Wedding Wednesday: The Perfect (Reasonably Priced) Suit

In case you haven't noticed, A.P. is rather thin. I wish I could tell you he was a health nut who ate a raw diet and works hard to maintain his super svelte figure. Alas, the bastard was born with good genes (and yes, I know I just called my husband a bastard, but he knows I'm not serious. Do you? Good. Let's move on.). The guy can eat and eat and eat and gain an ounce at best. Nine times out of ten he gains nothing. What this means is that it's incredibly difficult to find him clothes that don't hang off him.

When it came time to find A.P.'s suit, we didn't know what to do. He couldn't wear anything off the rack, which really left us with either a vintage suit or a bespoke suit. We looked hard for a great vintage suit and found a couple, but getting them didn't work out. So, in the end, we had no choice but to order him up a bespoke suit. We debated whether to find someone here in Chicago to take on the task or to outsource it to the internet. I left the research to A.P., but in the end, we found a great option with Duchess Clothier.

Located in Portland, Oregon, Duchess Clothier asks you to look at several suit types and then email in your measurements and several photos of yourself. They then make you a suit and ship it to you in a lovely box. It is not a bespoke suit, but rather made to measure, which makes it a bit more affordable. And unlike many places that ship out suits to Hong Kong, Thailand, or some other foreign land that specializes in tailoring suits, Duchess Clothier actually makes their clothes in Portland.

In looking at their website now, it would seem that their prices have risen a bit. Still, a custom fit suit is under $1000. You really can't beat that price. And let me tell you: that suit fit A.P. perfectly! And he's worn it a couple more times since.

If you are debating what kind of suit to get the groom or groomsmen, I highly recommend Duchess Clothier.

A.P. in his Duchess Clothier 8 1/2 Suit

Here are a couple more options...

...in the NYC area? Check out Alton Lane.

...while I'm sure this ships out, the prices sure seem good. If you're on a tight budget, this might be a good option for a custom fit, made to measure suit. Check out The San Francisco Tailor. (And you don't have to live in San Francisco to get a suit from here!)

(Photo by Theresa Scarbrough)