Decent Tailor in City Centre

Mont

Just bought a new shirt. Grey shirt with black buttons! Didnt notice the black buttons till i tried on the shirt and they totally contrast with the shirt. Just looking to replace the buttons with some lighter coloured buttons. Anyone know of a cheap enough tailor to do this?

The Hill Billy

You don't need a tailor for that. Any decent 'alterations' place could do it for you.

FreudianSlippers

Try The Zip Yard... never used them myself, but I hear they're good, quick and cheap.

spurious

While I would recommend alterations businesses for something like letting a waistband in or out, really, sewing on buttons is simple.
In the old days it was something every boy and girl could do before leaving primary school.
I'd say find someone over 50 to do it for you.

John Mason

jaysis, could your mammy not do that for you?

Coriolanus

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

Try The Zip Yard... never used them myself, but I hear they're good, quick and cheap.

They charge E3 a button according to hat website.
Try express tailors across from Arnotts. Bring your own buttons though, none of these places seem to stock them. I usually get mine in the woolen mills or in hickeys.
Oh, and as an aside, the only "decent" tailor left in the city is Abrahams on South Anne st. Even the likes of Fair Bros. and Louis Copeland do made to measure now rather than true bespoke.
Edit2: For the love of God don't bring your shirt to Abrahams to get the buttons done. Any alterations place will do. Even most drycleaners can at least do that much!

Econoline Van

Nevore wrote: »

hem. I usually get mine in the woolen mills or in hickeys.
Oh, and as an aside, the only "decent" tailor left in the city is Abrahams on South Anne st. Even the likes of Fair Bros. and Louis Copeland do made to measure now rather than true bespoke.
Edit2: For the love of God don't bring your shirt to Abrahams to get the buttons done. Any alterations place will do. Even most drycleaners can at least do that much!

I'm looking to get a nice suit soon. Pardon my ignorance but what's the difference between made to measure and bespoke?

Coriolanus

Econoline Van wrote: »

I'm looking to get a nice suit soon. Pardon my ignorance but what's the difference between made to measure and bespoke?

Made to measure: You'll be measured in store. Suit is made, usually abroad in a factory and sent to the shop in a finished form. Suit may or may not need to be altered once it arrives.
The benefit of made to measure over off the rack is having a greater choice in fabric/fit combinations and the quality is usually a bit better. Magee in Arnotts, Paddy Sheary Menswear Clarendon St, Louis Copeland and a few others do this.

Bespoke is what most people think of as "tailor made". You go to a tailors shop, get measured, pick cloth etc. Come back a few weeks and get a fitting, the suit will usually be little more than roughly cut and sewn pieces of cloth for the first fitting. Second fitting a few more weeks later, things are getting a bit more together now. Another fitting and possibly another and another until the tailor and you are happy that everything is perfect. Only then will the last details be done like buttonholes etc.
Abrahams do this. To my knowledge, in Dublin City at least, they're the only people still doing everyhting in house.

Unfortunately for the market, "tailor" isn't a protected term. Lots of alteration places, and lots of retailers will use "tailor made" when really what they're doing is altering an off the rack suit or at best providing a made to measure service. There are very few actual trained tailors left in the country ie: someone who could cut measure, design and cut a suit from scratch for a single individual.

Oh, and as for the difference, of course the biggest one is price. Made to measure is E500-1000 give or take. Bespoke probably starts at somewhere north of E1000. Some of the tailors on Savile Row in London START at £3000.

Econoline Van

Thanks for the reply. That's depressingly expensive!!

John Mason

Nevore wrote: »

They charge E3 a button according to hat website.

E3 a button :eek:

I do for you for that price and supply the buttons

Coriolanus

Econoline Van wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. That's depressingly expensive!!

It is. BUT.

The suit you would get from a bespoke tailor would not be a Topman off the rack, poorly fitting piece of crap made out of crap synthetic cloths that you'l wear for a season and dump. It'd be a suit you'd be wearing in ten years time. So, over a large time scale you could argue that the current fad for throwaway disposable clothing is what is expensive. It certainly is for the environment.
Not that I have a bespoke suit yet Don't have th readies to splash out but I will some day be making a trip to Savile Row!

John Mason

Nevore wrote: »

. It'd be a suit you'd be wearing in ten years time. .

unless you get fat and fit into it anymore

Coriolanus

irishbird wrote: »

unless you get fat and fit into it anymore

After spending 5k on a suit, that'd be all the motive I'd need not to get fat. :P

drbat

Bit of a thread bump/hijack here but does anyone have any experience with abrahams? What are they like, how did the suit turn out etc?

Thanks, drbat

Marcusm

Coriolanus wrote: »

Oh, and as for the difference, of course the biggest one is price. Made to measure is E500-1000 give or take. Bespoke probably starts at somewhere north of E1000. Some of the tailors on Savile Row in London START at £3000.

Don't waste your money on someone with a Savile Row shopfront - in most cases you'll pay a lot more for the shopfront. Try a traditional tailor such as Philip Lyons ( http://citytailor.co.uk/ ) who works out of modest space but who puts his heart and soul into getting shape into your clothes. No connection other than he's made 6 suits for me over the years.