Wedding Suits in Los Angeles
Mr James is a European tailoring house in Playa del Rey. We make fully canvassed, fully bespoke wedding suits from $1,795, cut from a pattern drawn for one man and made by our own atelier in Southern Brittany, France. A groom is measured by Robb or by Ben, and one of them is there at every fitting.
Most men arrive having never had anything made for them. That is the usual case, not the exception, and there is nothing to know in advance.
When to begin
Six months before the wedding is perfect. Three months is comfortable. A suit can be made in six weeks as a rush commission, at a twenty-five per cent surcharge.
A year out is too early, and we will say so. Men change shape — training for the wedding, or simply living — and a suit cut to a body from twelve months ago has to be remade. Better to enjoy the year and come to us with three or four months in hand.
Domestic cloth takes four to six weeks. Imported Italian and English cloth takes six to eight, because it has to reach Brittany first. Shirts take two to four weeks. If you tell us the date at the first meeting, we will count backwards with you and say plainly whether it is comfortable, tight, or not possible.
What it costs
| Two-piece suit | from $1,795 |
| Three-piece suit | from $2,045 |
| Tuxedo | from $1,795 |
| Custom shirt | $295 |
| Odd trousers | $450 |
| Overcoat | from $1,200 |
Finer mills sit above that: Drago from $2,995, Zegna and Holland & Sherry from $3,495, Loro Piana from $3,995. The price is set by the cloth. The making is identical at every level — the same full canvas, the same pattern, the same hands in Brittany.
Wedding parties are discounted twenty per cent. That applies to groomsmen, fathers, and brothers commissioned alongside the groom.
Unlimited fittings and one year of complimentary alterations are included in every price. Fifty per cent is taken as a deposit and the balance falls due on delivery. A fuller breakdown sits on our page on what a bespoke suit costs in Los Angeles.
Full canvas, and why it matters on the day
Every garment we make is full canvas. A layer of horsehair and wool is stitched between the cloth and the lining, rather than glued, so the chest holds its shape and moulds to the man wearing it over the years. Fused jackets — which is most of what is sold, including a good deal of expensive made-to-measure — are bonded with adhesive. They look correct in the shop and collapse with time and heat.
A wedding is a long day, usually a warm one in Los Angeles, and it is photographed from every angle. Canvas is what keeps a jacket looking like it belongs to you at eleven at night.
We do not offer made-to-measure. Everything is cut from the client's own pattern. There is more on the construction on our bespoke suits page.
Black tie
For a black-tie wedding, a dinner suit is a different garment from a dark lounge suit — barathea rather than worsted, silk on the lapel, no vent, a covered waistband instead of a belt. Midnight blue reads blacker than black under photography, which is why so many tailors argue for it. We set all of this out on our tuxedos and black tie page.
How a commission runs
The first meeting is an hour and costs nothing. We talk about the wedding, the season, the setting and the photographs, then look at cloth. Around thirty measurements are taken, along with three photographs, which record posture — one shoulder is almost always lower than the other, and a pattern has to know that.
From there the pattern is drawn and the garment is cut and made in Brittany. Most grooms come in three times in total, counting the first consultation. Some take four or five. Fittings are unlimited, so there is no pressure to sign off on something that is not yet right.
We are open Monday to Sunday by appointment, roughly nine until six, and we ask for forty-eight hours' notice. There is free parking at the front and the back. If it is easier, we will come to a home or an office anywhere in Los Angeles for $300, bringing cloth, linings and finished garments.
Common questions
Can you dress the whole wedding party? Yes, and it is much of what we do. Twenty per cent comes off each garment. Groomsmen who live elsewhere are the usual complication — the honest answer is that they need to be measured here at least once, so build that into the plan early.
What if I lose weight before the wedding? Expected, and allowed for. Fittings are unlimited and alterations are complimentary for a year, so the suit follows the body rather than the other way round.
Will I wear it again? That is rather the point of commissioning one instead of hiring. A navy or mid-grey suit in a good cloth goes on working for years. If the wedding calls for something you will never wear again, we will tell you so before you spend the money.
Do you make for brides or bridesmaids? No. We are a menswear house.
Where are the suits made? In our own atelier in Southern Brittany, by Max, who founded the house with Robb in 2010. There is more of that story on our about page.
Come and see us
The first consultation is an hour and free, at 221 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey. Bring the date and any photographs you have been collecting.
Book a private consultation — or, if nothing on the calendar suits, telephone 310-503-3592 and we will find a time. You can also write to mrjames@bespokemrjames.com. Our contact page has directions and parking.