Chicago tailor recs
Hi,
I’m looking for a tailor in Chicago to do some work on a Sportcoat I recently posted about. Hanshaw Tailors looks to be my best bet (most positive reviews). I was curious if anyone has any experience with them or other tailors they might recommend. Thanks!
11 Replies
I was wondering the same thing today. Here are some reddit threads with recommendations: https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/cqqibo/has_anyone_found_a_tailor_they_really_like_in_the/
Reddit
From the malefashionadvice community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the malefashionadvice community
My wife has had custom shirts made by Richard Bennett that are excellent and knowledgable. We have not tried them for alterations, however.
I always check styleforum first.
what do you search for? Just checked, and it wasn't obvious.
I google like "styleforum chicago tailor"
Top result: https://www.styleforum.net/threads/tailors-and-higher-end-cleaners-in-chicago-in-2022.698620/
Styleforum
Tailors and higher-end cleaners in Chicago in 2022?
There have been a lot of closures over the past two years. Notably, Golden Needle in the Gold Coast closed, and that was THE place to get things tailored in Chicago. So I was wondering - are there any tailors folks here would recommend as a replacement?
And while we're on the topic of stuff in...
About 1.5 years ago, which is hopefully recent enough to be useful
oh lol. of course google search is better than the search on their website.
oh lord why would I use their own search?
but at least it functions unlike reddit I am sure.
the search on my personal website also works pretty well. reddit was architechted by people who felt really smart about learning a way to do something, and did not yet learn it was a huge anti-pattern that would lead to insanity.
anyways.
The problem with searching for tailors IMO is that, well, you know how it is with reviews. For a review to be useful you need to trust the reviewer's opinion, right?
Like if I tell you that I hated XXYYZ Burgers but then you find out that I recreationally eat dog shit, you would never want to hear my opinion on restaurants.
Similarly, people will post a glowing review for a tailor, and say they hemmed their pants fast and cheap. Which, okay, without photos, no way to know for sure if the work was good but let's assume it was -- that doesn't help at all if you need a tailor to, let's say, work more fullness into the back of a jacket.
Or on the flip side, if someone dings a tailor because they promised a 2-day turnaround and was only able to do 3-day, unless I am in a hurry I don't care, it's not material to me.
Styleforum is probably the most likely place where people who write tailor recommendations can explain exactly what work they have done. Likely, they can explain what the tailor told them their limitations were. Possibly, they've even had the tailor do something considered complex and/or risky. That's real useful info. If you tell me a guy can take in sleeves at the shoulder and re-set the pitch and have great results, that's real useful info for me, versus "they hem cheap and fast."
Other alternatives might be askandyaboutclothes, and of course reddit, but with reddit you gotta be sure you know the sub being posted in, and ideally what work the tailor has done.
Yelp IMO is probably the worst, though not entirely useless. Just largely.
Solid advice. Wish there was a similar forum for finding doctors now lol