Timeline · Est. 1972
Four to sixweeks
One appointment to order, then we build it. No basted fittings, no return visits in between, and a tailor here when it arrives.
A custom suit at The Man’s Shop takes four to six weeks from the appointment where we measure you to the day you collect it. You visit once to order and once to pick up. Ordering immediately before a major factory holiday closure can add time, which we will flag at your appointment.
The schedule
What happens in those weeks
The four to six weeks is manufacturing time. Everything that requires you happens in the first appointment and the last.
That is deliberate, and it is the main difference between how we work and traditional bespoke. Bespoke drafts a pattern from scratch and calls you back for basted fittings across several months. Made to measure adjusts an established pattern to your measurements, so there is nothing to try on until it is finished.
The advantage over an overseas or travelling maker is what happens at the end: your garment arrives, you put it on here, and if anything wants adjusting our tailor is in the building.
Planning around a date
How far ahead to start
- A wedding
- Eight to twelve weeks. That gives comfortable margin for the build plus any adjustments, and removes the scramble entirely.
- A specific event
- Eight weeks is comfortable. Six is workable. Under five and we will be honest about the risk rather than optimistic.
- A wedding party
- Eight weeks minimum for a group, and more if several are going custom. Groups have more moving parts than individuals.
- Factory holidays
- Occasionally a mill or factory closes for an extended holiday. It is uncommon and we will tell you at your appointment if your timing falls near one.
- No fixed date
- Then there is no pressure at all, and you will get the unhurried version of the appointment, which is the better one.
The two visits
That is all it takes
Ordering appointment
About an hour. Measurements taken, cloth chosen, every option decided. Nothing left to settle later.
Four to six weeks
Your garment is made to that specification. You do not need to do anything.
Collection
You try it on. Most need nothing. Anything that does is handled here by our tailor, usually quickly.
Common questions
Custom suit timeline, answered
How long does a custom suit take at The Man’s Shop?
Four to six weeks from the appointment where we measure you to the day you collect. You come in once to order and once to pick up. The only common exception is ordering immediately before an extended factory holiday, which we will flag at your appointment.
How many appointments does a custom suit require?
One to order and one to collect. The ordering appointment covers measurements and every selection and takes about an hour. The second visit is a collection rather than a fitting, and most clients walk out the same day.
Why is this faster than bespoke?
Bespoke drafts a pattern from scratch and requires basted fittings, where you return two or three times to try on a partly constructed garment. Made to measure adjusts an established pattern to your measurements, so there is nothing to try on until the garment is complete.
Can you rush a custom suit?
Sometimes, depending on the maker’s schedule. Call and ask rather than assuming either way, and tell us the firm date at the outset. If it cannot be done well we will say so and suggest off-the-rack altered here instead.
How far ahead should I order for a wedding?
Eight to twelve weeks is comfortable, and more if there is a wedding party involved. That leaves margin for the build plus any adjustments and removes the last-minute scramble that makes weddings stressful.
What if it needs adjusting when it arrives?
Our tailor handles it in-house. Because the garment is cut to your measurements most need little or nothing, and when something does want changing it happens here rather than being shipped back.
One hour to order
Start the clock
Bring a date if you have one. We’ll tell you honestly whether it works.
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116