Made to Measure Suits: Your Questions Answered

No two people are built quite the same, so a suit made to a standard size will rarely fit every part of you perfectly. Oliver Brown's Made to Measure service takes a more personal approach: starting with our established tailoring cuts, we account for your individual measurements, posture and proportions before turning to the more enjoyable decisions - cloth, lining, buttons and the details that make the finished garment unmistakably yours.

From business suits and dinner suits to morning dress and wedding tailoring, Made to Measure is available across Oliver Brown stores

With the help of Jonathan Lowe, Oliver Brown's Head of Tailoring and in-house Made to Measure expert, we answer the questions we're asked most often.

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What is a Made to Measure suit?

A Made to Measure suit is cut to your individual measurements and adjusted for the way you're built and the way you stand.

Ready-to-wear tailoring is designed to fit a broad range of people within a standard size. Made to Measure allows us to be far more precise: we consider not just your chest, waist and trouser measurements, but your posture, shoulder height and the way a jacket naturally hangs on your frame.

Every person has their own small asymmetries. Good tailoring works with them rather than pretending they aren't there - the result is a suit that looks more balanced, feels more comfortable and, importantly, feels like your own.

Who is Made to Measure best suited to?

Anyone can benefit from Made to Measure, but it's especially valuable if you struggle to find ready-to-wear tailoring that fits properly.

A jacket might fit through the chest but feel tight beneath the arms. You may find excess cloth across the back, have sloping or uneven shoulders, or simply find that a standard jacket never quite sits right. These are precisely the details Made to Measure addresses, by considering your posture, shoulder position, proportions and individual measurements before the garment is made.

As Jonathan explains:

"Ready-to-wear is made to fit everybody generally. Made to Measure allows us to consider not just your measurements, but your posture, your shoulder heights and all those individual characteristics that affect how a garment hangs."

If you've always felt that suits simply don't fit you properly, Made to Measure can make a remarkable difference.

Is a Made to Measure suit worth it?

For anyone who values fit, comfort, choice and longevity, Made to Measure is an excellent investment.

Ready-to-wear works in averages - it's designed to fit many people reasonably well rather than one person particularly well. Made to Measure reverses that equation: by considering your measurements alongside your posture, shoulder position and proportions, the garment is made to sit correctly on your body from the outset. There's also only so much a finished ready-to-wear garment can achieve through alteration.

The difference can be hard to appreciate until you've experienced it. A well-fitting suit shouldn't feel like something you're constantly adjusting or conscious of wearing - it should sit properly, move comfortably and let you get on with your day.

What happens at your first Made to Measure appointment?

Your first appointment is, above all, a conversation, and typically lasts between 30 minutes and an hour.

You don't need to arrive knowing exactly which cloth, lapel or pocket you want — we'd rather begin by understanding how and where you intend to wear the garment.

For a wedding: we'll discuss the venue, season, climate, degree of formality and how you want to feel on the day.
For a business suit: the conversation is more practical - how often it will be worn, whether you travel regularly, how formal your workplace is, and what's already in your wardrobe.

There's no need to make every decision on the spot. It's perfectly normal to talk things through, go away to consider your options, and return once your ideas have settled. Tailoring should be considered, not hurried.

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What happens when I order a Made to Measure suit?

Once the direction is clear, you'll choose your cloth, work through finishing details, and be measured - the full appointment takes around an hour.

You'll select your cloth and then work through details such as lining, buttons, lapels, pockets and other finishing touches. Our role is to make that process enjoyable and straightforward rather than presenting you with thousands of possibilities.

We then take your measurements and assess how the garment needs to sit on your frame - the measuring process itself takes approximately 30 minutes. There's generally no need to bring a particular shirt or pair of shoes, though you're welcome to if there's something specific you plan to wear with the finished suit.

How long does an Oliver Brown Made to Measure suit take?

Approximately 4–6 weeks.

Once your garment arrives, you'll return for a fitting so we can assess how it sits on the body and make any final adjustments. If you're commissioning a suit for a wedding or another fixed-date occasion, speak to us as early as possible - allowing extra time keeps the process enjoyable and considered.

How much does an Oliver Brown Made to Measure suit cost?

A two-piece Made to Measure suit starts from £1,500 (jacket and trousers in the same cloth).

Garment	Guide price
Two-piece suit (introductory cloth)	From £1,500
Two-piece suit (excellent English cloth)	Around £1,800
Morning suit (two-piece)	From approximately £2,600
Morning suit (three-piece)	Around £2,900–£3,200
Dinner suit (two-piece, excellent cloth)	Around £1,800–£2,100

The final price depends largely on your choice of fabric. These prices are a guide only and correct at the time of publication; final pricing depends on cloth, specification and any additional options, and will always be confirmed during your consultation.

How do I choose the right fabric for my suit?

Start with how the suit will be worn, not with a wall of fabric books.

Where will you wear it? How often? At what time of year? Do you run warm? Do you want something soft and luxurious, or a cloth that can be worn hard and often? These questions are far more useful starting points than browsing swatches at random.

For a classic business suit, wool remains difficult to beat - from there, we consider weight, fineness, handle, breathability and durability. Some finer Italian cloths have an exceptionally soft, luxurious handle with a little more lustre; traditional British cloths tend to offer more structure, durability and an understated finish. Neither is inherently better - the right cloth is the one suited to the garment and how you intend to wear it.

What is the best suit fabric for hot weather?

An open-weave wool - often called cool wool or tropical wool - is one of the best choices for tailoring in genuinely hot weather.

