Women's Bespoke Suits in Los Angeles
Mr James makes fully bespoke, fully canvassed suits for women as well as men. Every garment is cut from a pattern drawn for you alone and made by hand in our atelier in Brittany, France. Two-piece suits from $1,795, with unlimited fittings and a year of complimentary alterations included.
A woman who wants a suit in Los Angeles is usually offered one of two things: a ready-made jacket and trouser from a women's label, altered as far as it will go, or a men's tailor who will "adapt" a men's block. Neither begins with her. We do. The pattern for a woman's suit at Mr James is drafted from nothing, from around thirty measurements and three photographs, and it belongs to her for as long as she comes to us.
Why bespoke matters more for women
Off-the-peg tailoring is built around a narrow idea of proportion, and most women fall outside it somewhere: a longer torso, a fuller bust, a shorter rise, shoulders that a size chart has never met. Alterations can shorten a sleeve. They cannot move a shoulder seam, re-cut an armhole or change where a jacket wants to close. Those are drafted into the pattern, and the only way to get them right is to draw the pattern for one body.
Bespoke also gives you the decisions. The length of the jacket, the height of the button stance, how much waist suppression, whether the trouser sits high or at the hip, a wide leg or a narrow one, a skirt instead of trousers, a waistcoat, a single or a double breast. None of that is a compromise against what the rail happens to hold. You choose it, with the cloth in your hands and the prices in front of you.
What every suit includes
- A pattern drawn for you from around thirty measurements and three photographs, front, side and back, kept on file and adjusted over the years.
- A full canvas chest of horsehair and wool, attached by hand. It moulds to you over the first months and holds its shape for years. Fused construction is not offered at any price.
- Your choice of cloth, lining, buttons, detailing and monogram.
- Unlimited fittings. Most clients have three, counting the consultation.
- A year of complimentary alterations after delivery.
Prices
The price card is the same for every client. Price is set by the cloth; the making is identical at every level.
- Two-piece suit, from $1,795
- Three-piece suit, from $2,045
- Tuxedo or dinner suit, from $1,795
- Overcoat, from $1,200
- Odd trousers, from $450
- Custom shirt, $295
- Alterations, $80 an hour
In the finer mills: Drago from $2,995, Zegna and Holland & Sherry from $3,495, Loro Piana from $3,995. Half is taken as a deposit when the cloth is chosen and the balance on delivery. The full reasoning is on what a bespoke suit costs in Los Angeles.
How it works
- Consultation. An hour, free, with Robb or Ben at the showroom in Playa del Rey, or at your home or office anywhere in Los Angeles for $300. We talk about where the suit will be worn, how you like to stand and move in a jacket, and what you have never been able to find. Then cloth, lining and detail are chosen together.
- Measurement. Around thirty measurements and three photographs. Posture and stance are recorded as carefully as length and girth.
- Making. Your pattern goes to Max, our maker in Southern Brittany, and the suit is made by hand.
- Fittings. As many as it takes. Each one brings the garment closer to you.
- Delivery. A final try-on, then a year of alterations if your shape or your mind changes.
Four to six weeks in domestic cloth, six to eight in imported Italian and English cloth. Shirts take two to four weeks. A rush is possible at a twenty-five per cent surcharge.
What women commission from us
- Trouser suits for the office, the courtroom and the boardroom, in worsteds that hold a crease through a Los Angeles day
- Skirt suits, with the skirt cut to the length and line you want
- A single blazer, cut to be worn over jeans as readily as over its own trousers
- Dinner suits and black tie, with or without a waistcoat, for a wedding, an awards evening or an opening
- Wedding suits for brides who would rather wear a suit than a dress, and for women in the wedding party; parties of several garments are twenty per cent less
- Overcoats, from $1,200, and custom shirts cut to the same pattern discipline
If you are weighing a bespoke suit against something off the peg or made to measure, we have written an honest comparison at made to measure or bespoke in Los Angeles. The short version is that we do not offer made to measure, because at $1,795 for full canvas bespoke there is little reason to make a lesser garment.
Questions we are often asked
Do you make suits for women?
Yes. Mr James dresses women as well as men. Every woman's suit is fully bespoke, cut from a pattern drawn for her, and made by hand in our atelier in France.
How much does a women's bespoke suit cost in Los Angeles?
At Mr James a two-piece suit starts at $1,795, a three-piece at $2,045 and a dinner suit at $1,795. Finer mills run from $2,995 to $3,995. Unlimited fittings and a year of complimentary alterations are included. The price card is the same for every client.
Is a women's bespoke suit different from a men's?
The making is the same: a full canvas chest, hand work, and fittings until it is right. The pattern is entirely different, because it is drawn for one body rather than adapted from a block built for someone else. That is the whole point of bespoke.
Can I have a skirt instead of trousers?
Yes. A skirt, trousers or both. The choice of jacket length, button stance, lapel, trouser rise and leg is yours too.
How long does it take?
Four to six weeks in domestic cloth and six to eight weeks in imported Italian or English cloth. A rush is possible at a twenty-five per cent surcharge.
What should I wear to the consultation?
Something fitted: slim trousers or jeans and a T-shirt or a well-fitted shirt, with the shoes you expect to wear with the suit if you have them. Nothing loose; we cannot read your figure through baggy clothing.
Where are you?
221 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey, CA 90293, a few minutes from LAX, with free parking at the front and back. We also visit homes and offices anywhere in Los Angeles for $300.
Book a consultation
Book a private consultation, or telephone 310-503-3592 and we will find a time. You can also write to mrjames@bespokemrjames.com. We are by appointment only and ask for forty-eight hours' notice.
See also: custom suits in Los Angeles · bespoke suits · custom shirts · black tie · wedding suits.