Bespoke suits start at $3,000. Often more. Some Savile Row tailors charge $8,000+ for a two-piece.
For that price, you get a pattern made from scratch, multiple test fittings, and hand-finished details that take 60-80 hours to complete.
What if you could get the part that matters most—the fit—without the full price?
Here's what bespoke tailors know that online MTM companies don't want you to understand: it's the fitting process that makes the fit perfect. Not the hand-stitched buttonholes. Not the from-scratch pattern. The fitting.
What Makes Bespoke Worth $3,000+?
Let's break down where the money goes:
The Bespoke Process
- Consultation (1-2 hours) — Discuss style, measure comprehensively
- Pattern creation — Made from scratch for your body alone
- First fitting — Test garment in cheap fabric (called "basting")
- Adjustments — Pattern refined based on how fabric falls on you
- Second fitting — Sometimes a third
- Final production — Your fabric, hand-cut and hand-finished
- Final fitting — Last tweaks before delivery
Where the Money Actually Goes
- Labor: 60-80 hours of skilled work per suit
- Multiple fittings: Each one takes the tailor's time
- Hand-finishing: Functional buttonholes, pick stitching, hand-padded lapels
- Individual pattern: Created once, for you alone
- Rent in Mayfair: Savile Row addresses aren't cheap
The Part That Matters Most
Here's the secret: the basted fitting—that test garment in cheap fabric—is where perfect fit actually happens.
The tailor sees how fabric drapes on your specific body. They catch the shoulder issues that measurements miss. They observe your posture, your movement, your preferences. They adjust the pattern based on reality, not numbers.
Everything else is refinement. Important refinement, sure. But the fit comes from that test garment.
The Bespoke Secret You Can Get for $590
What if you could get the test-garment-before-final-fabric approach—without flying to London?
That's exactly what draft fitting is.
What Bespoke Tailors Know (That Most MTM Companies Ignore)
Measurements alone don't make a perfect suit. Real bodies don't match tape measures:
- Your posture when relaxed differs from when measured
- One shoulder might be slightly higher than the other
- Your movement affects where fabric needs to give
- Your preferences (how close, how loose) are invisible in numbers
Bespoke tailors ALWAYS make a test garment first. They call it a toile (French), basted fitting (English), or draft garment (us).
What We Keep vs. What We Skip
What we skip (and why):
- Multiple in-person fittings → One draft garment + photos
- Hand-stitched buttonholes → Machine-stitched (looks identical)
- From-scratch pattern → Adjusted base pattern
- 80 hours of labor → Efficient production in Bangkok
What we keep:
- Test garment before final cut — The key to perfect fit
- Pattern adjusted to YOUR body — Not statistical averages
- Premium European fabrics — CAVANI, VBC, John & Taylor
- Quality construction — Canvas, hand-finished details where it matters
- Bangkok master craftsmanship — Decades of experience, different cost of living
The result: bespoke-level fit at MTM price.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Savile Row Bespoke | LinenSuit.shop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,500-8,000 | $590-800 |
| Test garment | Yes (in-person) | Yes (shipped to you) |
| Fit verification | Multiple fittings | Photos + feedback |
| Fabric quality | Top mills | Italian/British mills |
| Construction | 80% hand-work | Machine + hand-finish |
| Delivery | 8-12 weeks | 4-6 weeks |
| Location required | London, NYC, Hong Kong | Anywhere worldwide |
The fit: Very similar. Draft fitting catches the same issues bespoke fittings do.
The finish: Bespoke has more hand-work. Whether you notice depends on how closely you inspect seams.
The value: Draft fitting wins by a wide margin.
Who Should Choose What?
Choose Traditional Bespoke ($3,000+) If:
- Money genuinely isn't a consideration
- You want hand-stitched everything
- You enjoy the ritual of multiple fittings
- You're near Savile Row, Hong Kong, or similar tailoring hubs
- You're building a relationship with one tailor for decades
Bespoke is a beautiful experience. If you can afford it and access it, it's worth doing once to understand what's possible.
Choose Draft Fitting ($590-800) If:
- You want perfect fit without perfect price
- You can't visit a tailor in person
- You value efficiency over ritual
- You want to verify fit before committing to final fabric
- You're buying multiple suits (the savings multiply)
Draft fitting gives you what matters most about bespoke—the fit verification—without requiring a flight to London or a second mortgage.
The Quality Reality
Let's be honest about what $590-800 does and doesn't get you.
What You Get
- Fit: Comparable to bespoke. Draft fitting verifies it.
- Fabric: European mills—CAVANI Italian linen, John & Taylor English tweed, DRAGO wool
- Construction: Half-canvas or full canvas, depending on garment
- Durability: Quality that lasts years with proper care
- Details: Functional buttonholes, real horn buttons, quality lining
What You Don't Get
- 80 hours of hand-work: Some hand-finishing, not everything
- One-off pattern: Adjusted base pattern, not from-scratch
- In-person fittings: Draft garment + photos instead
- Savile Row cachet: If that matters to you, you'll need to pay for it
For most men, in most situations, the differences that remain after draft fitting are invisible in daily wear. You'd need to examine the seams up close to see them.
How It Actually Works
Step 1: Choose Your Fabric and Style
Browse the collection, pick what works for your needs. Navy wool for everything. Linen for summer. Tweed for smart casual.
Step 2: Provide Measurements
DIY with our guides, or use our pattern service ($49)—send a garment that fits well, we extract the pattern.
Step 3: Receive Draft Garment
Test suit in fitting fabric ships to your door. Try it on at home.
Step 4: Send Feedback
Photos, notes, concerns. We adjust the pattern based on your real body.
Step 5: Receive Your Suit
Final garment in your chosen fabric, cut from a pattern that's proven to fit you.
Pattern stored forever—reorders skip the draft phase because we already know your fit.
The Bottom Line
Bespoke's secret is the test garment. The verification. The seeing-before-committing.
Draft fitting brings that secret to online ordering at MTM prices.
You don't need $3,000 for a suit that fits perfectly. You need a process that verifies the fit before cutting your fabric.
Already have premium fabric? Our CMT service lets you bring your own Scabal or Zegna—same draft fitting process, zero risk to your investment.
