Tailors in BA

[Coco]

Hi all! I'm looking for a tailor recommendation, preferably one who speaks English. I need to get measured for a tux this week. Thanks!

 

[LJ2]

Let me know if you find one. I need to get some suits taken WAY in.

 

[maxdg89]

Likewise! Need some suits made up.

 

[sergio]

Why do you need a custom tailor? Some years ago I had a suit and two jackets made this way by a tailor in a fancy gallery in Belgrano. The results were mediocre. The suit was OK, one jacket decent but another was poorly done and I never wore it. Quite honestly, you should just go to JAMES SMART where you can get quality suits that will be better than what most tailors make. Last I looked they were selling for around $1,200 pesos. Probably more now but a made-to-measure suit will be a lot more with NO guarantee of quality.

 

[Coco]

Thanks for the advice, Sergio! I just need my measurements to reserve a tux for a wedding that's happening Stateside. James Smart sounds familiar. I'll have to check it out just for curiosity's sake.

As an aside, do you know why it is that Argentine textiles are generally of such poor quality? I can't get my head around it. The pampas are some of the most fertile lands in the world, so I can't fathom why there's such a general lack of quality in the materials used for Argentine clothing.

Do you have any insights?

 

[sergio]

Yes, I have insights as I know people in the clothing industry. Factory owners don't want to invest because the system is so unstable. You can't plan anything. One year you have an expensive peso; the next a cheap peso. One government is relatively friendly to the industry; the next is hostile. Laws change at the drop of a hat with no consultation, in a completely autocratic way. Who can afford to make a major investment in the infrastructure when you don't know what will be around the corner to possibly ruin you? Add to that a poor attitude when it comes to quality control and a make a quick buck mentality. Argentines are not good at details so products made here are usually slipshod. Custom tailors will brag that they have English wool; they may recommend good quality Brazilian wool but they will never brag about the fine Argentine wool. The answer to your question applies to just about everything; Argentina has vast resources but the people through their government can't get it together to properly exploit those resources. The country is a huge failure. If it were resource-poor one could understand but, as you have pointed out, this is not the case.

 

[Coco]

It's such a shame. I don't know much about the automotive industry here, but I understand they're doing quite well as Brazil has become a very successful export market for them. I'd imagine the fixed investments needed for auto manufacture far outstrip those required for textiles, so why is it that automakers have enough confidence to make those investments but lighter manufacturers do not? Any ideas?