An ill-fitting suit is all but worthless, so splurge on tailoring, or, really splurge and go bespoke. A custom handmade suit is an investment of both money – think mid-four-figures – and time; be prepared for meetings to discuss fabrics, linings, lapels and more. But nothing will ever look better. Herewith, the finest places to commission the perfect suit.
Harry Rosen
Master tailor Achod Amassian will make you feel like Churchill. And – in case you share Winnie’s curvaceous figure – Amassian expertly shapes each suit to flatter his client’s physique.
1455 Peel St., (514) 284-3315.
Ur Imij
Dimitri Alexiou opened Ur Imij last January and the 29-year-old’s already considered one of the best in the business. Expect roped shoulders and a fitted waist from his trim contemporary suits. 420-B8 Notre-Dame Street W., (514) 670-4122.
Arthur’s
Saku Koivu’s shop of choice is a family operation – employing mother, father, aunt and two sons – but the man with the chalk is the eponymous patriarch, Arthur Der Shahinian, a self-taught tailor from the age of 15. 2175 Crescent St., (514) 843-0522.
Tony the Tailor
Tony’s (run by Ralph the tailor) is a Montreal institution, offering a beautifully crafted traditional suit. It’s a great way to kill your next job interview. 2041-A Stanley St., (514) 844-3988.
Giovanni Clothes
This shop, run by Giovanni Vacca, looks like a legally ambiguous import-export business, but that hasn’t stopped scores of athletes, from Wayne Gretzky to Barry Bonds, from stopping by for a suit. 5240 St-Laurent Blvd., 866-647-2427.
*Our heartiest congratulations go out to Jamie Beurklian, the winner of our month-long Movember moustache growing contest. “Not only did I grow a moustache for prostate cancer funding,” he says, “But I also tanned three quarters of my arms and lifted planks of particle board.” Mr. Beurklian takes home Movember cufflinks, a flask, stylish duds and more.
You can tell a lot about a tailor from the way he meaures you for a new suit. If he measures you with your jacket on, don’t expect too much, if he meaures your body this is a real tailor and not a wannabe.
If a true Bespoke suit is what your heart fancies, then I suggest you check the website of ww.rudolfpopradi.com probably one of the few remaining Bespoke tailors who can claim that his suits never leave his hands. You will find very few tailors even in London Savile Row who can make this claim. Most Bespoke suits today are created like the garment industry, a lot of people who only know one thing but none of them knowing it all. Don’t expect Rudolf suits to come cheap. He only sews 24 full Bespoke suits a year so if he can fit you in your lucky…