How to Order a Custom-Made Suit

Bone Up on Bespoke

Goal: Understand what a custom suit is and whether it’s
for you.

Ordering a custom suit involves getting measured by a tailor,
who then creates a pattern specific to your body. He or she uses that pattern
to cut the fabric and then sews the suit by hand. Custom tailoring is
often referred to as “bespoke,” an old tailoring term
meaning that a certain fabric has been “spoken for” by a
customer and is therefore no longer for sale.

What makes a bespoke suit different from one bought at a
department store may be imperceptible at first glance: It’s all in
the fit and the details. Just about every man looks better in clothing that was
made just for him, because custom tailoring takes into consideration the
asymmetry of the wearer’s body. Most men have one shoulder or hip
that’s higher than the other, or one arm or leg that’s
longer, for example. If your weight fluctuates wildly, however, custom-made may
be a bad investment.

In addition to perfect fit, custom suits also have these
hallmarks:

• 
  Working
  buttonholes on the sleeve, also called “surgeon cuffs”
  
• 
  A real silk interior, in the color and pattern of your choice
  
• 
  Slightly imperfect (compared to a machine) stitching, which
  indicates that the garment was made by hand
  
• 
  A hand-stitched canvas lining
  

The hand-stitched canvas lining is the most important of these
details. In most readymade suits, the lining is a piece of synthetic material
fused to the fabric with vegetable glue, resulting in a lifeless shape prone to
puckering. A custom suit’s lining is made of canvas stitched in by
hand, giving the suit a more defined structure in addition to longevity and greater comfort.

What others will most notice in your suit is the cut or line. “You’ll
look like a better version of you,” Flusser says.

Choose a Style

GOAL: Pick a cut of jacket and pants that will suit
your personality — and flatter your body type.

If you’re going to spend the money on your first custom
suit, you’ll want to choose colors and fabrics that are the most
versatile. Flusser suggests starting with a medium charcoal gray. “It
does the most: It’s a business suit, great for interviews, but is
also very elegant for the evening,” he says.

While your tailor can make suggestions regarding the cut, you’ll
have a better experience during your first meeting if you consider what style
of suit you want beforehand. The following come down to body type and personal
taste:

Single- or Double-Breasted Jacket

Single-breasted
jackets are more common, but some prefer href="http://www.bnet.com/2346-6547_23-212771-2.html">double-breasted jackets because they make the wearer look slimmer. On single-breasted suits, a two- or
three-button closure is standard. The taller you are, the more buttons you’ll
want (though never more than three). Four- or six-button closure is standard
for DBs, though six is considered the more elegant.

Two- or Three-Piece

A coat and trousers with a shirt and tie is the standard uniform
among businessmen and politicians today (“the business suit”).
This is considered the most no-nonsense look for men in finance, law, and other
traditional professions. A coat and trousers worn with a vest is considered the
most formal, but also a little more fanciful in some circles. It’s an
outfit you’re more likely to see on a museum director or university
dean than on a manager or C-suite exec.

Natural or Padded Shoulders

Your choice here depends on the natural broadness of your
shoulders, but in general, you’ll want your suit to follow the line
of your body. Overdo it and you’ll end up looking like a 1930s
gangster or a televangelist.

Single or Double Vent

Single vented is classic American, while double vented (with the
vents off to the sides) is classic English, although side vents are becoming
more common in American fashion these days.

Peaked or Notched Lapels

Notched
lapels are considered standard on the American single-breasted business
suit, though peaked lapels are the more elegant. Peaked lapels give the
illusion of added height. Keep in mind that double-breasted suits should always
have peaked lapels.

Find a Tailor

Goal: Hire someone who knows what they’re
doing.

Once you decide to give custom a try, your biggest challenge
lies in finding a tailor with a stellar reputation. Your more dapper associates
may have a recommendation for you, or visit the Custom Tailors and Designers
Association, which can direct you to a competent practitioner.

Here’s a list of some of the best custom tailors in
the United States, compiled in part by the Robb Report:

• 
  Joe Centofanti, Ardmore, Pa. (610-642-1926)
  

• 
  Chris Despos, Chicago (312-944-8833)
  
• 
  William Fioravanti, New York (212-355-1540)
  
• 
  Christian Garcia, Coral Gables, Fla. (305-567-1324)
  
• 
  Leonard Logsdail, New York (212-752-5030)

• 
  Manuel Martinez, Baton Rouge, La. (225-928-9107)
  
• 
  Tony Maurizio, New York (212-759-3230)
  
• 
  Frank Shattuck, New York
  
• 
  Giacomo Trabalza, Los Angeles (310-652-6396)
  
• 
  Bruce Zuckerman,
  San Francisco
  

In addition to local tailors, there are also “itinerant
tailors” — those who are usually based in countries where
labor is cheap and who make seasonal trips to cities across the world to take
commissions and arrange fittings. These tailors can be a less expensive
alternative to American or European tailors. They include:

• 
  WW Chan
  
• 
  Ravis Tailor
  
• 
  Astor and Black
  
• 
  My Custom Tailor
  

Prep for Your Fitting

GOAL: Know what to expect when commissioning your
first suit.

Tailors generally prefer you to wear your best suit to your
first fitting, since it gives them a sense of what you’re used to. If
you always carry a thick wallet and a cell phone, then you should wear those to
the fitting so the tailor can plan to accommodate them.

Think of choosing your suit as a collaboration between you and
the tailor. It’s a business arrangement not unlike the arrangements
you probably have with other vendors. Plan on spending at least an hour at the
first fitting, and realize that top tailors require multiple fittings (usually
two or three) before they’re satisfied with the job they’ve
done. Don’t expect to walk in before lunch and walk out with a suit
after. The entire process usually takes 8 to 10 weeks.