Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we're asked most, answered plainly. For anything not covered here, please use our contact form.

The Craft

  • Both are custom — the difference is in the depth of handwork and the pattern. Made-to-measure begins from a base pattern adjusted to your individual measurements and crafted in our partner ateliers, with a 4–6 week lead time. Bespoke is fully hand-crafted from a unique paper pattern drafted from scratch for your body, hand-cut and hand-finished with multiple in-person fittings — 10–14 weeks. Both use the same premium Italian and English cloths. Bespoke simply goes deeper into the craft. We help every client choose what's right at the first consultation.

  • For most people, most of the time: made-to-measure.

    It solves fit, gives you full choice of cloth and detail, and delivers in six weeks. Bespoke earns its premium in two situations — a body the base pattern struggles with, or a client who wants the handwork itself. We will tell you honestly which category you're in. We have talked clients out of bespoke before.

  • An alteration adjusts a garment built for someone else. Made-to-measure changes the pattern before the cloth is cut — the shoulder, the chest, the balance, the posture. A tailor can shorten a sleeve; no tailor can rebuild a shoulder that was never yours. Fit begins at the pattern or it doesn't begin.

  • Made-to-measure garments are crafted in our partner ateliers using your adjusted pattern, with hand-finishing at the details that matter. Bespoke is hand-cut and hand-finished throughout. We're glad to show you the difference on the table — it's easier to see than to describe.

  • Yes — expert alterations and re-cutting of existing suits, jackets, tuxedos, and tailoring from any maker. Hemming, taking in or letting out, shortening sleeves with functional buttonholes, and full structural re-cutting. Drop-off and pickup at 77 Bleecker Street by appointment.

The Process

  • Sixty to ninety minutes, unhurried. We talk about what the garment is for, take your measurements by hand, assess posture and stance, and go through the fabric library together. You'll make decisions on cloth, lapel, lining, buttons, pockets, and finish — as few or as many as you'd like. There is no obligation to commission anything.

  • Yes. We work strictly by appointment so every client has undivided attention and full access to the fabric library. Book at monsieurbrunold.com or call (212) 219-8559.

  • Bring the shoes you intend to wear with the garment — they determine trouser length. If you own a jacket that fits you well, or one that doesn't, bring it; both are useful. Otherwise, just your time.

  • Made-to-measure typically involves the initial measurement appointment and a fitting on delivery, with adjustments as needed. Bespoke involves multiple fittings across the build. We don't consider a garment finished until it's right.

  • We adjust it. A first commission occasionally needs refinement — that's normal, and it's built into how we work.

  • Yes, for a while. Your pattern is kept on file, which is why the second commission is easier than the first. Reorder in a new cloth without starting over. If your measurements change, we re-measure.

  • Yes. For clients who can't reach the showroom — including remote groomsmen — we provide a measurement protocol to complete with a local tailor. For a first commission we strongly prefer to measure your silhoutte ourselves; once a pattern is established, distance stops mattering.

  • Yes. We store your measurements, reserve fabric stock, and handle repeat orders without re-fitting when your measurements haven't changed. Many executive clients add two to four suits a year on this program. We also do on-site corporate group fittings.

  • Absolutely. We coordinate full wedding party tailoring for grooms and groomsmen, with matching or coordinated cloth, lining, button stance, and styling across the group. For remote groomsmen, we provide a measurement protocol they can complete with a local tailor. Recommended timeline: 8–12 weeks before the date.

  • We check the fit and make any final adjustments before delivery. However, do let us know if you plan to undergo medical procedures or a crash diet which may significantly affect the measurements. We can leave additional leeway for alterations, or choose a different style that is more accommodating.

Timeline

  • Made-to-measure: 4–6 weeks from first fitting to delivery.

    Fully bespoke: 10–14 weeks, because of the hand-cutting and multiple fittings involved.

    We confirm a delivery date in writing at the start of every order.

  • At least 8–12 weeks before the date for made-to-measure, 12–16 weeks for bespoke. That allows for consultation, build, and final adjustments. Outfitting the wedding party adds another 2–3 weeks. We book up quickly May through October — the earlier the better.

  • Yes. Cloths from our À-La-Carte connoisseur programs are held at the mills and ordered against your commission — allow 7–10 additional days. Cloths from our in-house collection carry no additional time.

  • Sometimes. Tell us the date at the first conversation and we'll tell you honestly whether it's achievable. We would rather decline a deadline than miss one.

  • Our in-house collection is replenished twice yearly, for Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. If you're commissioning for a season, come at the start of it — the selection is deepest and the calendar is clearest.

