You Need to Know How Much to Pay for a Bespoke Suit

Section: Men's Style - Blog

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Fabric and craftsmanship are key elements of the cost of a bespoke suit, but there are other factors as well. For instance, you must work with a master tailor who takes precise measurements because a gorgeous bespoke suit that doesn’t fit is wasted money. Here’s some tips to guide you through the process and make sure you get your money’s worth.

In order to judge good value when buying custom made suits, you must understand the process. A master tailor takes your measurements and designs a pattern for your suit.

Next, your suit is created and you'll go through a series of fittings as the garment is tweaked until it fits your body like a glove. As you can imagine, this process takes time, and the labour involved can be costly. Given this, here's a basic guide to gauging price vs. quality for fully bespoke suits.

Costs: Bespoke Suits

Genuine bespoke suits are only made by brick and mortar tailors. This is because many suit fittings are required to get a perfect fit, and the skills required to perform each of these fittings means the tailor needs to reside locally. Because of the labour involved, a fully bespoke suit is an expensive option. However, if you can afford it, it is one of life's great luxuries.

You can expect to pay anywhere from... well... the sky is the limit, depending on who you purchase your bespoke suit from. The general price range is from $2,000 - $4,000, but there are some bespoke tailors who have sold suits for over $40,000.

The final price is predicated by the details of your suit's design and what level of luxury and exclusivity you want in your fabric. A fully bespoke suit tailor offers options to adjust just about every aspect of the suit such as:

• Lapels
• Linings
• Buttons
• Trims

These are just a few of the possibilities as there are master tailors who offer hundreds of styling options from which to choose.

In order to justify the extra expense, fully bespoke suits should be “fully canvassed” with a quality natural material like horse or camel hair. Additionally, they should be fully hand stitched and use pure wool fabrics with high Super counts (suitable for the purpose). During the construction stage of your suit, your bespoke tailor should check your fit continuously (sometimes up to 5 or 6 times) to ensure you're getting the best imaginable fit for your garment.

What if I just want the jacket?

Lucky you, you don't have to buy a complete suit as most bespoke tailors are happy to make you a blazer, dinner jacket or sports coats. If you go this route, you'll probably pay about two-thirds the cost of a suit.

Fully bespoke tailoring is for the man who knows exactly what he wants and refuses to compromise on quality. If that describes you, then schedule your personal styling session today and take the first step of your journey to luxury. You'll be glad you did.

Note: Prices in this article are stated in $AUD at January 1 2012.

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