Custom Suits for Pasadena

Mr James is a bespoke tailoring house at 221 Culver Blvd in Playa del Rey, on the other side of the city from Pasadena, about an hour on the 110 and the 105. Since 2010 we have made fully canvassed, fully bespoke suits from $1,795, each cut from a pattern drawn for one man and made by hand in our atelier in Southern Brittany, France.

Pasadena is the most traditionally dressed corner of Los Angeles, and we mean that as a compliment. It has old houses, old institutions and a taste for clothes that are correct rather than clever. That is a brief we understand well, because it is the one our French atelier was built on.

Correct tailoring

Single-breasted, notch lapel, a touch more structure through the shoulder than we would cut for the beach, in navy, charcoal and a mid-grey flannel for the cooler months. Cloth from the English and Italian mills: Holland & Sherry and Zegna from $3,495, Loro Piana from $3,995, or very good domestic cloth from $1,795. Super numbers and cloth weight explains what the labels mean and what they do not.

A three-piece suits Pasadena better than almost anywhere else in the city. Is a three-piece suit worth it gives the case for and against; here it is usually for.

Garden weddings

Pasadena and San Marino weddings happen in gardens, on lawns and in the courtyards of old estates, often in the late afternoon. The tailoring can be a shade more formal than at the beach, a mid-grey or a soft navy in a lighter weight, and black tie works well once the sun is down; our custom tuxedos in Los Angeles begin at $1,795, the same figure as a two-piece. The wedding suits page, what grooms are choosing this year and the groomsmen guide cover it. Parties are 20 per cent less, and we fit them together at the house in one visit.

For the institutions

Scientists, engineers, physicians and the people who run the museums and the colleges make up much of our Pasadena work. They want one or two suits that are right for a lecture, a board meeting and a dinner, and a jacket and odd trousers for the days between. Odd trousers and how a suit should fit are the pieces we would read first.

Getting here from Pasadena

The 110 south to the 105 west, then Sepulveda to Playa del Rey; or the 134 and the 101 to the 405. An hour, more in the rush, which is why nearly every Pasadena client asks us to come to them. The visit is $300 and the consultation, fittings and delivery can all happen at the house.

Who comes to us from Pasadena

Men who have worn good suits all their lives and have decided to have one made properly, grooms marrying in the gardens, and the scientists and physicians who would rather own three well-made suits than a wardrobe of ordinary ones.

Prices

A two-piece starts at $1,795 and a dinner suit at the same figure; a three-piece is $2,045, an overcoat $1,200, a shirt $295. Drago cloth from $2,995, Zegna and Holland & Sherry from $3,495, Loro Piana from $3,995. Full canvas throughout, whichever you choose. Everything is listed on the cost page.

We can come to you

For $300 we bring the cloth books, the linings and, later, the finished garments to your home or office. It is how most of our Pasadena clients choose to be measured. Details on the home and office visits page.

Questions we are often asked

Is there a bespoke tailor that comes to Pasadena?

Yes. Mr James comes to homes and offices in Pasadena and San Marino for $300 a visit, with the cloth books and finished garments brought to you. Full canvas bespoke suits start at $1,795.

Can the consultation and fittings all happen at my house?

Yes. The first visit is $300 and covers about thirty measurements, three photographs and the cloth selection. Later fittings can be at the house or at the Playa del Rey storefront.

What should a groom wear to a Pasadena garden wedding?

A mid-grey or soft navy in a lighter weight cloth for an afternoon ceremony, or black tie once the sun is down. Wedding parties are 20 per cent less.

Pasadena 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 bespoke suit cost?

A two-piece from $1,795, a three-piece from $2,045, a dinner suit from $1,795, an overcoat from $1,200, a shirt $295. Mill cloths cost more: Drago from $2,995, Zegna and Holland & Sherry from $3,495, Loro Piana from $3,995.

Who makes the suits?

Max, the house's French atelier, in Southern Brittany. Robb or Ben take the measurements and the fittings in Los Angeles.

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: Downtown Los Angeles · Los Angeles · home visits. More: bespoke suits · about the house.