Worried to take the bespoke plunge

[Guest]

Hi, I am relatively new here and wanting to start with my firts bespoke suit. My worry is that many of the suits one sees on the internet don't look like they fit quite right, and for my money, that is something I would rather avoid. Are there any makers who are really known to be problem free or who have consistently not disappointed you?

Thanks.

[Guest]

Your question is a bit broad and needs some more specifics, such as

1. What is your price range? If price is no object, let's jump on a plane and go to London with pit stops in Paris, Milan, Rome, and Naples. If your price limit is $2,000, then hold-off on the travel plans.

2. What kind of look do you want, such as English or Roman or Neopolitan?

3. What are your geographical boundaries? Can you travel to London, Naples, or Bucharest? Do you live in NYC which has a good number of tailors and is on the regular itinerary of the visiting tailors? Or do you live in Chicago, and are you limited geopgraphically to tailors in Chicago and those who visit?

4. Do you have some friends or associates whose dress you admire and would be able to provide a recommendation? A personal recommendation is always best.

I could provide a couple of suggestions, but without the foregoing information my recommendation would not mean much.

Good luck!

[Guest]

Thanks for the start. I am sort of non-denominational when it comes to styling, but I do like an Italian style more than English and also enjoy vacationing in Italy a lot. Price is not an object per se, as I am looking at dong one or at most a couple over time, but I don't want to blow money just to blow it. More than anything I would like to be in good hands so I need not worry much.

[Guest]

There is not much sense in going bespoke unless you appreciate it. You cannot appreciate it before you seek to understand a few basic things about it. You are in the right place for that. Make an effort and read through. There are no shortcuts, no magic recipes, no magic tailors that are "problem-free", no tailors that never disappoint anyone. And if you don't know what you want and don't ask for it, chances are both you and the tailor will end up frustrated with the result of your respective efforts.
A tailor is not a car mechanic where you can leave your car for servicing and know it to be "in good hands" because he knows what needs to be done and you don't have to worry. Commissioning bespoke clothing is interactive, you are part of it, you need to have expectations and requirements and communicate them to the tailor so he can meet them.
Yes, bespoke clothing will most probably fit better than ready-to-wear suits anyway from almost any decent tailor without any client input, but it is somewhat like going to a good restaurant and asking the waiter to bring you whatever the cook wishes instead of choosing the courses yourself.

C

[Guest]

Based on your choice of Italy, I would choose:

1. Caraceni, Milan.

2. Caraceni, Rome.

[Guest]

I second the:

Caraceni, Milan

[Guest]

If you have the opportunity to travel to Italy regularly, you will find many good tailors at very reasonable prices.

I would search for tailors who charge E1000-1500. There are many in every city if you look and ask.

You will be well served by these smaller tailors and need not pay the top-line price of a famous tailor like Caraceni where you may have regrets if your first suit does not turn out perfectly to your expectation.

The smaller, moderate priced tailor should not disappoint you nor cause remorse in this price range.

[Guest]

If you're in NYC, why schlep around the world? You'll find excellent tailors in NYC.

1. Phillip Ferrante at Saks Fifth Avenue.

2. Nino Corvato.

3. Raphael.

4. Vincent Nicolosi.

5. Ercole.

6. Fiovannti.

7. Leonard Logsdail.

8. Cheo.

[Guest]

New York tailors are either very expensive (e.g., Fioravanti, Mauritzio, Green and Logsdail) or too painful to deal with (e.g., Raphael, Cheo, Nicolosi, etc.) or, in some cases, both. If peace of mind is a concern, I would stay well clear of most of them.

[Guest]

I have found Raphael a pleasure to work with and he has done a very good job for me. That is not to say I don't know of anyone with a complaint about him. Bear in mind that even the best tailors have had a bad result or two and the number of complaints I have heard about Raphael are consistent with the best level of customer satisfaction. I would not hesitate to recommend him to someone considering a NY tailor.

dopey

[Guest]

I have found Raphael a pleasure to work with and he has done a very good job for me. That is not to say I don't know of anyone with a complaint about him. Bear in mind that even the best tailors have had a bad result or two and the number of complaints I have heard about Raphael are consistent with the best level of customer satisfaction. I would not hesitate to recommend him to someone considering a NY tailor.

dopey

And from what I've read, Raphael has been able to placate even his most sociopathic customers.

