RSS FeedFit For A Suit In A Suite
More than two years ago we wrote about wanting to order a bespoke suit from one of the traveling Hong Kong tailors that visit DC. Specifically we were writing about Raja Daswani whom we had discovered via a column by Washington Post columnist John Kelly. One of the commenters in our post recommended W.W. Chan as an alternative, so we’ve kept our eye on their schedules for the last couple of years.
Searches for reviews online about both Raja & Chan ran the gamut; you could find comments praising and complaining about each. In the end we went with Raja but would have been equally comfortable with Chan. Our appointment for a fitting was this past Sunday.
The appointment process was easy, we reserved a time about a week in advance and received a confirmation email immediately. 24 hours before the appointment we received a follow-up reminder email. Raja was at the JW Marriott (13th & Penn Ave NW) in a suite composed of two connected average-sized rooms. While the rooms were not very impressive, the tailor more than made up for it.
As first time bespoke customers we needed a lot of hand holding. We explained what we hoped to purchase (two men’s suits, two men’s shirts, one woman’s suit) and our general price level (low). The tailor was very patient with us and explained the various options (too numerous to list), suffice it to say we were encouraged to take our time as we reviewed styles and fabrics. All of our questions were answered patiently, and we never felt like we were being pushed to pay for materials or extras we did not want.
This of course was just the measurement and ordering, we now have the four to six week wait for the suits to arrive. Then we’ll know more about the fit and quality. Only one of the men’s suits will arrive at first to confirm that the fit is correct; if all is well the second suit will be sent out. The tailor recommended holding off until they returned in January to confirm the fit, saying they might catch something we would not. Also worth noting that the woman’s suit will arrive slightly unfinished (unhemmed?) to allow for adjustment with the tailor in person.
We emailed John Kelly for this post to ask how he was enjoying his Raja suit. Mr. Kelly had only good things to say about the suits of which he now has three. Mr. Kelly did note that the samples Raja brings to DC are fairly sober/conservative, and for the men’s fabrics we agree. The colors & patterns offered for women were definitely more bold.
All in all we were very satisfied with the first half of our bespoke experience. We will post again when the suits are in our possession.
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Comments
no need to fly to Thailand to get those custom made clothes (or be given the high pressure sales job for that matter). will have to check into this further as nothing feels quite so comfortable as a custom fit.
Dani: Suits start as low as $500 and go up up up from there. I’m not sure about the shirts, they were an afterthought for me. At the end of the fitting you’re discreetly presented with a price, which you can then accept or barter over. The total cost was within what I had expected so I accepted the offered price.
Having never done this before, I don’t know if that was a rookie mistake. I guess we’ll see in January if I have buyers remorse.
I was lucky enough to serve in the Army in Korea in the early 00s. Suit prices, for fitted models, ran from $100 upwards to about $200.
So…there’s a premium involved here, but if you’re happy, who cares what you pay (I guess).
Chaudre on the 700 block of S Street NW does custom shirts & excellent alterations. http://www.chaudre.com/main.htm
not sure if they do suits. I had a wonderful experience there.
Somewhat on-topic: if you ever find yourself in Vietnam and are in the market for a suit, go to Hoi An. Custom tailors everywhere. $200 for a top-notch men’s suit, $100-150 for a perfectly good everyday one.
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I can’t attest to these tailors, however, I ordered two suits from Tom James (whose sales reps commonly call on large DC law firms) and was not impressed with either the material or the craftsmanship. In my opinion, suits I purchased at Nordstrom at the same price level were of much higher quality.