Arlington · 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 Arlington, 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
Fitted where the tailor works
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.
Everything we make is altered in the same building it is sold in, by a tailor who has been doing it here for over twenty years. For Arlington customers that means the gap between noticing something is wrong and having it fixed is a short one.
It also means we can be honest about what does not need doing. A good proportion of what comes through is a jacket that needs an hour of work rather than a suit that needs replacing, and we would rather tell you that.
Being close helps most with the second fitting
What matters here
- Local
- We are in downtown Arlington, so coming back to adjust something is a twenty-minute errand rather than an afternoon.
- Who we fit here
- Arlington professionals, and a steady number of women who came in with a husband or father and stayed as customers in their own right.
- Alterations on site
- Enrique works in the building. Nothing is posted away, and adjustments after the first wearing are straightforward.
- Ladies’ made to measure
- Patrick Milligan directs this side of the business and will be the person you deal with from measurement through collection.
- Wardrobe on file
- Once your pattern exists, a second suit is a shorter conversation than the first.
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.
Will I deal with the same person throughout?
Yes. Whoever measures you handles the order through to collection, which matters more than it sounds when something needs adjusting six months later.
Can I come back to adjust the fit?
Yes, and local customers should. A suit is judged properly after it has been worn for a day rather than in the shop, and small adjustments after the first wearing are normal rather than a sign something went wrong.
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.
Arlington 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