A good suit is enough to make anyone feel confident and sophisticated, and Tom James promises exactly that.
Tom James can create for their clients custom suits that are perfectly tailored to the individual customer’s body.
Those who buy Tom James suits speak endlessly about the quality and tend to get the majority of their suits from them.
Their employees will come out to meet with you, and they are some of the most well-dressed employees in the business.
How Much Does A Tom James Suit Cost?
A single Tom James suit can easily cost you $1,000 to $2,000 for a simpler style.
You can find some Tom James suits for about $700 if you go into one of their storefronts and are able to find something that fits you off the rack.
Tom James suits are incredibly expensive, but their high quality and comfort make them well worth the price.
The company’s target demographic is the office-working professional who has the extra money to spend on a suit.
Before buying one of their suits, you will need to consult with one of their personal clothiers.
Clothiers are more than tailors.
They’re also stylists who take your likes and dislikes into consideration.
Most of the time when you consult with a clothier, they will meet with you at your own home or office.
During the consultation, you’ll discuss likes and dislikes about the current clothing you own and discuss the kinds of activities that you’ll need to do in your suit, such as job responsibilities.
Their goal is to make the suit you buy from them your favorite suit to wear.
After you and your clothier have discovered your taste in suits, you will then begin to choose the different types of fabrics that will be used for your suit.
You can choose from wool, cashmere, cotton, linen, silk, bamboo, or seersucker.
You’ll be able to choose the type of buttons you’ll be using, where you’ll have pockets, stitching types, and the lining of your suit.
The clothiers use 31 different measurements in order to tailor the suit to your exact size and dimensions.
After they’ve finished making your suit, your clothier will bring you the finished suit.
You’ll have a final fitting to ensure that everything looks and feels up to the Tom James standard.
Are Tom James Suits Worth The Cost?
Yes, Tom James suits are worth the high costs because the quality is much higher than other suits.
These suits will last you longer and are timeless.
They won’t need to be replaced as soon as the current fashion trend ends.
According to Tom James, many of their clients are only wearing about 40% of the clothes in their wardrobe.
The clothes that go unworn the most often are the ones that clients have bought after seeing them on sale in another store or clothes that family members gave them that don’t quite fit their style.
These clothes are just money that has been wasted and are taking up space in your closet.
You could be clearing up that closet space by selling those clothes and taking the money from those clothes to put towards something that you’ll actually wear.
When clothes tend to be more expensive, how often the clothes are worn helps to determine the worth of your clothing.
Every time you wear a piece of clothing, you are lowering the individual cost to wear that suit.
For example, if you buy a $1,000 suit and you wear it 200 times, you’re spending $5 on that suit per use.
Buying a $300 suit and wearing it 10 times will cost you $30 per use.
The $1,000 Tom James suit is also more likely to last you longer than a random $300 suit you find at lesser retailers.
Most customers find that their Tom James suits last them years before they need to be replaced.
If you’re wearing the same few suits for years at a time, you’ll be getting more than just 200 uses out of them each.
You need fewer suits when the ones you have are higher quality and more comfortable.
Where To Buy Tom James Suits
In order to buy a new Tom James suit, you will need to make an appointment with one of their clothiers.
You can schedule your appointment at one of their Tom James Company storefronts, at your office, or even at your home.
When you get a new Tom James suit, expect to be paying anywhere from $700 to $2,000.
Not everyone has the budget for this type of suit, but some jobs have high standards for their dress code, and you may need a nicer suit.
Many people sell their custom Tom James suits after they no longer fit or no longer suit their style.
Nobody will be able to tell it’s a secondhand suit unless it doesn’t fit properly or it has noticeable damage.
One of the best places to find secondhand Tom James suits is Poshmark.
Poshmark is a secondhand clothing e-commerce site, similar to eBay or Depop.
Poshmark tends to have more high end clothing than Depop and clearer product photos than eBay.
When buying secondhand clothes online, there are a few tips that you can follow to help you avoid getting clothes that will not suit your needs or be up to your standard.
One of the most important things you’ll need to do before thrifting clothes online is to determine your measurements.
You should at least know your bust, chest, hip, and leg lengths before you go clothes shopping online.
Knowing your thigh width and leg length will prevent you from getting pants that are too small.
You’ll want to have a tape measure on hand or find a printable tape measure.
When you look for a secondhand Tom James suit that fits you properly, it will probably take a few days of searching.
Don’t be afraid to try marketplaces other than Poshmark.
What Is A Bespoke Suit?
A bespoke suit is one that is made to your exact dimensions.
While a bespoke suit and a custom suit may sound like the same thing, they’re actually two noticeably different processes.
You may not be able to see the difference, but you can feel the difference.
A custom suit is one that is pre-made and then altered by the tailor to fit the customer.
Bespoke suits are made with the customer’s measurements in mind while it is being sewn together.
A bespoke suit may need slight alterations after it is made, but often, it will fit perfectly the first time.
When you order a bespoke suit, you may have basted fittings, which is where you will try on the garment while it is loosely sewn together with a large, noticeable string called basting thread.
