Made to Measure Suit Cost: Ireland & London Prices

Finding a suit that fits well without breaking the bank can feel like a small miracle. For anyone who’s ever stood in a changing room pulling at a jacket that pulls at the shoulders, the promise of made-to-measure is immediately appealing.

Starting price, two-piece made-to-measure suit: €699 (Ireland) · Average price, two-piece made-to-measure suit, London: £500–£1,500 · Average cost to tailor an off-the-rack suit: £50–£150 · Minimum turnaround time for alterations: 2 days (limited scope) · Savile Row bespoke suit starting price: £4,000

The price gap between a rushed alteration and a full custom suit is wider than most shoppers expect.

What does ‘made to measure suit’ mean?

Definition of made-to-measure

• A made-to-measure suit starts from a standard base pattern that is then adjusted to the customer’s individual measurements (Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog).
• Unlike off-the-rack suits, the pattern is not fixed — the tailor modifies key dimensions such as chest, waist, sleeve length, and shoulder slope.
• The term “made-to-measure” is not legally regulated, so quality and degree of customisation vary between tailors.

Made-to-measure vs. off-the-rack

• Off-the-rack suits are produced in standard sizes (e.g., 40R, 42L) with no adjustment for an individual body.
• Made-to-measure eliminates most fitting issues, though it still relies on a pre-existing block — it is not carved from scratch like bespoke (Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog).
• A well-fitted off-the-rack suit plus alterations can cost €350–€850 in Ireland, while made-to-measure starts around €699 (Manly Stuff — Irish tailoring guide).

How much does a made-to-measure suit cost?

Made-to-measure suit price range

• In Ireland, entry-level made-to-measure suits start at €699 at Swan Outlet Sales — Irish tailor outlet and €750 at Abrahams Tailoring — Irish clothier.
• Hunter Treacy Tailors lists two-piece suits from €849, with an average spend of €900–€1,500 (Hunter Treacy Tailors — Dublin tailor).
• At the digital-MTM end, Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog reports prices from about €590, while premium MTM can reach €1,800.
• In London, the typical range is £500–£1,500 for a two-piece, according to the same source.

Factors affecting cost

• Fabric: A €1,200 MTM suit breaks down into roughly €400–€550 for cloth and trimmings, €450–€600 labour, and €150–€250 overhead (Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring price breakdown). Higher-grade wool or Super 150s fabric can double the cloth cost.
• Construction: Full-canvas construction (hand-stitched floating chest piece) adds €200–€400 compared to fused (glued) construction.
• Number of fittings: Most MTM services include one or two fittings. Extra fittings may increase labour cost.
• Location: Dublin city-centre tailors like Louis Copeland start at €995, while online-first services may be cheaper.

Six price points, one pattern: the biggest variable is not the tailor but the fabric and construction method. A €699 suit and a €1,800 suit share the same base process — the difference is in the cloth and how it’s assembled.

What is the difference between a bespoke suit and a made-to-measure suit?

Construction process

• Bespoke: A unique paper pattern is drafted from scratch for each client. The garment is hand-cut, hand-sewn, and requires 20–40 hours of skilled labour (Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog).
• Made-to-measure: An existing block pattern is adjusted using the client’s measurements. Cutting and sewing may be partly machine-assisted.

Number of fittings

• Bespoke usually requires three or four fittings over 8–16 weeks (Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog).
• Made-to-measure typically involves one or two fittings and a turnaround of 2–6 weeks.

Price and lead time

• Bespoke: Starting at £4,000 on Savile Row, with Irish bespoke three-piece suits landing in the €2,500–€5,000 range for mid-bracket cloth (Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog).
• Made-to-measure: From €590 in Ireland, up to €1,800. Lead time 2–6 weeks.

The implication: Bespoke is a craft product — you pay for 40 hours of handwork and three-plus in-person sittings. Made-to-measure is a precision service: you get custom measurements applied to an existing template. The price gap (€590 vs. €2,500+) reflects that difference in labour.

Is it cheaper to tailor a suit or buy a new one?

Cost of alterations vs. new made-to-measure

• Simple alterations (hem trousers, shorten sleeves, take in waist) cost £50–£150 in the UK/Ireland (Manly Stuff — Irish tailoring guide).
• In Ireland, JulesDaisy lists complete formal-suit adjustments at €95, with sleeve-length button work at €35 (JulesDaisy — Dublin alterations service).
• Major alterations (recutting shoulders, changing chest width, adjusting sleeve pitch) can push the cost above 50% of a new off-the-rack suit.

