Who is Measuring, Cutting, Sewing, & Fitting?
If you are serious about your suiting, you'll quickly realize that it's about more than just the fabric and craftsmanship, it's also about the measurements, fitter, and Master Tailor making adjustments. After all, you could pay well into the thousands for a custom Zegna fabric and hand-tailored bespoke suit, but if the original measurements, the fitter, and the tailor making the adjustments don't have the experience, you could have bought a used Rolex, at least that would fit.
Bottom line: Ask how long the custom suit maker has been in business, and if they have a training program led by a Master Tailor. Be sure to check their online reviews as well if you haven't been referred by someone you trust.
Where is the Custom Clothing made?
Most "custom clothing" companies you'll find online have all of their clothing made in Asia. There are a few dozen companies in the States that are ordering their custom clothing from manufacturers in the USA. And then there are just the handful of companies that have a Master Tailor make their clothing from start to finish in their own city - we happen to be one of those local custom suit makers, with other options as well.
At Nicholas Joseph we offer three distinct “makes” of custom clothing in order to accommodate varying taste and budget: Made in Chicago Bespoke, Made in USA (Knoxville, TN), and Overseas. We stress the importance of having a team approach for measuring and fitting, and to have locally made custom clothing available as an indicator of the seriousness with which your custom tailor approaches fit and quality. We also have a Master Tailor on site to assist with fittings and ultimately perform any adjustment required.
How much does a custom suit cost?
Custom suits vary depending on what you think is truly custom, or bespoke. What's the difference? A lot. A custom suit currently means either a made to measure or a custom suit, which is when a company measures you and orders the closest fitting existing suit pattern to your body, and then makes small adjustments. Most companies these days are using those words interchangeably. The same goes for made to measure or custom shirts.
Made to measure "custom" suits can start at a few hundred dollars and go into the thousands, based on the company that is making them, their construction method (fused, half canvas, or full canvas), and the fabric that will ultimately become the suit.
A bespoke suit is a suit based off of a new paper pattern made exclusively for that customer. It is frequently hand cut by the Master Tailor, and then he, or a cutter on his team, will trace the pattern on the fabric with chalk, carefully aligning plaids or stripes. The same idea holds true for bespoke or true custom shirts. Fully bespoke suits frequently involve a few trips to the tailor for fittings so they can adjust the basted jacket and trouser and/or pattern along the way. True bespoke suits usually start in the low thousand dollar range for quality construction and go up depending on the material used.
Our custom suits start at $895 and go up to about $5,000, depending on fabric and craftsmanship. We offer made in Chicago custom suits starting at $2795. We can make custom suits with Loro Piana, Zegna, Guabello, Vitale Barberis, and other fine wools, and you get the mill's label in the jacket as well. See our custom suit pricing. Then read How it Works to understand how to buy a custom suit.
Of course if you are an entertainment mogul we can make you a Vicuña custom suit for $25,000. If you were wondering...Vicuñas are from South America and produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every three years, and has to be caught from the wild.