[Guest]

From what I have seen in pictures on The London Lounge, Raphel makes a suit that is quite pleasing to the eye, and Corvato makes one that needs much, much more attention to basic fit. I would try the first, but steer well clear of the latter, no matter how many of NY's finest he might have served while at Brooks.

[Guest]

I have found Raphael a pleasure to work with and he has done a very good job for me. That is not to say I don't know of anyone with a complaint about him. Bear in mind that even the best tailors have had a bad result or two and the number of complaints I have heard about Raphael are consistent with the best level of customer satisfaction. I would not hesitate to recommend him to someone considering a NY tailor.

dopey

And from what I've read, Raphael has been able to placate even his most sociopathic customers.

In the old shop, the bathroom was out the door and down the hall. I used to lock myself in there while I had my sociopathic and psychotic tantrums. After I calmed down, I could return to the shop with no one the wiser. I haven't figured out the layout of the new location so have no idea how to deal with the onset of sociopathic or psychotic episodes.

dopey

[Guest]

I have found Raphael a pleasure to work with and he has done a very good job for me. That is not to say I don't know of anyone with a complaint about him. Bear in mind that even the best tailors have had a bad result or two and the number of complaints I have heard about Raphael are consistent with the best level of customer satisfaction. I would not hesitate to recommend him to someone considering a NY tailor.

dopey

And from what I've read, Raphael has been able to placate even his most sociopathic customers.

In the old shop, the bathroom was out the door and down the hall. I used to lock myself in there while I had my sociopathic and psychotic tantrums. After I calmed down, I could return to the shop with no one the wiser. I haven't figured out the layout of the new location so have no idea how to deal with the onset of sociopathic or psychotic episodes.

dopey

Count yourself lucky that you're even a client. I'm way crazier than you but Raphael wouldn't take my order without good written documentation of it. He runs a pretty tight "inner circle."

[Guest]

Dopey -- you are quite lucky.

As much as I like Raphael and enjoy his company (Raph really is a great guy to hang out with), I have not had the same luck with him. In my mind, he is very capable of producing excellent garments but rarely gets there for me. Requests agreed to upfront are not honored and later dismissed with -- "I don't do that," orders are started late and never delivered on time (in some cases a year or two after the initial date promised) and mistakes made (for example, not ordering enough cloth and not leaving much inlay to correct cutting errors) are never acknowledged. That said, I have seen some nice looking garments he has made for others.

Raphael has a very definate sense of style and for the average guy is generally able to get the proportions right. He is a good alterations tailor who can correct just about most mistakes during the fitting process through repeated trial and error as long as he has left sufficient inlay. When the mood strikes him, he may even honor some of your wishes.

Other tailors I have dealt with are considerably more user friendly and consistent in terms of fit -- A&S, Poole and Rubinacci. Len Logsdail is the only NY tailor I am aware of (excluding the stratosphericly-priced -- Green, Mauritzio (a total gentleman btw) and Fioravanti) who offers the same level of professionalism. By contrast, the older Italian tailors in NY are all very talented but highly opinionated, less accomodative, over-emotional and often reluctant to ackowledge and address fit issues.

I was talking to Collarmelton earlier -- its strange that I have recommended more people to Len (who has made things for me other than a suit -- more a question of me preferring a softer garment than Len typically makes) than to any of the NY tailors that I have actually gotten suits from (and those that have used Len are very happy with the experience). Personally, I just don't want the responsibility of referring people any of the other NY tailors. As I mentioned to a friend who wanted me to take him to Nicolosi -- please call Eddie Hayes!

Smooth Jazz

I have found Raphael a pleasure to work with and he has done a very good job for me. That is not to say I don't know of anyone with a complaint about him. Bear in mind that even the best tailors have had a bad result or two and the number of complaints I have heard about Raphael are consistent with the best level of customer satisfaction. I would not hesitate to recommend him to someone considering a NY tailor.

dopey