up another 3. ( Haven't been in because of the snow). He's also a member on here, SN is "pennyarcade"

I highly recommend them.

[DarkMasterMX]

http://im-label.com/

http://blog.im-label.com/ - Blog

They have 2 locations, one in Markham and one Downtown Toronto. Great guys to deal with, excellent customer service and reasonable prices. I've bought 3 shirts from them and have to pick up another 3. ( Haven't been in because of the snow). He's also a member on here, SN is "pennyarcade"

I highly recommend them.

I was gona recommend this as well.

I recently had a suit, coat and shirts made there and I have been quite happy with the service, quality and price for it all. I got mine from the Richmond Hill/Markham location.

[light2]

I was gona recommend this as well.

I recently had a suit, coat and shirts made there and I have been quite happy with the service, quality and price for it all. I got mine from the Richmond Hill/Markham location.

the pricing seems fair.

if you add in the shipping for the HK tailors it seems to roughly same price.

[sharpstyle]

Check out Toronto Custom Suits... www.torontocustomsuits.com. I have had a couple of suits and shirts made by them with success. Their price points are much more reasonable compared to some of the other bespoke tailors out there. But, they're also a hybrid tailor - do measurements and alterations here but outsource the actual work to Asia (not sure where exactly). Best part is they took care of my picky adjustments (need my sleeves to be perfect)!

I have also tried Maxwell and Mohan before... both have good prices and quality is generally reliable. My only issue is having to wait 3-4 months for the traveling salesman to make his next trip. Also, don't really like the hotel room experience. And receiving the wrinkled suit 6-8 weeks later in paper packaging is not the best.

[PennyArcade]

For custom suits, you need to understand that it is an iterative process and things get better the more and more you order from them. Yamahara6 and DarkmasterMX (thanks for the recommendation!) both had minor alterations done to their suits and/or shirts to get them fitting the way that they want. Next time they order, the alterations will factor into the next suit or shirt to make it to their preferences. That's the problem with traveling tailors: there's really no feedback loop. Sure, they may send you to a local alterator to do the alterations, but the changes aren't recorded to your permanent record. You're back at square one the next time the tailor comes in.