What is a "custom suit?"

The term "custom suit" can mean different things, depending upon where you purchase your clothing. At J.Kleinbauer's, our custom suit program involves creating a suit (or sportcoat and trouser combination) for a customer's specific body dimensions and styling preferences. We use two different designer/manufacturer partners (H.Freeman and Coppley Apparel,) each with their own specific advantages. Depending on the selected style and the customer's body type, we will take several measurements and photographs to help our clothing tailors craft the final garment. The end result is a suit made specifically for the customer, providing a fit and style that is sometimes difficult to achieve with regular "off-the-rack" suits.

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What makes a custom suit special?

Many men are able to purchase "off-the-rack" suits that look and feel very good. There is nothing wrong with such suits, except that they are not for everybody. For some gentlemen, they may be looking for a fabric color or style that is not readily available. Or, they may want a suit in a three-button model but cannot find that model in an off-the-rack suit. For other gentlemen, they may encounter problems with the fit of an off-the-rack suit. Such suits are designed for the "average" gentleman, while many are far from average. A man's height and physique can vary widely from "average." Some gentlemen have quite large girths, while others are very athletic. In all such cases, an off-the-rack suit may require excessive tailoring, or may simply be beyond the range of what alterations can achieve. Whether motivated by style and fashion preferences, or by the physical challenges of body size or shape, a custom suit is an excellent approach to building a wardrobe that looks good, fits well, and is of a superior quality.

When purchasing a custom suit from J.Kleinbauer's, the customer makes a number of styling decisions (with assistance from J.Kleinbauer's wardrobe consultants.) These decisions will involve fabric selection, coat models, trouser models, lapel types, pocket types, lining, stitching, button style, etc. For some customers, the appeal of a custom suit is the ability to craft a suit that is truly unique, using fabrics and styling options not readily found elsewhere. For other customers, a custom suit is the only viable way to have a suit that truly fits, accommodating unique body sizes, dimensions, or postures.

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What are the options available with custom suits?

Purchasing a custom suit will entail making a number of decisions. Your J.Kleinbauer wardrobe consultant will help you at each decision point, letting you know your options as well as what might be most appropriate given your profession, lifestyle, and the "norms" of fashion.

One of the first decisions will entail whether you want a suit, or a sport coat and trouser combination. In addition, you will decide whether your coat will be a two-button or three-button style, with peak, notch, or shawl lapels. You'll also determine whether your coat has vents, and if so, where they are placed. Other details, such as button style, lining color, pocket style (and placement,) You can even elect to have functional sleeves (also known as surgeon's sleeves,) wherein the sleeves buttons actually work, allowing the sleeve to be rolled. Other styling options can also be made, including the stitching style, the type of shoulder construction, personalized monograms, etc. A sampling of the model and style choices can be seen here.

Another major decision entails fabric selection. At J.Kleinbauer's, we offer a wide range of fabrics from some of the best fabric mills in the world. Most of these mills are European, with a special concentration in Italy. Our selection is broad, representing a range of colors, patterns, and weights. Again, your J.Kleinbauer wardrobe consultant will help you find the fabric that is most appropriate to the season, your profession, and your style preference. A small sampling of fabrics can be seen here.

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What will a custom suit cost?

At J.Kleinbauer's, the cost of a custom suit is almost entirely a function of the fabric selected for that suit. The modeling choices you make for your suit do not add or subtract much from the cost of that suit. Your fabric selection, though, can affect the cost of your suit greatly. A custom suit from J.Kleinbauer's will typically cost between $800 to $2,400, with most falling in the $800 to $1,400 range. It is possible to select a fabric that results in a suit that cost over $4,000, but such selections are rare. Nearly all of our customers find the $800 to $1,400 range to provide an excellent value of style and quality.

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What is the process of purchasing a custom suit for the first time?

The process of purchasing a custom suit starts with contacting one of the wardrobe consultants at J.Kleinbauer's. Our wardrobe consultant will make arrangements to either meet you in our downtown-Selinsgrove location, or in your home or office. Whether in your location or our store, the process for first-time customers will usually be as follows:

- We will learn more about you, your profession, your current wardrobe, your style preferences, and your wardrobe goals.

- Based on the information gathered in the first step, we will review some fabric samples that best meet your needs and preferences.

- Once some fabrics (and alternate choices) have been made, our wardrobe consultant will explain the various styling options and choices, and help you arrive at decisions appropriate to your needs.

- A series of measurements will be taken so the garment may be made to accomodate your personal body dimensions. We will usually also take two or three digital photos to give our garment tailors a visual reference as they craft your clothing.

- In two- to four-weeks, your suit arrives at J.Kleinbauer's. We again make arrangements to meet with you, either at our store or at your location. At this meeting, the garment is put on you for a final fitting. There are usually minor adjustments that we need to make, such as fine-tuning sleeve length, as well as setting your trouser hem to their appropriate length. These alterations typically require no more than one week.

- Your finished suit is now ready for you to pick up, or we'll arrange to have it delivered. Prior to delivery, your wardrobe consultant may also discuss with you other needs to complement your suit, such as shirts, ties, belts, braces, etc.

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What is the process of buying additional custom suits?

Once we've crafted one custom suit for a customer, we generally have much of the information needed for future suits. Our wardrobe consultant will review certain factors, such as your work environment, so ensure any changes are considered in future garments. He will also verify that the customer's body dimensions have not changed. Even slight changes can be accommodated without requiring a new visit. However, if you've had a weight change of more than 5 pounds, we may ask to meet with you again to obtain new measurements and photos.

If a personal visit is not required, our wardrobe consultant will still work with you via phone, email, or fax, to help you select appropriate fabrics and styling options.

When your new suit arrives, it will still be necessary to meet with you (in our store or your location) so any final minor adjustments can be made.

As with your first suit, the entire process may take three- to five-weeks, from the time your order is placed to the time your final suit is ready to put to use.

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