Custom suits in New York.
Three doors into one house on 61st Street.

“Custom suit” covers three different things, and most places selling one will not tell you which they mean. We will. L&S Custom Tailors has made custom clothing at 138 East 61st Street, Suite 201, since 1974 — Salvatore Cristiano opened it; Carl Cristiano runs it today. Nine master tailors. Custom only.

The three doors are made-to-order, made-to-measure, and bespoke. They differ in where the pattern comes from, how the suit is built, and what it costs. Here is the honest version.

The three doors

Made-to-order — from $1,295. A commission from our curated house styles, sized to your measurements. Quality construction, 3–4 weeks. It is the introduction to custom, and it is honest about what it is not: made-to-order is not full canvas. That construction is reserved for the two tiers above it.

Made-to-measure — from $2,695. The L&S master pattern, refined over five decades, adjusted to your body. Full floating canvas, hand-finished details, one fitting, 4–6 weeks. This is the standard of the house.

Full bespoke — from $3,695. A pattern drafted from a live drape on your body, 3–4 fittings on a first suit, every seam finished by hand. 8–12 weeks the first time. The pattern is stored, so every commission after starts where the last one finished.

What every door shares

Whichever tier you choose, the commission runs through the same workshop at 61st Street, under the same nine master tailors, to the same standard of finish. Cloth comes from the mills the house trusts — Loro Piana, Dormeuil, Holland & Sherry, Scabal, Vitale Barberis Canonico — chosen from bolts at the atelier, not swatches on a screen. And every commission begins the same way: an hour's consultation, your measurements taken, straight answers about what each tier will and will not give you.

Which door is yours

Most first-time clients on the Upper East Side should hear this plainly: made-to-measure is usually the right door. Full canvas construction — the thing that separates a suit that ages well from one that does not — at a price that leaves room for good cloth. One fitting. Done in six weeks.

Made-to-order is right when you are commissioning a first custom suit and want the house cut at the entry price. Bespoke is right when the pattern should be yours — a build the master pattern cannot reach, or simply the standard you intend to keep. If it is your first suit of any kind, start with the first suit guide.

You do not need to decide before you come in. The consultation is an hour at the atelier; we measure, talk through how you live and what you need, and tell you which tier fits — including the cheaper one when the cheaper one is right. More on the house itself at custom tailor NYC.

The atelier

138 East 61st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10065 — the Upper East Side, between Park and Lexington. Tuesday–Friday 8:30–5:30. Saturday 8:30–4:00. By appointment.

Book at book.lstailors.com. Call (212) 752-1638. Concierge (212) 308-4431.