A Woman's First Bespoke Suit in Los Angeles: What to Expect

Most women who come to us for a first suit have already tried the other routes: a jacket and trouser bought as a set and altered until the sleeves were right, or a men's tailor offering to adapt a men's pattern, which is a kind way of saying the garment would begin with somebody else's shoulders. Neither is bespoke, and neither begins with you.

Mr James dresses women as well as men, and the process is the one our male clients go through: the pattern is drawn from nothing, the garment is made by hand in France, and the chest is full canvas whatever the cloth costs. What follows is the whole of it, in order, for a woman who would like to know what the hour involves. Our service page is here: women's bespoke suits in Los Angeles.

The consultation, and what to wear to it

The consultation is an hour and it is free. You will meet Robb or Ben at the showroom at 221 Culver Blvd in Playa del Rey, or at your home or office anywhere in Los Angeles for $300, travel and cloth selection included. We are by appointment, Monday to Sunday, roughly nine until six, with forty-eight hours' notice.

Wear something fitted: slim trousers or jeans with a T-shirt, or a shirt that fits you well. Nothing loose and please not shorts, because a figure cannot be read through baggy clothing. Bring the shoes you expect to wear with the suit, and a shirt or blouse whose collar and cuff you like.

We begin by talking rather than measuring. Where the suit will be worn, how often, and most usefully of all, what you have never been able to find. Women tell us about armholes that bind, jackets that will not close over the bust without pulling at the waist, trousers that fit at the hip and gape at the back. All of that is pattern work, and none of it can be fixed by alteration afterwards. Then the cloth comes out, prices visible, and you handle it, followed by lining, buttons and detailing. Nothing is asked of you at the end of the hour.

The measurements and the three photographs

Around thirty measurements, head to foot, well beyond chest, waist and inside leg: the height of each shoulder and the slope of them, the depth of the armhole, the rise, the way you carry one hip slightly forward, which almost everybody does. Three photographs follow, front, side and back, so that your posture travels to the atelier with the numbers. The pattern is then yours, kept on file and adjusted over the years as your shape changes.

The decisions that are properly yours

• Trousers or a skirt, or both. A skirt suit is cut to whatever length and line you want, and a skirt can be made later on the same pattern.
• Jacket length and button stance. A shorter jacket reads sharper and makes more of the leg; a longer one is quieter. Where the button sits governs how high the waist appears.
• The shoulder. Natural and soft, or a little structure. This decides more about how the suit reads from across a room than the cloth does.
• Lapel width and shape. A notch for daytime, a peak for evening, and width matched to your frame rather than to the year.
• Two lengths of trouser. If you live in both flats and heels, have the trousers made in two lengths rather than hemmed for one and compromised for the other. Trousers made on their own start at $450.

Cloth weight for Los Angeles

Our climate is kind to tailoring and unkind to heavy cloth. A mid-weight worsted does nearly everything here: it holds a crease from a morning meeting to an evening and it does not sit on you in September. A high-twist worsted or a fresco suits days spent between a car, a car park and air conditioning; flannels and tweeds are for winter evenings. We will say so if a cloth you have fallen for is wrong for the use you describe.

How it is made

Your pattern goes to Max, who has made every Mr James garment since the house began in 2010, in our atelier in Southern Brittany, and the suit is made by hand. Every suit has a full canvas chest of horsehair and wool, which moulds to you over the first months of wear and then holds its shape for years. That is the construction at $1,795 and at $3,995 alike; fused construction is not offered at any price. There is more on our about page and on the bespoke page.

Fittings, delivery, and the year afterwards

Fittings are unlimited and included. Most clients have three counting the consultation; some have four or five, which is ordinary for a first suit. Bring the intended shoes to each one.

After delivery you have a year of complimentary alterations. Shapes change and minds change. Beyond the year, or for garments bought elsewhere, alterations are $80 an hour and usually take a week; the detail is on suit alterations in Los Angeles.

Timings and cost

Four to six weeks in domestic cloth and six to eight in imported Italian and English cloth, from the day the cloth is chosen. Shirts take two to four weeks, and a rush is possible at a twenty-five per cent surcharge.

A two-piece suit starts at $1,795, a three-piece at $2,045, and a custom shirt is $295. Half is taken as a deposit when the cloth is chosen and the balance on delivery. Price is set by the cloth and by nothing else, since the making does not vary. The full reasoning, including the finer mills, is on what a bespoke suit costs in Los Angeles.

Questions we are often asked

Do you make suits for women?

Yes. A woman's suit goes through exactly the same process as a man's: a pattern drawn for her alone from around thirty measurements and three photographs, full canvas construction, and unlimited fittings.

How much does a women's bespoke suit cost in Los Angeles?

A two-piece starts at $1,795 and a three-piece at $2,045, with unlimited fittings and a year of complimentary alterations included. Cloth from the finer mills runs from $2,995.

Can I have a skirt instead of trousers?

Yes. A skirt, trousers, or both on the same pattern. The length and line of the skirt are yours to decide, as are jacket length, lapel, shoulder and trouser rise.

How long does it take?

Four to six weeks for domestic cloth and six to eight for imported Italian or English cloth. If you have a date in mind, tell us at the consultation.

What should I wear to the consultation?

Fitted trousers or jeans with a T-shirt or a well-fitted shirt, and the shoes you intend to wear with the suit. Avoid anything baggy, and avoid shorts.

Do you alter women's suits bought elsewhere?

We do, at $80 an hour, usually within a week. We will also tell you honestly when a garment cannot be improved past a certain point, since a shoulder seam and an armhole are drafted into a pattern and cannot be moved later.

Where are you, and is there parking?

221 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey, CA 90293, a few minutes from LAX, with free parking front and back. There is more on our Playa del Rey page, and our wider work under custom suits in Los Angeles.

Come and sit down with us

A first suit is less daunting than it sounds, and the hour costs you nothing but the hour. Book a private consultation, or telephone 310-503-3592. Wear something fitted, bring the shoes, and come with the list of things you have never been able to find.