Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video, I discuss the differences between a cheap or inexpensive $500 custom suit and
an expensive $500 bespoke suit.
So, what suit do you think I'm wearing here, right
now?
Looks pretty good, doesn't it?
Well, it's the $500 online custom suit.
While it looks great while I stand, as soon as I start moving, actually, nothing works
anymore.
It looks terrible and feels uncomfortable.
For example, if I just want to eat, it pulls on my left shoulder, everything is uncomfortable.
My collar gaps and I can't move, I have a hard time getting my fork to my mouth.
It's a perfect example of a $500 custom suit that used my measurements and looks great
when I stand but it's non-functional and I'd never wear it.
So, what are the other differences?
Let's go step by step.
I thought I could do a video on the other jacket, but it's so uncomfortable, I had to
switch.
$500 custom suits have become very popular in the last few years because of the online
supply chain management.
It's very easy to order something online just with your measurements, receive something
in the mail four weeks after.
On the other hand, a traditional bespoke suit costs a lot more and takes longer to produce.
So what's the difference?
First, let's take a look at the order process.
A $5000 bespoke suit is something that you commission at a custom or bespoke tailor,
that means it's an in-person relationship; you go there, they measure you, they look
at how you move.
They have a very educated eye, they could see right away that you have a sloping shoulder,
a bigger thigh, and they confirm their assumptions, what they see, with the measurements they
take.
Once you've picked out all the fabric, the trimmings, and the lining, the tailor can
start to work on your suit.
But he doesn't just create it, he first, has a loosely fitting garment for a first fitting,
a second fitting, and a third fitting.
These fittings ensure that you get a great fit and that you don't have bad surprises
once you put on the garment and you can't make any changes anymore.
Depending on the tailor you choose, it can take anywhere from one month to one year to
get your suit, as it also depends on how many tailors they have on , and how much time they
have, and how many orders they have to process.
You can get bespoke suits for as little as $1500 to $2000, and it's the same process
as it is for $5000 suits.
The difference of the $5000 suit is that you also get expert style advice.
Usually, these high-end bespoke tailors are well-known and revered for their taste, and
their style, and that's part of what you buy.
Because you're the customer, you don't have to do anything.
Unless you're not a 100% happy with the suit, you don't have to accept it.
Bespoke suits are very popular; they come from Savile Row or from Naples, and so a lot
of men travel to those destinations to have a suit made for them.
The problem is, that's an additional cost, and it can cost a lot of pain in the process
to get it right, especially if more fittings are needed.
So keep it into consideration when you decide to work with a tailor that is not in your
city.
For a $500 custom suit, usually, you have to measure yourself, especially if you do
it online, there's no personal relationship.
Sure, you may be able to ask questions or send an email, but at the end of the day,
you have to find an untrained friend or acquaintance that can measure you and you have to rely
on their videos to work.
Sometimes, they also promise that you just send in a picture with a credit card that
you hold up, and then their algorithm determines the size, in my experience, it never works,
simply because it's too far off.
Big department stores, they sometimes offer a 3D measurement technique, while that sounds
good in theory, it never really dominated in practice because the results are not a
100%.
A human eye and an understanding of what a person needs is not just something that you
can translate into a machine measurement.
The turnaround time for these suits is usually 4-8 weeks because they're factory made.
Usually, they're sewn together in Asia because it's less expensive.
All you do is take your measurements, put them on their system, choose the fabric, and
you get a suit back.
No fittings involved, no real trained tailor with an experienced eye that can guide you
and help you, and that's why you pay a lower price.
If you have an unusual body shhape or strong, sloping shoulders that are different from
one side to the other, the $500 custom suit can be very difficult to accommodate whereas
a $5000 bespoke suit easily do that because they can look at you, and with the fittings,
just so it looks perfect on you.
Next up, let's talk about the difference in fit and pattern.
Huge difference between a $500 suit and a $5000 suit is the pattern.
A $500 custom suit has a made to measure pattern.
If you want to learn more about the term, watch this video, here.
What happens is that a standard pattern is used, and is then modified with your measurements,
so it supposedly fits you better.
The entire process of the pattern making is computer processed, and it's just basing the
measurements, so of the measurements are off, the entire thing will be off.
Oftentimes, these suits are very slim and they look great when you stand, but as we
saw before, as you can see here, it's really terrible when it's too tight and you can't
move in your suit because it's so uncomfortable.
A $5000 is based on a paper pattern that is unique to you, that is made from scratch just
for you and it will really show in the final end result and fit.
Not only will it look great, but you will also be comfortable, you can move around,
you can eat, you can ask for a cab, and everything stays in place and looks good.
The third difference is construction and details.
Basically, you can have a suit with a glued interlining, a sewn interlining, and something
that is a mix between the two.
To learn more about the differences, please check out our video between a $1000 and a
$100 suit.
A $500 custom suit, will usually either have a glued interlining or a partially sewn interlining
but usually, never fully sewn interlining.
On the other hand, a $5000 bespoke suit is usually fully canvassed and you can even decide
if you want a stiffer canvas or a soft one.
A $500 suit is just one thing fits it all and you don't have much say in what you get.
Now, when it comes to details, a $5000 suit has more handwork.
You can see that on the buttonhole, it's handmade, looks very nice, the edges are nicely rounded
even on the sleeves.
and the linings, the little details on the inside, really show you that it's a quality
garment.
Moreover, a $5000 suit is usually padded by hand and when you flap open your lapel, you
can see irregular stitches made by hand.
In this case, it shows that there is soft interlining so it's very comfortable and feels
more like a sweater.
On the other hand, a $500 suit will not have those hallmarks.
Even if it's a full or half canvas construction, it's machine made and it lacks the sophistication.
The same is true for things like the pick stitching, which is done by hand, they're
very subtle on a bespoke garment, you can see it along the edges and for a $500 custom
suit, it's usually a machine made stitch, that goes to look like a hand stitch but it
isn't.
Years ago, only bespoke garments had surgeon cuffs which mean you could open the buttonholes
on your jacket.
Today, online custom makers have copied that feature, and so it's no longer a way to determine
whether you have a quality garment or an inexpensive, factory-made garment from China.
Another huge difference between the two is the selection in choice of fabric.
An inexpensive or cheap suit will only have a very limited bandwidth.
Usually, they're made in Asia, even if they have big names on that or India.
They're usually thin, flimsy, and just the usual business colors, gray, navy, with some
patterns.
On the other hand, a bespoke tailor will usually be able to offer any fabric that you could
want; they may even have vintage fabrics, a Solaro, a Fresco, really unusual things
that make your suits special and ideally suited to the environment you'll be in.
So at the end of the day, you really get what you pay for.
A $5000 bespoke suit gives you a great fabric choice, a superior fit, a personal experience
on a trained tailors eye, on the other hand, $500 custom suit is much cheaper, cost a fraction
of the price but you'll have to usually compromise on fit.
It's often not as comfortable, the fabric choice is limited, and the details are limited
as well.
So you simply have to decide what works best for you.
That being said, I have a mix of everything in my closet, I have some ready to wear items,
I've some made to measure items and some bespoke items.
It's just important to be aware that a $500 custom suit is not the same as a $5000 bespoke
suit.
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