by
Ralph Lauretta
Sal Lauretta for Men
A custom suit from
Italy is like a five-star meal in Paris or fine chocolate from
Switzerland. Specialists have been perfecting it for hundreds of
years, and you’ll start loving it as soon as you lay eyes on it.
A sleek new custom
Italian suit can stay in top condition for decades, and it’ll be
precisely crafted to flatter your physique. In terms of how
attractive and graceful it will make you feel, few other types of
clothing could even come close.
Naturally, part of
buying such an ensemble is figuring out how much it should cost. This
guide should help you start putting your budget together.
Choosing Materials
Buying custom
Italian suits allows you to choose the materials that your suit will
be made out of. In fact, that’s one of the biggest draws for most
men when it comes to buying custom Italian suits.
In terms of cost,
the material that you choose is really the biggest factor. In fact,
materials for a suit can cost anywhere from a few dollars to a few
hundred dollars per yard.
For most men, the
cost of suit materials will actually be somewhere in between those
two extremes. While heavyweight wool tends to cost more than cotton,
materials like blended wools and other composites strike a happy
balance.
Materials like linen
or all-natural fibers can cost more. However, once you consider that
you’ll be constructing the perfect suit for the season you want –
or for all year wear – the cost of paying more for high-quality
materials isn’t all that much.
You’ll also have a
durable suit that will last you many years if you pick a fine
material.
Comparing Brands
A few major creators
of custom Italian suits include Brioni, Canali and Ravazzolo.
Fortunately, you can’t go wrong with any of these labels.
Brioni suits can be
pricey, often in the $5,000 to $7,000 range. However, they’re
completely handmade, and the name “Brioni” warrants excitement;
this brand is revered in high fashion circles.
Brioni has hundreds
of fabrics to choose from, and its suit frames are made of canvas. As
you describe the exact suit that you want, an artisan will draw it on
paper as a visual guide. You’ll choose your patterns and colors,
and you’ll decide how the lapels and other elements will be shaped.
Afterward, on the
magical day when your custom Brioni suit arrives, it’ll be
extremely lightweight and comfortable, with thousands of carefully
placed stitches.
Another Italian suit
company, Canali, may be more suited to your taste. The brand may not
be quite as famous as Brioni, but Canali suits are recognized as
authentic and fashion-forward. Best known for its sophisticated cuts,
Canali operates its own factory in Italy and has established an
intense process for inspecting all of its products, ensuring that no
flaw ever goes unnoticed.
Canali creates many
styles of jackets and pants, and they pay homage to the history of
Italian fashion. Even so, in their overall appearance, they’re au
courant. Expect to pay approximately $1,500 to $3,000 for one of
their custom suits.
For its part,
Ravazzolo makes fewer suits each year than its competitors, but the
saying “quality over quantity” definitely applies to this brand.
Each product is handmade and handsome, and you’ll only have to wait
for one month to receive your finished suit. These custom Italian
suits generally cost $3,500 or more.
In some ways,
Ravazzolo is a hidden treasure of the custom suit world. The brand
name may not be the first that fashion fanatics think of when looking
for suits, nevertheless, the clothes manufactured by Ravazzolo are
designed to last. Each suit is designed to accommodate the wearer’s
posture and exact proportions so the garment will fit exceptionally
well and be easy to wear.
Ravazzolo’s
craftspeople adhere to the Venetian style of tailoring, which
emphasizes honoring the past and the pursuit of perfection.
The Joys of
Accessorizing
Suits are more than
trousers, pants, shirts and shoes. Accessories give them extra depth
and dimension, and they can enhance the beauty of the fabrics and
textures. There are hundreds of accessories that you’ll want to
pair with your custom Italian suits.
Leather belts will
hold up your pants in style. Choose a belt with intricate cut outs or
high-quality metals. If your belt matches your shoes, you’ll look
even more fashion-savvy. A custom leather belt could be priced
between $50 and $300.
Cufflinks don’t
merely hold your sleeves in place. They’re status symbols, and they
add color, sparkle, and personality to even the most conservative
suits. Their prices run the gamut. Gold cufflinks could cost you a
few thousand dollars or more, while other metals might cost around
$500 or $600.
Like cufflinks,
pocket squares let you display the patterns and colors you love. They
add variety to suits, and they’ll make you look like a style icon.
