Paul Stuart Virtual Suit Service Review
We Tried Paul Stuart’s Virtual Suiting Service – The Results Were Mixed
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For a man like myself with, let’s say, non-traditional proportions, I tend to get to know my tailor fairly well.
Few things ever fit right off the shelf, and that’s especially true when it comes to suits and formalwear. I automatically figure in the “short person’s tax,” which is usually an extra $30-50 in alterations whenever I buy a suit jacket and/or pants.
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That being said, there hasn’t been much of a need for a good sport coat and trousers in the last couple of years and that has forced many names in the game to take a look at new ways to provide that custom suiting experience in a way that works for those still not comfortable with the close proximity required for proper measurements.
Take Paul Stuart, for example, who has been providing high-end tailored clothing for the better part of 85 years, but had to further reinvent itself come the pandemic era. They launched a virtual suit service through their CustomLAB personalized fitting experience a year ago as a way for men to get their suits, jackets and more while travel was still not an option for many people (there are plenty of options for women, too). A year later, it has taken off as an option for those unable to travel to one of the brand’s brick-and-mortar locales.
Naturally, when the brand reached out to ask if I’d be interested in trying out this new service, I obliged. Quickly.
The Process
Before my first appointment, the brand sent me a questionnaire with a handful of questions to better assess my style.
It was a good opportunity for me to actually figure out what I liked and didn’t like, so I sent through several different pictures, Instagram links and other things that seemed “me”. From there, we scheduled my first virtual appointment to meet the tailor.
Anthony, one of the managers at the brand’s New York flagship, greeted me on our first call and he asked me a series of additional questions about my style, then proceeded to ask me to stand and move around within camera view so he could take notes on my appearance and potential fit.
His ballpark calculations were almost spot on the first time and within about 20 minutes we had a sport coat and trousers type dialed in. The brand would send me two try-on suits to hone on in the fit, then we’d choose fabrics right after that.
The Initial Try-On
The sample suits arrived within about two weeks and we had our second call so Anthony could assess the fit and make final notations. One size fit better than the other and he docked areas where custom altering was needed.
Next was the fun part. We spent the better part of an hour sifting through the brand’s vast library of fabrics. Anthony did a great job of using my stylistic preferences to offer a few options to run through so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. Regardless of his efforts, it’s still hard to actually understand how a fabric looks in-person versus a computer camera. If you’re very particular about your fabric choices, you may not be thrilled trying to navigate this process.
After some back and forth, we landed on a burgundy blazer with a textured pattern and a pair of solid grey trousers.
Anthony noted that the material choices would be sent to their factory overseas and take about six weeks to arrive back at their store in NYC. Once there, they inspect the pieces to ensure quality, then send them to the eagerly awaiting customer.
The Wait
Because the pieces are produced overseas, they’re also subject to the ongoing global supply chain issues. A six-week wait turned into ten for the blazer and a bit longer for the pants. They were sent to me unfinished, which wasn’t immediately made clear through the ordering process, so I then had to take both pieces into my tailor and part with them for another 2-3 weeks.
For the typical customer, this could mean another $75-$100 in alterations, so that’s important to factor into the overall price when pieces like these run well into the high hundreds.
