Fort Worth · Est. 1972
Women’s suits,made to measure
Same tailors, same cloth houses, same process. Directed by Patrick Milligan.
Made-to-measure women’s suits for Fort Worth, cut and fitted at The Man’s Shop in Arlington. One appointment to choose cloth and take measurements, four to six weeks to build, then a second visit to collect. Cost depends on the cloth rather than the construction. Alterations are handled in-house.
The process
A softer register than Dallas
One appointment to choose cloth and take measurements, four to six weeks to build, then a second visit to collect. There is no basted fitting and no series of return visits.
Fort Worth tailoring tends to sit slightly softer than its neighbor — less structure through the shoulder, more texture in the cloth, and a general preference for clothing that does not look severe.
That is a real difference rather than a marketing one, and it changes what we would put in front of you. It also makes Fort Worth the market where we are asked most often for a Western influence done properly.
Fort Worth cut and cloth
What matters here
- A different register
- Fort Worth tends toward slightly softer tailoring than Dallas. Less structure, more texture, and a preference for cloth that does not look severe.
- Western influence
- We are asked for it and we are comfortable with it. Done properly it is a yoke and a cut rather than decoration.
- Boots
- If you wear boots with a suit, tell us at the fitting and bring the pair. Trouser length over a boot is a different measurement.
- Fifteen miles
- The shortest run of any major city we serve, straight along I-30.
- One good suit
- The common request here is one genuinely good suit rather than several adequate ones, which is a sensible way to buy.
What gets specified
The decisions off-the-rack makes for you
- Shoulder
- Cut to your slope. It is the one thing that cannot meaningfully be altered afterwards, which is why ready-made tailoring so often fails here.
- Waist and hip
- Suppression through the waist and room through the hip, measured rather than assumed from a dress size.
- Sleeve length
- Measured per arm. Arms differ more often than most people expect.
- Trouser rise and length
- Cut for the shoes you will actually wear. Bring both pairs if the suit needs to work with flats and heels.
- Jacket length
- Proportioned to your torso rather than to a size chart, which is most of why a made-to-measure jacket looks different from a bought one.
Before the appointment
Three things worth doing
Bring the shoes
Both pairs if the suit needs to work with flats and heels. Trouser length is judged standing, in the shoes.
Bring something that fits
If you own a jacket that fits well, bring it. It communicates more in two minutes than a long conversation would.
Know the occasion
Daily business, an interview, and an event are three different garments, and knowing which shapes the cloth choice.
Common questions
Women’s tailoring, answered
What determines the price?
Cloth, almost entirely — the making is the same whichever you choose. We will show you the range with the cloth in front of you, because a number quoted without it does not mean much.
How long does it take?
Four to six weeks from the appointment. If you are working to a date, say so at the fitting and we will work backwards from it and tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
How many appointments?
Two. One to choose cloth and measure, which runs about an hour, and one to collect. Alterations at collection are handled in-house.
Do you make women’s Western-style suits?
Yes. Done properly the Western influence is in the yoke and the cut rather than in decoration, which means it reads as well-made tailoring in a boardroom and as appropriate at a ranch event.
Can trousers be cut to wear over boots?
Yes, and it needs the actual boots at the fitting. Shaft height varies enough between pairs that a trouser cut for one sits wrong on another.
Can I order separates rather than a full suit?
Yes, and many customers do. A jacket with two different trousers or skirts produces more outfits than a single matched suit for a similar spend.
Is this the same service as the men’s side?
The same process, the same cloth houses, the same tailors. Patrick Milligan directs the ladies’ made-to-measure work, so the person measuring you is the person handling the order through to collection.
Fort Worth to Arlington
Book with Patrick
Cloth first, then measurements. About an hour.
Book with PatrickBook with Austin
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116