He's not the only tailor who has said that, and learned as a child the trade.

^ one hopes that 560 is a typographical error. That presumes working ten-hour days, seven-days per week, for two months straight. Surely not.

I always thought a tailor could make a suit in a day's work?

560 hours is a bit of flourish.


I understand Turkey is a source of skilled tailors as well.

I have a limited knowledge of bespoke tailoring and I was always lead to believe that the estimate is in between 30 to 50 hours labour. This would be split between the tailor/cutter and other less skilled workers.

A bespoke suit in London from a good quality backstreet tailor in Soho can cost £500 + if you supply the cloth. You get a measure, one or two fittings and final adjustments. The end product is unique in design and fit. People that you pass in the street will not be aware of this rarity, but you will, which is far more important.

I would estimate that a good tailor can complete between one or two suits per week. He would not earn a King's Ransom, but a tailor with a good reputation can earn a reasonable living.

A Saville Rowsuit will cost you £2,000 plus, but you are paying for labour of the highest quality, sky high rents and the SR experience that no back street tailor in Soho can ever give you. You pays your money and takes your choice.

I personally think that they both offer value for money for what you get.

I choose the former, because I generally know exactly what I want and I enjoy the leg work sourcing my cloth, lining buttons etc. Using this cheaper method you have to be more creative and know what you want and instuct the tailor how you want it finished. With a suit or a jacket there are not so many features to remember, but when they are all combined, the result is very special.

What I don't think is value for money is a £900+ RTW, "designer" (lower case d intentional) suit with fused lining and fully machine finished and one of a thousand pieces in various sizes. A large portion of this cost is marketing hype and global advertising. There are a few Design (upper case D intentional) house who have signature cloth, which does make the finished product special and justifies the price tag.

With bespoke you won't get fancy designer label, but you could have your own. Beat that

RH

Thanks for the comment.

Sorry, I should have put generally you get labour is of the highest quality. It is difficult to know the inner workings of an SR taillor. Many use outworkers in Soho and I would think that there are very few SR firms who fabricate 100% on premise. I would assume that the outworkers sourced would be of the best quality at that given time.

Second thought on hand finish against machine. It is better to have a well machined garment than a poorly executed hand finish. That is why it is always best to inspect work in preparation before making a commitment.

RH

A local tailor told me they used to have tailoring classes at a technical institute but that they have ceased due to lack of demand. In its heyday the classes were full. Now everyone wants to become a "designer" who makes silly doodles of a design without the foggiest notion of how to realise it.