Precision is one of the most important aspects of a bespoke suit.
Many consumers who purchase bespoke suits claim that they are the best fitting garments that they have in their closets.
A custom suit may be more affordable than a bespoke suit, but no one can deny the superior fit that bespoke suits have.
During the fitting and measuring process, your clothier may recommend different fits and styles.
Tom James employees are skilled tailors and stylists who are able to help you look your best if you let them.
Stylists can see what you look like from an outsider’s perspective, and their goal is to help you look the best that you can.
Be open to their suggestions, and they’ll have you looking better than you could have ever imagined.
Don’t be afraid to tell your clothier what you like and dislike.
This will help them give you a product that you’re happy with, and it will help them decide what to recommend to you.
How Many Pieces Are In A Suit?
Suits come in two through five pieces, which all come together to create a cohesive outfit.
Most businesspeople will stick to wearing a two-piece suit for work, a four-piece suit for formal occasions, and a five-piece suit for special occasions.
A two-piece suit is the most basic suit that you can find and includes a matching jacket and trousers.
A jacket, trousers, and waistcoat or vest make up a three-piece suit.
The additional layer of the waistcoat makes the suit much warmer than a two-piece suit.
Four-piece suits are made up of a suit jacket, trousers, waistcoat, and a bowtie.
The fanciest and most expensive suit type is the five-piece suit, which has a matching jacket, trousers, waistcoat, tie or bowtie, and dress shirt.
The more pieces that you add to a suit, the more expensive that suit is going to be.
Most people go with a two- or three-piece suit unless it is a special occasion like a wedding.
Each type of suit contains a jacket and trousers.
There are many different parts that make up these garments that must be considered if you are getting a bespoke suit, like one from Tom James.
A suit jacket consists of a collar, sleeves, buttons, pockets, the back lining pleat, and the jacket front.
The back of the suit jacket is made up of the sleeves, jacket back, shoulders, and armscye.
The armscye is the shape of the armhole.
There are two different types of trousers that you will find in suits: pleated and non-pleated.
Traditional suits will have pleated trousers in order to create more space for your legs while sitting.
In recent years, many young professionals have been opting for non-pleated trousers.
Non-pleated trousers give your legs a sleeker, cleaner look, but come at the price of not being as comfortable while sitting.
History Of Tom James
Tom James has been making suits since 1966.
It all started when founder Spencer Hays dreamed of having a more convenient way of buying high-quality suits.
Hays had always been a fan of fine clothing, but he wanted a way to acquire them that fit better into his busy life.
Hays’s love of fine clothes started in middle school, where he’d wear suits and ties as often as he could.
Being raised by his grandmother, he was taught more old-fashioned values than many of his classmates.
His business career began with Southwestern Company, where he sold Bibles.
Hays was dedicated to his work as a salesman, which eventually earned him the title of President of the company.
Later, he took on the role of chairman to focus on his own goals.
Spencer Hays was able to use his history with Southwestern to convince English American Tailoring to make custom suits for him.
That’s when he founded the Tom James Company.
After opening up storefronts in major cities around the United States, Tom James would eventually purchase English American Tailoring and Individualized Shirts.
The company would also go on to purchase cloth manufacturers for their products as well.
Tom James later acquired one of the most famous formal clothing companies, Oxxford Clothes Incorporated.
The company would also go on to purchase Holly & Sherry, which had been supplying formalwear companies with high-quality products since 1836.
With all of his fortune, Hays had managed to acquire some famous art pieces that had been stolen.
Upon finding out that they had been stolen, he started the American Friends of the Musée d’Orsay organization with the goal to return historical French art pieces to the museum that they were stolen from.
In 2017, Hays returned his collection of French Post-Impressionist art to the museums after his death.
Working For Tom James
Many go-getters have found major success while working for Tom James.
Sales associates are able to set their own schedule and find whatever level of success that they’re looking to achieve.
The top-ranked sales associate for Tom James made $582,087 in commissions alone in 2020 and made an additional $212,832 in leadership and bonus pay.
Tom James likes to create a competitive but friendly work environment for their employees.
They’re looking for team members who press themselves and others while also being uplifting and family-like.
Working for Tom James is an excellent choice for those who have a passion for fashion and may not know what else they want to do with their lives.
The flexible schedule makes it excellent for those who may have children, school, or other responsibilities.
Becoming a sales associate for Tom James is a great way for students to learn what the entrepreneurial spirit is like when applied in the real world.
The more dedication you put into your career with Tom James, the more you will get out of it.
By setting five to seven selling appointments, giving excellent customer service, providing 15 daily quality prosthetics, asking for referrals with every appointment, setting goals, and working on two to three skills with one of their leaders or performance coaches, Tom James believes you’ll be able to achieve high ranks within their company.
You train with leaders and performance coaches for the first two months of your employment in order to ensure that you are up to the Tom James service standards.
Training never stops for Tom James employees, who will continue with merit-based training every quarter.
By recruiting new sales associates, training with coaches, and joining leadership, you can earn additional pay.
There is plenty of room for career advancement and personal development.
