Custom Suits for Downtown Los Angeles

Mr James is a bespoke tailoring house at 221 Culver Blvd in Playa del Rey, forty minutes or so west of Downtown Los Angeles on the 10 or the 105. We have made fully canvassed, fully bespoke suits since 2010, from $1,795, cut from a pattern drawn for one man and made by hand in Southern Brittany, France.

Downtown is the most suited square mile in the city. The courts, the banks, the law firms and the architects are all within a few blocks of one another, and the lofts of the Arts District have brought a different kind of client who wants a suit with some character for the evenings.

For the courts and the towers

The civil and criminal courthouses are both downtown, and lawyers who appear in them want cloth that looks the same at four in the afternoon as it did at eight. A mid-weight high-twist worsted in navy or charcoal, cut with enough room to sit and stand all day. Dressing for a Los Angeles courtroom goes practice by practice. For bankers and the executives in the towers, the brief is the same minus the courtroom.

Three suits in rotation last longer than one worn daily. How to care for a bespoke suit covers that and the rest.

For the Arts District

The other half of Downtown wears a suit by choice rather than by rule, which opens the field: a tobacco or olive cloth, a double-breasted jacket, a dinner suit with a shawl lapel for openings and the restaurants on the east side. Our custom tuxedos in Los Angeles begin at $1,795, the same figure as a two-piece. Double-breasted or single-breasted and choosing a lapel are the two decisions that change a suit most.

Weddings in historic rooms

Downtown weddings tend to be in restored theatres, hotel ballrooms and rooftops, and they tend to be in the evening. Black tie suits those rooms; tuxedo or suit for your wedding works through the choice and the tuxedo page has the detail. Dinner suits are $1,795, wedding parties 20 per cent less.

Getting here from Downtown

The 10 west to Lincoln, then south to Playa del Rey; or the 110 to the 105 west to Sepulveda. Forty minutes outside the rush, more in it. Most Downtown clients have us come to the office, which takes about an hour and fits before or after court.

Who comes to us from Downtown Los Angeles

Lawyers first, then bankers, architects and the people who run the hotels and restaurants, then grooms marrying in the historic venues and the Arts District lofts. The suits are dark during the week and rather more interesting at the weekend.

What it costs

Two-piece suits from $1,795, three-piece from $2,045, dinner suits from $1,795, odd trousers $450, shirts $295. The making is full canvas at every price; what moves the figure is the cloth. The cost page sets the whole card out, mill by mill.

Measured at your desk

A visit is $300, travel and the full cloth selection included, and it fits inside a lunch hour. See home and office visits.

Questions we are often asked

Is there a bespoke tailor near Downtown Los Angeles?

Mr James is in Playa del Rey, about forty minutes west, and comes to Downtown offices for $300 a visit. Full canvas bespoke suits start at $1,795.

What should a lawyer wear to court in Los Angeles?

A navy or charcoal suit in a mid-weight high-twist worsted that holds its shape through a long day, with a white or pale blue shirt. Three suits in rotation last years longer than one.

Can I be measured at my office downtown?

Yes. A visit is $300 with travel and the full cloth selection included, and takes about an hour.

Downtown Los Angeles is one of the neighbourhoods we look after from Playa del Rey. For the whole picture, what every garment includes, the cloth houses, the full price list and how the making is done, our guide to custom suits in Los Angeles has it in one place.

How long does a suit take?

Four to six weeks in domestic cloth, six to eight in imported Italian or English cloth. Fittings are unlimited and included.

What does a dinner suit cost?

From $1,795, the same as a two-piece. Wedding parties are 20 per cent less.

What does a bespoke suit cost?

A two-piece from $1,795, a three-piece from $2,045, an overcoat from $1,200, odd trousers $450, a shirt $295. Full canvas at every price.

Come and see us

221 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey, with free parking front and back. Appointments seven days a week with 48 hours' notice; book here, call 310-503-3592, or write to mrjames@bespokemrjames.com.

Nearby: Culver City · Los Angeles · Beverly Hills. More: bespoke suits · about the house.