Originally Posted by
JoshThomas
I am in the process of emailing a few of the recommended tailors for prices but the spread seems to be huge, ranging from $2,850 to upwards of $11,000 (WW Chan) for the same cloth. Can someone tell me why the huge difference in price, other than workmanship?, and can I be assured that I am getting exactly what I ask for at the lower end of the price scale?
All I can say is that you get what you pay for. First of all, I doubt you are speaking about the identical fabric: one tailor's Super 150 cloth is not the same as another tailor's, particularly if the cloth is from a branded manufacturer. Otherwise, the difference in workmanship is huge. Most shops don't have their own tailors and use a common factory in China. WW Chan has their own in-house Hong Kong based tailors. Many/most tailors use glue to fuse their suits; WW Chan and a few other top shops only use hand stiching. I agree that the "value" is with the high end tailors using high end fabrics, like Loro Piana or Zegna. Holland and Sherry also offers nice fabrics which will be less expensive that LP or Zegna (2/3rds). None of the shops have high overhead, and WW Chan may have among the lowest. Rent would be one of the most expensive overhead items, except for the cost of labor. Hotel/mall storefronts will have higher rents than places like WW Chan. I would presume they have the same cost for fabrics. You might be able to save money if you ask for remnant fabric where they may be down to their last pieces. I seriously advise against the low to middle end shops: you may find yourself throwing away the clothes like I once did. You truly get what you pay for.