Construction
Half canvas standard
Measured
Fifteen points
Fittings
At least one
Cloth
Chosen by weight
Men’s Custom Suits, Chiang Mai: most men need two suits: a navy and a mid-grey, in a weight suited to where they live. Those two cover nearly every occasion that requires a suit. Spend the budget on construction and fit before spending it on a higher Super number, because canvas and cut are what people notice and fibre fineness is not.
Men’s Custom Suits, Chiang Mai: the two-suit wardrobe
Most men over-buy variety and under-buy quality, and the fix is a smaller number of better garments.
Navy first. It is the most useful suit colour by a clear margin. It works in an office, at a wedding as a guest, at a funeral at a pinch, and at any evening event short of black tie. It suits nearly every complexion. It photographs with visible depth and detail.
Mid-grey second. Slightly more formal in most rooms, and it contrasts differently against shirts and ties so the two suits do not read as interchangeable.
Those two, well made and properly fitted, will handle nearly everything a suit is needed for. A third in charcoal adds gravity for more serious occasions.
Buy construction before cloth
This is the decision that most affects whether you are happy in two years, and it is the one most people get backwards.
Given a fixed budget, a half-canvassed jacket in a mid-range cloth beats a fused jacket in an expensive one. The canvas is what lets the chest mould to your shape over time rather than fighting it, and fusing is what causes the bubbled chest that ruins a jacket permanently.
Fabric fineness is the most heavily marketed variable and the least visible one. Nobody at a meeting can tell a Super 110s from a Super 150s. Everyone can see a jacket whose shoulder sits wrong. See Super 150s for why higher is not better.
Order of operations
If you are ordering more than one garment on a trip, this is a sensible sequence.
- A shirt first, if the shop is new to you. It is cheap, fast and diagnostic. See men’s shirts.
- The navy suit, with enough time for two fittings.
- Grey trousers and a navy blazer, which between them cover more days than a second suit will. See men’s blazers.
- The second suit, once the pattern is proven and on file.
Ordering the second suit on a later visit is easier and lower risk, because the corrections from the first are already recorded.
What to tell the tailor
Where you live and work, because climate decides cloth weight and it is the most consequential input.
How often you will wear it. A suit worn weekly and a suit worn four times a year should not be built the same way.
What you dislike about suits you already own. “The collar stands away from my neck” or “the sleeves are always too long” are diagnostic complaints that point straight at a pattern adjustment.
See suits for the garment itself, and business suits for the cloth argument in detail.
Next step
Walk in, or send your dates and we will tell you honestly what fits in the time you have.
Fabric
Cloth that suits it
Weight decides whether you will actually wear it. Ask for grams, not a Super number.
Worsted wool
Breathes, recovers from creasing overnight, holds a press. The default for a reason.220–250 g tropical
Wool-cashmere
Softer to the hand and more drape than plain worsted. A step up in feel, not in heat.~10% cashmere
Linen
The coolest thing you can wear, and it creases within minutes. A deliberate look.220–320 g
Explore
Related
Men's tailoring
Made-to-measure menswear in Chiang Mai: suits, shirts, blazers, trousers, tuxedos and overcoats cut to your measurements, not altered from stock.
Custom suits
Made-to-measure suits cut to your measurements in Chiang Mai. Business, wedding, three-piece, tuxedo, linen and summer weights. Half canvas as standard.
Business suits
Made-to-measure business suits in Chiang Mai. Navy and grey in weights that work in an air-conditioned office and survive daily wear.
Common questions
How many suits should a man own?
Two if you wear a suit occasionally, in navy and mid-grey. Three if you wear one weekly, so they can be rotated and rested. Beyond three, additional suits are a matter of preference rather than need, and the money is usually better spent on jackets and trousers.
Should I buy navy or grey first?
Navy. It works in more settings, suits a wider range of complexions, photographs reliably, and can be dressed up or down more easily than grey. Mid-grey is the natural second, since it reads as slightly more formal in most contexts.
Where should I spend the money on a suit?
Construction first, cloth second. A half-canvassed jacket in a Super 110s will look better in two years than a fused jacket in a Super 150s, and the difference is visible from across a room. Fit is the other half, and it is what having a suit made buys you.
Do I need a black suit?
Probably not. Black is not a business colour in most settings, and it photographs as a flat shape with no visible detail. Charcoal covers formal occasions better and is far more versatile. Buy black only if a specific requirement demands it.
Next step
Book a fitting
Walk in, or tell us when you are in Chiang Mai and we will hold a slot. First fittings take about 45 minutes.