Why Should I Invest in a Tailor Made Suit?

Section: Men's Style - Blog

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A tailor made suit is an individually hand-crafted garment, made to your exact body shape and styling requirements. It’s an optimal balance between off-the-rack and bespoke suiting options, giving you the individual choice and personalised fit of bespoke, without the high price tag.

What's the difference?

When it comes time to suit up, tailor made suits are just one of the options. Other options include bespoke suits and off-the-rack suits. Tailor made suits are called custom tailored suits or made to measure suits (although there are subtle differences).

The main difference between tailor made suits, bespoke suits, and off-the-rack suits is bespoke suits are built from scratch and created without the use of a pre-existing pattern, thus allowing for intricate control over styling details. Tailor made suits typically use a standard pattern but are individually hand-crafted to your measurements, fabric choice, and styling requirements.

In contrast, off-the-rack suits are a pre-styled, mass-produced product made to standard sizing rules, which may or may not fit you perfectly. With an off-the-rack suit you'll generally need to compromise on fit, style or fabric (or all three), as you'll rarely find exactly what you're looking for. Buying off-the-rack also means you'll probably need to shop around, trying on scores of jackets and trousers until you find one that's fits – not to mention dealing with pushy salespeople.

These problems are all solved by tailor made suiting. But before you take the plunge, it's best to find out how it works:

Pros: tailor made suits

• One-on-one personalised service and advice.
• Get the fit, style and fabric you want, all in the one place.
• Control over styling aspects of your suit including the outer fabric and even the internal lining. At Montagio, we offer a fabulous range of suit materials as well as exquisite patterned linings to add some flair to your tailor made suit.
• Design and customize your suit to your individual taste in terms of styling by selecting slim lapels, shorter jacket lengths, hand-craft stitching, slant pockets, working cuff buttons and so forth.
• The finished garment is a uniquely styled, one of a kind, made-to-measure suit that fits your body perfectly.

Cons: tailor made suits

• Depending on the tailor, you may wait 3 - 6 weeks before you see the end result (from the time of taking measurements to first fitting and any alterations). At Montagio, we take 2-4 weeks to turn your garment around.
• Tailor made suits are made to the 'make' of the brand you buy it from, which means while you have control over many aspects of the suit's design, you don't get 100% control over intricate details like you would with a bespoke suit (e.g. what colour you want the thread around the buttons to be etc.). But don't fret! Most men find that there are more options than they ever knew about.

Effort Required by You

LOW: On your first tailor made suit, your initial consultation takes approximately 30-45 minutes, and then your first fitting once the suit is complete takes about 10 minutes. Most tailors will then adjust your measurements in their systems (depending on if you required alterations on your first suit after your first fitting).

With subsequent suits, it's as simple as selecting your fabric and styling (around 10-15 minutes), and you will be guaranteed a perfect fit! No more wasting time tediously shopping around and trying on multiple suits for fit.

Cost

LOW to MEDIUM: An entry-level tailored suit in Super 110s should cost around $600 - $700, while a Super 120s or Super 130s Pure Wool tailored suit should cost around $1,000. The better the quality of fabric, the higher the price. This puts the price of a tailored suit at slightly more that a good quality off-the-rack-suit.

Other companies may charge more or less. It all depends on the quality of materials, the quality of the workmanship, and whether they cut out any "middle men." At Montagio, we use luxurious yet durable Super 110s, 120s & 130s Australian and New Zealand Wools. Additionally, we are involved in the entire end-to-end process, not just the selling,

Risks

Since you are purchasing a custom made garment with literally millions of options, occasionally, things can and do go wrong. It's always a good idea to ask your tailor what the process is if the suit doesn't come back the way you like it. Most tailors offer free alterations and remakes until the suit is perfect for you. In our case, if alterations are required, we cover these costs and promise to tailor your suit to perfection; this is our Perfect Fit Guarantee.

Final word

Beware of the words “tailored suit.” Many suit retailers user the word “tailored” to describe the look and cut of a suit as it's a good (and misleading) marketing ploy. In reality, they should be using words like “slim,” “fitted” or “tapered.” Remember, a “tailored suit” is an individually hand-crafted item made to your measurements and specifications.

Finally, tailored suits represent a low effort, good value for money result overall. With a price that's on par with good quality off-the-rack and offering many of the bonuses of bespoke suiting, made to measure means you'll get a perfect fitting suit every time that is styled the way you want at a great price. Now that's a winning combination! Stop by the Sydney showroom of Montagio Custom Tailoring or schedule a private consult so you can shop at your convenience.

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