How long does a bespoke suit take?
Three to six weeks, between measuring and delivery. This is not waiting time: it is the time of cutting, of two to three fittings and of the final adjustments. It depends on the cloth you choose, the collection, and your diary for the fittings.
When a date is pressing, a wedding, a ceremony, a trip, the suit can be made express in three weeks at no extra charge, provided the cloth is in stock. For a wedding suit, I advise starting three to six months before the date: time to choose without haste and to bring the whole wedding party into harmony.
Step 1: the first meeting
Everything begins with a conversation, at the atelier on avenue Hoche or by video call. You tell me what you are looking for: a suit for the office, a wardrobe for a new role, an outfit for a wedding. I also ask how you live in your clothes: you travel a great deal, you take your jacket off in meetings, you always feel too warm.
We look at a few cloths and models, and agree on the next step. This first appointment is complimentary and commits you to nothing.
Step 2: the measuring and the pattern
This is the heart of bespoke. More than thirty measurements are taken for a jacket and trousers: girths, lengths, the width of the back, but also the position of the waist, the armhole, the forearm. To them are added observations the figures cannot give: the slope of each shoulder, how you hold your head, the curve of your back, one arm slightly longer than the other.
From these measurements comes your pattern, drawn up in your name. It is kept and updated with every new piece: your second suit starts from a pattern already proven, which is why our prices come down with each order that follows.
Step 3: the cloth and the details
Next comes the choice of cloth, in daylight, swatch books in hand. Fine wool for the office, flannel for winter, a linen blend for summer, among more than 13,000 references from the great cloth houses. Weight, weave and season matter as much as colour: I explain what each changes in the wearing. To prepare that choice, our article on suit cloths and weaves gives the essentials.
Then the details, which give a suit its signature: the lapel, the buttoning, the pockets, the vents, the lining, coloured buttonholes, your initials. The Milanese buttonhole, the signature of the house, features on all our collections.
Step 4: composing on your avatar
Before the first cut, your suit takes shape on the salon screen, on an avatar of your figure. You see the cloth on the jacket, the lapel you have chosen, the lining inside; you compare two versions side by side. Seeing makes deciding easier: this is the step that turns an intuition into a choice. You can have a foretaste of it with our configurator.
Step 5: the fittings
Two to three fittings, in Paris, at the atelier. The first settles the essentials: the balance of the back, the shoulder, the hang of the front, the length of the sleeves and trousers. We pin, mark and adjust. The last checks the whole, seated, standing, in movement.
Depending on the collection, the path differs. In full bespoke, the Sartoriale collection crafted in Italy and fitted in Paris, an intermediate fitting on a basted jacket, held together with white thread, is added automatically. In the other collections, a fitting toile can validate the pattern before the final cut, if you wish. The difference between collections lies in the construction, the share of handwork and the cloth: our article on jacket canvassing explains it in detail.
Step 6: delivery, and what follows
On the day of delivery, you put on your suit one last time before the atelier mirror; the final touches are made on the spot. I give you a few habits to keep it at its best: a wide hanger, a day's rest between wears, the brush rather than the dry cleaner.
Your pattern then stays at the atelier. A shirt, a jacket, an overcoat, a second suit: each new piece starts from it, and your whole wardrobe comes together naturally.
How much does a bespoke suit cost in Paris?
At L'Atelier Hoche, a first two-piece suit starts at €1,380, cloth included, in the Découverte collection, then €1,200 once your pattern exists. The price then follows the construction, the share of handwork and the cloth, up to full bespoke in the Sartoriale collection. Fittings and the final adjustment are included. The levels and their prices are set out on the bespoke suit page.
Where to begin?
With the first step, quite simply. Bring your questions, a photograph of a suit you like, or simply the occasion you have in mind: the rest is built together. Book a private consultation