How much does a bespoke suit cost in Cannes?

It is the first question I am asked, often before a single fabric has been touched. The answer is simple: at Moret & Co, a bespoke two-piece suit starts at €700. That is the price of a classic ready-to-wear suit, and less than most designer suits. What surprises those who are new to it is discovering what that price includes, and why, for the same money or less, you are not buying the same thing at all. Here is what I explain in the boutique, without jargon.

Three things make the price of a suit: the cloth, the time spent, and the fittings.

The cloth first. At €700, your suit is already cut in a fine woollen cloth, in merino wool : a fine wool, far more breathable than polyester or a synthetic blend. These are not necessarily branded cloths, but clients see it in the hand, then in the wear: the drape is excellent. A little higher in price, we have wool, linen and silk blends very close to what the best-known mills offer. And for those who want them, cloths from Loro Piana, Scabal or Vitale Barberis Canonico.

The aim is simple: a client on a tighter budget should get the same high standard of making, the same advice and the same time as anyone else. We do not cut corners according to budget.

Then the construction. Our standard is half-canvassed. The canvas is the layer of cloth sewn inside the jacket that gives it its shape and drape; a future article will be devoted to it. The essential point: a half-canvassed suit lasts far longer than a fused suit, in which the layers are glued with heat, as found in much ready-to-wear, and not only the cheap kind.

Finally, time, the one that appears on no label: the 1h30 discovery appointment, the study of your build, the posture photographs and the measurements, the creation of your pattern, then two, three or sometimes four fittings until the drape is right. We do not meet once; we meet several times. Some clients come back two or three times before settling on a cloth; many write to me on WhatsApp between appointments with a question or a doubt. That is normal, and it is planned for: you should understand and feel reassured before you have even ordered. We follow a client from start to finish; we do not simply “make him a suit”.

The price of a suit depends on two things: the cloth and the level of construction.

• Half-canvassed, from €700 : our standard. Supple, durable, the right value for a suit worn regularly.
• Full canvas: €150 more than the price of the suit. The canvas runs the full length of the jacket, for more structure and a drape that improves with time.
• Hand finishing : Neapolitan shoulder, hand-sewn Milanese buttonholes, horn buttons, a lining designed for you. Up to the fully hand-made suit, for those who want the very best.

One thing does not change with the price: the freedom of choice. Even at €700, you decide the height of the vents and pockets, the type of pocket and flap, single or double topstitching; for the trousers, single, double or forward pleats, Gurkha waist, several types of side adjusters. There are far too many details to list here: that is what the 1h30 discovery appointment is for, and our regular clients know how far it can go.

The cloth does the rest: a classic merino wool does not cost the same as a Loro Piana or a Scabal. We set the price together, in the boutique, in front of the bunches, before any order. No surprises on delivery. The details are on our bespoke suits.

A ready-to-wear suit, as its name says, is ready before you exist for it. It was neither designed nor chosen for you: it matches an average size, and the alteration tailor then does what he can.

A bespoke suit starts from you. We look at your posture, the slope of your shoulders, the way you hold yourself, and we create a pattern that belongs to you alone. The sleeve head is set for your shoulder, not a standard one. The study of your build, the photographs taken before cutting, the sleeve setting: none of that exists on a rail, whatever the logo on the label.

What my clients often discover is that at €700 they are paying the price of a classic ready-to-wear suit, and less than most designer suits, for a clearly superior garment. That is what surprises those who are new to it: they expected to pay much more. They are surprised by the value, by the advice, and by the freedom to personalise.

They exist, and they are multiplying: brands take your measurements and advertise very aggressive prices. Good: those whose budgets are shrinking need answers too. But you should know that these are not the same products at all. The question to ask is always the same: how is it made? A fused made-to-measure suit can be offered at a very low price. The hand of the cloth, how the jacket holds up after a few dry-cleanings, and above all the follow-up (who receives you, who measures you, who does the fittings, who alters it in two years’ time) have nothing in common. Bespoke is not a label: it is a cloth, a construction and a person who follows you.

A very long time, on two conditions. The first: care. A full dry-clean at least once a year; the rest of the time, a brush, a good hanger and rest between wears.

The second: your weight. It is the only real limit. If your figure changes, we can let out slightly or take in a garment we have made. It is an alteration we do often, in our Cannes workshop. We follow our clients from start to finish, not only until delivery.

• A bespoke two-piece suit starts at €700 : breathable merino wool, half-canvassed construction, a unique pattern, two to four fittings.
• €700 is the price of a classic ready-to-wear suit, and less than most designer suits.
• What makes the price: the cloth, the time spent, the successive fittings. Not the label.
• Full canvas: +€150. Hand finishing and fully handmade suits: on quotation, in the boutique.
• Allow 4 to 6 weeks. A 50% deposit on ordering, the balance on delivery. An express option exists for clients short of time.
• Well cared for, a half-canvassed suit lasts for years. We alter it if you change.

The best way to understand the difference is still to touch it. The discovery appointment lasts 1h30, with no commitment, and the boutique is reserved for you alone.

Geoffrey Moret, image consultant, Moret & Co, Cannes