When alterations make sense

• If the off-the-rack suit fits in the shoulders and chest but needs hemming and sleeve shortening, a €100–€150 alteration is the cheapest route to a good fit.
• If the suit requires extensive adjustments — the waist needs taking in significantly, the back needs restitching, or the shoulders don’t sit flat — the total labour may exceed €300, at which point a made-to-measure starting at €699 becomes more economical.
• Made-to-measure eliminates the need for any structural changes; you simply choose fabric and details.

The catch: Alterations work best on a suit that already fits in the most critical zones — shoulders and chest. If those are off, you’re better off going made-to-measure from the start.

Can a suit be tailored in 2 days?

Expedited alterations

• Basic alterations — hemming trousers, shortening jacket sleeves, taking in the waist of trousers — can be completed in 2 days by most professional tailors (Manly Stuff — Irish tailoring guide).
• These are strictly limited to simple fixes that do not require recutting major seams or reworking the jacket canvas.
• Some dry cleaners and alteration shops offer same-day service for hemming at a premium, typically €25–€50 extra.

Rush made-to-measure services

• Full made-to-measure suits cannot be turned around in 2 days because the pattern adjustment, cutting, and sewing require multiple steps and drying time for canvas interlinings.
• Standard lead time for made-to-measure in Ireland is 2–6 weeks. Rush services (7–10 days) may be available at a premium of 20–50%, but none of the Dublin tailors reviewed currently advertise a 2-day MTM service.
• If you need a suit within 48 hours, buy off-the-rack and have it altered urgently.

Why this matters: A 2-day turnaround exists only for minor alterations. Anyone needing a made-to-measure suit for a specific event should plan at least three weeks ahead.

Made-to-measure vs. bespoke vs. off-the-rack + alterations

The comparison table below shows where each option wins on fit, time, and cost.

The pattern: the more hand labour and pattern originality, the higher the price and the longer the wait.

Specifications that affect your made-to-measure suit cost

Nine variables determine whether your suit costs €699 or €1,800. Fabric and construction account for most of the swing.

The implication: fabric and construction account for roughly 80% of the cost swing between a budget MTM suit (€699) and a premium one (€1,800).

Pros and cons of made-to-measure suits

How to order a made-to-measure suit: a step-by-step guide

1. Choose your tailor: Research Irish tailors with transparent pricing — Hunter Treacy Tailors — Dublin tailor, Abrahams Tailoring — Irish clothier, or a digital service like Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog recommended MTM providers.
2. Visit for measurement: The tailor takes 10–15 measurements (chest, waist, hips, inseam, sleeve length, shoulder width, back length, neck, and sometimes wrist and thigh).
3. Select fabric and details: Choose your cloth weight, weave, colour, lining, button style, lapel width, pocket style, and number of buttons.
4. Pay deposit: Most tailors require a 50% deposit upfront. Prices are typically fixed at the selection stage unless you add extras later.
5. First fitting (after 2–4 weeks): Try on the basted (temporarily sewn) suit. The tailor marks adjustments for waist, sleeve length, trouser break, and seat fit.
6. Second fitting (if needed): Many MTM services include a second fitting to finalise details. Some high-end MTM includes a third.
7. Pick up your finished suit: Pay the balance and take your suit home. Minor tweaks (hem, cuff) may still be done at no extra cost within a week.

What’s clear and what’s still uncertain

What tailors and shoppers are saying

We make our made-to-measure suits fully to the customer’s measurements and specifications in either half canvas or full canvas construction. Our two-piece suits start from €849.

Hunter Treacy Tailors — Dublin tailor

Made-to-measure uses an existing block pattern adjusted to measurements, while bespoke is hand-cut from a unique pattern requiring multiple fittings.

Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring blog

Off-the-rack suits in Ireland range €250–€700. Add €50–€150 for basic alterations, and you’re at €350–€850. Made-to-measure starts at €699 and goes to €2,500+. For many body types, the margin of fit improvement justifies the step up.

Manly Stuff — Irish tailoring guide

A €1,200 made-to-measure suit typically includes €400–€550 for cloth and trimmings, €450–€600 for labour, and €150–€250 for overhead. That means the fabric alone is often more expensive than an entire off-the-rack suit.

Tailored.ie — Irish tailoring price breakdown

Summary: what should you do?

For an Irish shopper with a typical body shape and a budget under €800, an off-the-rack suit from a department store plus a €100 trip to a local alterations tailor remains the most cost-effective option. But for anyone who has struggled with jackets pulling across the back, trouser seats that sag, or sleeves that never sit right, the made-to-measure route — starting at €699 and averaging around €1,000 — eliminates the gamble. The Irish shopper should choose made-to-measure when fit uncertainty is costing them more than the premium.

Related reading: Bespoke vs Made-to-Measure · Tailoring Price Breakdown Ireland

Frequently asked questions