A Visual Tour: The Quality of The Best Tailored Custom Suits
What is the difference between a well made high quality custom suit and an inexpensive cheap suit?
Got questions? Find answers here FAQ
Why do some suits cost thousands?
In one word: Craftsmanship. The best suits are all about the craft and art of great suit making. Below is a detail by detail tour of how we make the best quality bespoke custom suits at an affordable price. We will be the first to admit our suits are not cheap but we are confident that…
with consideration of design, fit, construction, and service vs. price…
stich for stich we provide the best value in bespoke custom made suits.
Our Offerings Men’s Custom Suits I Women’s Custom Suits I Custom Dress Shirts I Custom Tuxedos I Custom Blazers and Sport Coats
Left: Close up of temporary basting stitches used to hold canvas in place during production. Right: Close up of the basting stitches used in the lapel
Hand Basted Canvas
Does a hand basted canvas matter in a well made suit? Absolutely
Lightweight horse hair/linen blend canvas is basted (light tension) inside our suits. This gives our jackets their drape and structure. Many suit makers choose to glue their interlinings to save time, but these will eventually de-laminate with wear and dry cleaning. Our process assures that the canvas will stay in place indefinitely. The basting technique gives a soft drape and range of movement without the canvas pulling or puckering the fabric.
Top: Basted chest horse hair/linen canvas lightly padded with felt and cotton. Bottom: Temporary basting stitches used to hold canvas in place during production.
Hand Padded and Molded Shoulders.
Our shoulders are constructed by hand, from scratch, using thin layers of stacked cotton, felt, and canvas. The shape is based on each client’s shoulder angle, slope, and musculature. Many suitmakers shortcut this step by using pre-made and heavy padded shoulders. You will find that our shoulders have very little padding. The end result is a jacket with clean, crisp lines and a fit that is unmistakably custom.
Top: Optional hand pick stitching on lapels and welt pocket. Bottom: Optional hand pick stitching on sleeve head, lapels and shoulder seam
Hand Stitching: Why it makes a difference.
Hand stitching is all about feel and instinct. Every fabric has a unique “hand” – a certain amount of body, texture, stretch, etc. Hand stitching ensures that each and every stitch is made with just the right amount of tension to create clean and strong seams. Machines can’t adjust tension from stitch to stitch, resulting in puckering or in seams that are too tightly sewn and that actually weaken the integrity of the fabric. Available with visible English pick or invisible French seams, our hand stitching showcases the best of our tailoring.
Left: Optional hand pick stitching on the collar nape and center back back seam. Right: Optional hand pick stitching on waist darts and pockets
From left to right: Center seam pleating in our jackets provide added range of movement. Pocket detailing and reinforcement creates added functionality. Bold linings showcase our over 200 available choices. Sweat shields under the arms help protect your sweat from being visible during wear.
Floating pleated Lining: Creates a Clean Drape and Ease of Movement
Our linings are all hand-basted and pleated. The light tension of the stitches and pleating allows the lining to flex and move as if independent to the outer shell of the jacket. This extra step is done to ensure that our jackets have maximum range of movement and comfort without sacrificing the lines of the suit.
Prince of Wales Glen Plaid: Note how patterns match at welt pocket (vertical), chest to sleeve (horizontal), and lapel to chest (diagonal)
Left: Stripes match at welt pocket featuring a curved "canoe" Neapolitan style pocket. Right: Stripes match on pocket flap featuring "slanted" English style construction.
Pattern Matching: Tell Tale Sign of Hand Craftsmanship
Matching patterns at seams and pockets is one of the truest tells of a well-made custom suit. Other suitmakers that favor machines and technology to build their suits struggle with this, as pattern matching requires a trained tailor’s eyes and hands for each and every individual fabric. While it takes more yards of material and sewing time, this is a step that we refuse to shortcut, as it is one of the most visible hall marks of great suit making.
Left to right: Hand selected mother of pearl buttons on a functional “surgeon” cuff sleeve. Rich colors are featured in our premium bone buttons.
Premium Buttons: Hand Selected for their Deep Rich Color and Finish
Nothing ruins a great suit like cheap, poorly-sewn, and fake buttons. Our suits feature a selection of the best buttons, sourced from around the globe. We hand-match each button for color depth and pattern, hand-attach using a button backer and reinforced stem, and always include working button holes (surgeon cuffs).
Pleated Waist Bands
Pleated waistbands are a time-consuming extra step in old school tailoring that are still the most effective way to help keep dress shirts tucked in. During wear, as you move, bend, sit, and so on, the pleats flex and open to catch the shirt and keep it from coming undone. As an added failsafe, we also include rubber grips in the waist band.
Details. Details. Details. The Best Custom Suits are ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS.
A great bespoke suit is all about the tiny details which, together, create an end product greater than the sum of its parts. Reinforced tacks at stress points, heel guards at the hem, reinforced interior pockets, biased cut vents, and so on; there are far too many tiny details to list here. We focus on these details because we strive to create a standard of engineered performance without sacrificing artistic integrity in each and every one of our suits. We invite you to come in and see our tailoring in person so we can walk you through what makes us the best value in custom suiting, bar none.