Linen is synonymous with summer and remains excellent, but despite its reputation it isn't necessarily the coolest cloth available. The advantage of an open-weave wool is breathability: its construction lets air move through the cloth and heat escape, rather than becoming trapped inside the garment.

As Jonathan puts it:

"In hot weather, the important thing is not to hold heat in. A breathable, open-weave wool can be a wonderful option."

For a summer wedding in a hot climate, for example, we might show you linen alongside a lightweight, breathable wool and let the location, formality and look you want guide the final choice.

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Is linen a good choice for a summer suit?

Yes, provided you're happy to embrace its character - including creasing.

Linen is breathable, lightweight and relaxed, and particularly well suited to summer weddings, warm climates and occasions where you want tailoring to feel a little less formal. We consider creasing part of linen's charm - a beautifully rumpled linen suit has an elegance of its own. If every crease is likely to trouble you, a lightweight or open-weave wool can give a cleaner appearance while still performing well in warm weather.

What is the difference between British and Italian suit fabrics?

There's no absolute rule, but the two traditions tend to have different characteristics.

Some finer Italian cloths are prized for their smooth, soft handle and luxurious feel, sometimes with a little more lustre. Traditional British suitings are often associated with greater structure, durability and a more understated finish. There's plenty of ground between the two, and a cloth can combine a smooth handle with durability for regular wear. We prefer to start with what you need from the garment rather than assuming one country or mill is inherently superior.

Can I customise a Made to Measure suit?

Yes - once fit is considered, the details are where you make the garment your own.

Depending on the garment, you can choose:

Cloth and lining
Lapel style and width
Single- or double-breasted fastening
Button configuration
Patch, flap or jetted pockets
Vents
Buttons and finishing details

If you know exactly what you want, that's great. If you don't, that's equally fine — we generally begin with classic proportions and make considered personal choices from there, since a well-balanced suit will still look right long after a particular trend has passed.

Can I bring pictures of suits I like to my appointment?

Yes - a photo often communicates what you have in mind faster than a technical description.

A photograph from a film, a screenshot from Instagram, a Pinterest board or an image of someone wearing a suit you admire can tell us far more quickly what you're after than a list of terms. Some clients arrive with an entire mood board; others have one photo saved on their phone - both are useful. Our job is to understand what appeals to you in those references, advise on what will work for your proportions and occasion, and translate the ideas into a coherent garment. The finished suit should look like you, not like your tailor.

When should I start planning my Made to Measure wedding suit?

As soon as you know you'd like to explore the idea - you don't need every detail decided first.

If you know the date, venue and general feel of the wedding, that's already a strong starting point. From there, we consider the season, likely temperature, degree of formality, colour palette and the sort of garment that will feel appropriate.

As Jonathan puts it:

"You don't have to wait until you know everything to come and see us. That's why you consult an expert."

Made to Measure garments typically take 4–6 weeks, but for weddings we'd always recommend starting the conversation well before that.

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What should I bring to a wedding suit consultation?

Anything that helps us understand the day you're planning.

Photographs of the venue
Your wedding mood board
Colours used elsewhere in the wedding
Photographs of tailoring you admire
Screenshots from films, Instagram or Pinterest
Details of the location, season and likely weather

Don't worry about whether an idea is technically achievable or exactly right for you - bring it anyway, and we'll work out together what will suit the day.

Can Oliver Brown make Made to Measure morning suits and dinner suits?

Yes. Oliver Brown's Made to Measure service extends beyond the classic two-piece suit to morning suits and other formal tailoring, as well as business and wedding suits. This is particularly useful for formalwear, where proportion and fit make a significant difference to the overall effect. For weddings, we can also consider the wider setting - venue, season and degree of formality - so the tailoring sits well within the look of the day.

How should I care for a Made to Measure suit?

The first rule is not to over-care for it - and to let it air after every wear.

A good wool suit doesn't need dry cleaning every time it's worn; repeated dry cleaning can be unnecessarily harsh on a tailored garment, so save it for occasions when the suit genuinely needs it. For minor surface marks, a clean, very slightly damp sponge is usually enough - more substantial stains, particularly oil or wax, should be dealt with professionally.

Over the course of a day, cloth, lining and internal construction naturally absorb some body moisture. Rather than returning the suit straight to a closed wardrobe, hang it somewhere with good airflow overnight - a simple habit, and one of the best things you can do for your tailoring.

How often should I dry clean a suit?

As infrequently as necessary.

A suit doesn't need dry cleaning simply because it's been worn. Air it after use, deal carefully with minor surface marks, and reserve professional cleaning for when it genuinely needs it. Jonathan's own suits are several years old and have never needed to visit a dry cleaner - good tailoring is designed to last, and careful, moderate care helps it do exactly that.

Where is Oliver Brown Made to Measure available?

Across all Oliver Brown stores.

Whether you're commissioning your first Made to Measure suit or adding to an established tailoring wardrobe, our team can guide you through the process from the first conversation and fabric selection through to measuring and the final fitting. For a wedding or another important occasion, we recommend arranging your first consultation early.

Visit us in one of our five stores

Why choose Oliver Brown for Made to Measure?

Oliver Brown Made to Measure brings together classic British tailoring, contemporary refinement and a highly personal fitting process. We consider more than a list of measurements - your proportions, posture, shoulders and the way a jacket needs to hang on your particular frame - as well as the purpose of the garment: where you'll wear it, how often, in what climate, how formal it needs to be, and how you want to feel when you put it on.

From there, our tailoring team guides you through cloths, cuts and finishing details to create something both personal and enduring. There's plenty of choice, but there need not be any complication.

Visit Oliver Brown in store to discover our Made to Measure service and create a garment made around you.

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