I get asked this question often by younger men starting out in their careersโฆ
I always tell them the following:
1. ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐. I can point you to ten tailors who will make you a suit 10x better than any luxury brand for half the price. Look into your local old guyโs. They arenโt out to stiff you. They genuinely love their craft.
2. ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐. You can still find guys out there making good fused two-piece suits locally for around 1400. Although I donโt personally sell fused, if youโre on a tight budget and need a couple suits quick and all at once, donโt be afraid to get a few. But keep in mind, this will not last if you wear your suits regularly.
3. ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ. Try to break out of your IKEA mindset. If you want the veneered particle board equivalent of suits because itโs fast and cheap and looks really nice on that extremely fit model with perfect camera work and lighting, then prepare for a lifetime of disappointment. Not at first, as it will look nice initially โฆ but not after a few uses and wears. Instead, save up for that solid wood tableโThe one your children will hand down to their children. You can find very beautiful, locally made half and full canvas made suits from small shops everywhere.
5. Understand ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ (if you remove branding from your mind):
i. Amount of handwork vs. machine stitching
ii. Manufacturer and quality of the cloth selected
iii. Service, Guarantee of work, craftsmen skills, design
So seeing as there are so many moving partsโ You need to understand that if you set a budget of $2000 for a half canvassed suit, you have to make sacrifices somewhere else. A master tailor will generally take around 80 hours of handwork to make ONE suit. Whatโs that manโs lifetime of knowledge worth? 100 an hour? So minimum 8,000 for a fully hand stitched suit? Donโt believe anyone selling you some nonsense that their suit is all hand stitched at a low price point. It just isnโt true, and itโs insulting to those who do the real thing.
6. Find and ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ with an atelier/clothier/salesman. Many atelier shops out there will sell you fantasy, while behind closed doors ship their measurements off to little factories (the usual suspects) with little hands sewing away at it. Ask your salesmen/atelier/clothier WHERE and HOW his products are made.
Good luck out there, men!ย
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