Where else can I find this suit?

[Blackhood]

The process you are talking about is called CMT (Cut, measure & trim) which some tailors will do. Most of the time they make a bit of cash on the cloth (the margin between what they buy it for and what they sell it for) so they wont want to give up that money all together. We don't know where in the world you're located so its tough to answer; smaller provincial tailors will do something like that, but the Savile Row houses will not. In Hong Kong that practice is reasonably commonplace, as it is in Italy, but it ultimately comes down to the tailors choice.

You will also find that only a small fraction of any Cloth Merchant's stock is online at any one time. Your very best option is to go and see a few tailors and look through their bunches (the book of swatches grouped by themes like Tweed, Summer Weights, Flannels) and go from there.

If you're a long distance from your nearest tailors then try emailing them a photograph. Some will be receptive to this and some might be a bit more curmudgeonly but it is a start.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

I'll be living in New York City in about a month. Are there tailors in the city that would be willing to do such a thing? I'd have a hard time believing otherwise.

 

[Blackhood]

NYC is outside my area of expertise, but I would have thought you have a very good chance.

I've never used or met him but the guy who makes for The Style Blogger (Dan Trepanier) is likely to carry the bolder cloths you're looking for. His clientèle seems keen on crazy cloth. Michael Andrews Bespoke I think the firm is named.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Well, I have good news. I was able to source a very decent alternative fabric from Huddersfield Cloth. It is in a blue Prince of Wales pattern with the windowpane overlay, just like the Canali. I have already ordered some to make into a suit. Here is a photo (courtesy of Bertie, whose post in The Cloth Thread led me to find it):

Now that I have my fabric, all I need is a tailor. I haven't found one in New York, but I have been able to find an online CMT tailor based in Thailand (mysuitshop.com). Judging from the reviews it has received on this site, however, I am hesitant to go with this company. Are there any other well-regarded CMT tailors that allow for made to measure orders to be placed online?

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Well, I have good news. I was able to source a very decent alternative fabric from Huddersfield Cloth. It is in a blue Prince of Wales pattern with the windowpane overlay, just like the Canali. I have already ordered some to make into a suit. Here is a photo (courtesy of Bertie, whose post in The Cloth Thread led me to find it):



Now that I have my fabric, all I need is a tailor. I haven't found one in New York, but I have been able to find an online CMT tailor based in Thailand (mysuitshop.com). Judging from the reviews it has received on this site, however, I am hesitant to go with this company. Are there any other well-regarded CMT tailors that allow for made to measure orders to be placed online?

If you haven't found a tailor in New York, you aren't looking hard enough: there are probably more tailors in New York than in any other US city. There are multiple threads on this forum - do a search - are even New York-based tailors who post here - like David Reeves, for example - another who seems to fine favour here is Ercole's over in Brooklyn. And if you have gone to all that trouble to source excellent cloth, why take the risk of messing it up by going with an online business that you know is sketchy?

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

I don't actually live in New York City yet; I'll be moving out there this fall. Like I said, I am not going to go with the sketchy online option. I was just considering it so I don't have to wait another month before I can get the suit made. Anyway, since I only paid $160 for the cloth (a pretty good deal for a wool and mohair blend, no?), I'm not exactly looking to pay huge dollars on the cost of tailoring, either. That's why I was considering the online option. New York City tailors, from what I know, tend to be expensive.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

I have found two potential candidates in New York City who seem to offer this service. LS Mens Clothing and a shop in Chinatown called LNC. They both offer their tailoring services for $500-$700, as far as I can tell. Not too bad. Does anyone in New York City have more suggestions?

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Well, I received my fabric in the mail today. It looks like this:

Indeed, it's a far cry from the fabric that I was expecting:

It's completely gray, as the picture suggests. I'm not sure if the company I ordered it from made a mistake or something, but the fabric I received is not going to do me any good. I guess I'll have to return it and see if perhaps the company can provide the correct colored fabric. If not, I'll just have to keep looking. Either way, I can't use this fabric. It's simply too gray, surely not merely a camera issue.