Investment

  • Prices scale with cloth. Cashmere, vicuña, and rare mill stock sit at the upper end. Wedding and Ceremonial suits start at $2800, and full bespoke suits start at $5000. Group and groomsmen pricing is available for parties of four or more.

    We do also offer bulk discounts for businesses.

  • Cloth, mostly. The construction of a given garment is consistent; the difference between a fine worsted and a vicuña blend is considerable, and it is entirely your decision. We'll show you the range and let you choose where in it you'd like to sit. There is no pressure toward the upper end — a superb suit in a mid-range English worsted is a better purchase than a fragile one in a famous name.

  • At a comparable price, it fits and it's yours. But the honest argument is longevity: a garment cut to your pattern in cloth chosen for how you'll actually wear it stays in rotation for years longer than one bought off a rail. Cost per wearing is the only number that matters, and it's the one ready-to-wear loses on.

  • We accept most major credit and debit cards.

Fabrics

  • Our library spans the most respected mills in Italy, England, and France such as Vitale Barberis Canonico, Holland & Sherry, Dormeuil, and Thomas Mason. We carry worsted wools, flannels, fresco and high-twist weaves, linens, cottons, silks, cashmere, mohair blends, and dinner-suit cloths. You can explore physical swatches at our showroom.

  • Because no photograph of a cloth has ever been accurate. Color shifts under different light and displays, and hand — the way a cloth feels and falls — cannot be photographed at all. Thirty seconds with the bunch on the table tells you more than an hour online.

  • The in-house collection is handpicked, held on site, and replenished twice yearly — the best value in the house, and available immediately. À-La-Carte draws on thousands of cloths held at the mills, ordered against your commission, for when you want something specific. Allow 7–10 extra days.

  • It describes the fineness of the fibre — Super 130s, 150s, 180s. Finer is softer and more lustrous, and also more delicate. For a suit in weekly rotation, Super 110s to 130s is the right answer, not a compromise. Save the fine counts for garments that get to rest. We'll say the same in the fitting room.

  • Often, but not always. Mills retire ranges and seasonal cloths sell through. If you expect to want a second garment in the same cloth, tell us at the first commission and we'll reserve it. Clients on the executive wardrobe program have stock reserved as a matter of course.

  • Roughly 3.5 metres for a two-piece, more for a three-piece, a larger frame, or a matched pattern. Relevant only when you're buying from a limited length — we'll tell you if it is.

Online Shopping

  • Come in. Most garments have cloth reserved in the seams for exactly this, and we can let out or take in within a reasonable range. If the change is beyond what the garment holds, we'll tell you rather than compromise the line.

  • We offer alterations and repairs as a service. Get in touch with us.

  • Hang it on a shaped wooden hanger, rest it a full day between wearings, brush rather than clean, and dry-clean as rarely as you can bear — twice a year is plenty for a suit in rotation. Press between cleanings. A four-suit rotation will outlast eight suits worn hard.

Post Delivery

  • You can design one online — cloth, cut, lapel, lining, and every detail — and save it at any hour. The measuring happens in person, because it has to. A tape measure records numbers; a fitting records posture, stance, and the asymmetries every body has, and those are what make a jacket hang clean. Design it tonight, book a fitting when it suits you, and wear it 4–6 weeks later.

  • We currently offer accessories, and pre-made shirtings, suits and jackets.

  • Yes — through monsieurbrunold.com, at any hour. Or call (212) 219-8559 during showroom hours.

  • Custom garments and made-to-order items are non-returnable. Certain items are designated as final sale and not eligible for returns or exchanges. The product page indicates whether an item is a final sale item.

    We will ensure a perfect fit prior to delivery of made-to-measure items, and make adjustments as needed.

    For ready-to-wear and accessories purchased online, returns and refunds are at the discretion of Monsieur Brunold. The items must be in original packaging and good condition. Shipping and additional fees are non-refundable.

Appointments

  • We are located at 77 Bleecker Street, Suite C2-10, New York City — between Broadway and Mercer St.

  • We are open between 12 PM and 7 PM from Tuesday through Saturday. We are open between 1 PM and 5 PM on Sundays. You can confirm our availability when booking an appointment.

  • Sixty to ninety minutes for a first appointment. Evenings by arrangement for clients who can't make daytime hours.

  • Yes. Book the appointment and come and handle the cloth. Plenty of first visits end without an order, and several of those clients are now on their fourth suit.

  • Yes. Formerly operating as Louis Purple in New York, founder Charles Brunold launched Monsieur Brunold to bring custom made-to-measure tailoring under his independent NYC atelier.

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