After all, James Bond always had a pocket square. They’re
affordable accessories, too. You shouldn’t have to pay more than
$100 for one, and you might find one at a steal for $10 or so.
Lapel pins aren’t
necessarily appropriate for every occasion, but they can add some
flash to your suit. As long as they’re not too loud, they can be
elegant and charming, and people can admire them when they’re near
you. These pins can let you exhibit your patriotism, your allegiance
to a certain group or your concern for a particular social cause. The
price range for a lapel pin fluctuates depending on materials and
exclusivity. A pin might cost around $10 or more than $500.
You may also wish to
buy personalized neckties, tie clips and cell phone cases to
accessorize.
To build the perfect
custom suit, consider your possessions in their entirety. How many of
those objects are unlike anything else in the world? It’s likely
that plenty of other people have the same car, television, computer
or phone as you. However, a custom suit would be exclusively for you
to cherish. Just as there’s no one else exactly like you, no one
else could have your custom suit or its specific accessories. The
placement, the fit and the design of every element would be solely
yours.
Styling Costs
Many men who are
buying custom Italian suits wonder how much styling will impact their
overall purchase price. The answer is that styling does change the
price, but it doesn’t change it so dramatically from one style to
the next.
For example, custom
Italian suits really aren’t going to cost you more or less money
than a suit made in Savile Row style or in a classic French style,
though they are different. There may be slight cost differences in
each style of suit, but those are quite negligible when you’re
dealing with custom clothing.
If you really love
the look of custom Italian suits, any price difference shouldn’t
matter too much to you. Lapel width, collar spread, the fit in the
body and the taper of the pants won’t greatly affect your price
over any other type of suit.
How Much Will
Fitting Cost?
Purchasing Italian
custom suits means you’ll get the perfect fit because you’ll be
measured by an expert tailor before a single piece of clothing is
made. The measurements that a tailor will take when you’re
purchasing custom Italian suits will also be very precise so you can
reorder without another fitting.
However, many men
wonder about the cost of a fitting that is so in-depth. In most
cases, it isn’t something you need to worry about because it will
be included in the cost of your suit if you choose to place an order.
While some tailors
may charge a separate fee, you need to consider the fact that every
tailor charges for a fitting when doing any alteration work, whether
it’s built into their overall price or billed separately. Even if
you buy a suit from a department or menswear store and take it to a
tailor, they will need to measure you and be compensated for the
work.
When you’re
purchasing fine Italian suits, most tailors will include the cost of
a measurement. Italian custom suits aren’t cheap, so the fitting
fee is generally waived.
The Devil is in the
Details
A custom suit means
that you get to pick everything it’s made from and all the styling
choices. In the end, you’ll have chosen everything from the lining
on the inside of your jacket to the buttons on the front and the
closures on your pants.
When it comes to
determining the price of custom Italian suits, the small details can
be a big factor in the overall price. For example, basic plastic
buttons on a jacket won’t cost you much and are an economical
choice. However, if you go for wooden buttons or choose something
like silver or gold buttons, you’ll pay considerably more.
The same goes for
details like the lining on the inside of your jacket and pants.
High-quality all-natural silks cost more than basic cotton or a
blended material. Linings with a print or pattern can cost more than
those that are a plain color.
Even things like how
many pockets you want on your pants and if you want special pockets
on the inside of your jacket can affect the overall price of custom
Italian suits. A pocket designed for your iPhone or an inside breast
pocket for a cigar can be useful, but they will add a small amount to
your overall total because they require extra, more precise work from
your tailor.
Are Italian Custom
Suits Worth the Cost?
Many men wonder
whether Italian custom suits or any sort of custom suit is actually
worth going through the process and the cost that you’ll pay in the
end. After all, aren’t suits from the department or menswear store
just as good?
The answer is a
resounding no. When you buy custom Italian suits, you get the perfect
fit and a suit that is a head above style-wise. What you’re really
getting is a runway ready suit, likely for less money than if you
were to buy the top designer brand from a high-end store or a name
showroom like Armani.
Custom Italian suits
will give you the classic style you’re looking for, the perfect fit
every single time because you’ll be working with a skilled tailor,
and the best materials in the world. It’s pretty hard to put a
price on one of the world’s best suits, especially when you
consider that you can keep it for most of your lifetime if you store
and clean it properly.
A good custom suit
is one of the best investments that a stylish man – or a man who
wants to improve his style – can make.
Source: Sal Lauretta for Men
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