A Tailored Suit made me a custom dress shirt (Part 1)
I’ve never had a coworker admire the cut of my shirtsleeves before. But that’s what happened when I debuted the custom dress shirt A Tailored Suit made for me. I was walking over to the office microwave to nuke some PG Tips when a colleague stopped me and literally reached out to feel the drape of fabric on my sleeve.
“The break of your cuffs is just right,” he said, a bit breathlessly. Dare I say reverently?
Why, thank you. I know. Cue the Sam Cooke.
This is my first ever piece of custom clothing. And based on the experience — from working with the shirtmaker to wearing the finished product — it won’t be my last. What’s always stopped me before is the cost. And shelling out that kind of dosh will probably always give me pause in the future [full disclosure: this shirt was gratis for review purposes]. But I can see now that it’s a worthy investment.
A Tailored Suit is a custom clothier, offering dress shirts, trousers, blazers, and full suits. Since they’re internet-only, they’ve spent a lot of time making sure their site helps the user get the best fit possible without one of their tailors actually measuring you. Centeno, a former Marine, and president of A Tailored Suit, explained to me:
Somebody is taking a risk and taking a leap of faith that what they’re giving me is going to turn out good. And if not, how are they going to treat me? What’s going to happen? I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I work very hard to make sure the info you submitted to me is correct. I’ve tried to make the site jarhead-proof (I ran it across some of my old Marine buddies). If a person has any fears, they can call up and get ahold of a real person and talk to them.
They offer:
They’ve established a tone that doesn’t treat guys like idiots with no fashion sense (although they can also provide novices with as much education, advice, or hand-holding as needed). Good balance all around.
But what I like best is their excellent customer service. They offer a free 30-minute style consultation (and I suspect that they could keep chatting with you beyond that; these guys love talking men’s fashion). Antonio told me:
We take the time to actually learn about our clients and help them design clothing that compliments their unique features. For a first-time customer, we make a big commitment to working with their needs (are you doing indoor/outdoor work? etc.). We go above and beyond. We had a guy in Iraq that was going to Australia for two weeks and had nothing to wear (the guy was actually short and stout). On short notice we delivered part of the order to him in Iraq and part to him in Australia. Our reputation and trust is paramount, so I give a follow-up phone call when we send an order.
He makes a great point here. The biggest thing I learned from this process was that when it comes to tailoring (especially when it’s conducted virtually), communication is key. No matter what custom clothing company or tailor you’re dealing with, I advise you to do the following:
With a tailor, it’s all about the relationship. The back-and-forth. In my next post (Part 2), I’ll tell you about my own experience with the back-and-forth: the specific advice Antonio gave me, what options I went in for, and more about how the finished product turned out.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
As a short and stout fellow myself, I’m eager to check this tailor out!
April 20th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Greetings from 5′6″/200lbs!
Antonio & ATS totally rock! He made me an awesome (and awesomely comfortable) suit, and corresponded with me at every step of the way with helpful and insightful recommendations. All this from the comfort of my own home!
I am also the proud owner of one of his shirts, with another on the way.
ATS is the ONLY way to go for Men’s formal wear!
April 25th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Hi there, if you’re looking to save a few dollars yet still want your shirt properly custom made, try http://www.jantzentailor.com/. Might take a while for your order to be processed, but the quality of their workmanship is pretty good for the price.
It’s best to have a shirt properly done for you just the way you like it, then if you’re willing to part with it for a few weeks, send it to Jantzen and they can make you a perfect copy based on the fabric you choose.
I get all my shirts bespoke because:
1. I’m based in Sydney Australia and there’s lots of competition for small sizes so I can’t wait for the sales as the sizes will be gone.
2. I need alterations done to the sleeves that cost a bit and run the risk of being messed up by the tailor.
3. Shirts of decent quality off-the-rack are so expensive here that by the time I combine the shirt + alteration costs, I may as well get them tailor made.
April 28th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Ah - How much is Jantzen charging you per shirt? I looked at their site, but couldn’t seem to find the info…
May 4th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
@Josh:
Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t had a shirt done at Jantzen for ages as I now go to a shirtmaker here in Sydney but it should be around US$50 for a shirt. As a guide, my shirtmaker charges AUD$235 - $300 a shirt depending on the fabric (which are ordered from Italy or London).
Note that nowadays Jantzen get so many orders people have been complaining about very long delivery times and little to no correspondance so be prepared to be patient.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
@Josh (again):
Just as a final thought, one more thing you can try that might help to reduce that blousing (how it looks when worn) is to have your tailor sew darts in the back of the shirt. This helps to bring it in a tad in the waist, making the shirt look more contoured when worn, yet gives you room to move around.
My shirt maker made my last 3 shirts with darts at the back, which personally I disliked. I like the back of my shirts clean and free of pleats. Also makes it easier to iron.
However, sewing darts is a great way to re-cycle or breathe new life to your existing shirts. Not sure how much a tailor would charge but shouldn’t be too much as it shouldn’t be too hard.