The mistake most men make booking a Manchester suit is going to the wrong tier. £200 will get you a high street suit altered well. £700 will get you proper made-to-measure that fits like nothing off the peg. £2,500 will get you genuine bespoke from someone who patterns the cloth to you. The skill is matching budget to occasion. Here’s the proper guide.
Full Bespoke (£2,500-£6,000+)
Edwin DeBoise – 17 King Street West
Manchester’s only Savile Row trained bespoke tailor. Trained at Henry Poole, opened in Manchester in 2019. Full bespoke suits from £3,500, made over 4-6 months across multiple fittings. Cloth selection from Holland & Sherry, Scabal, Dormeuil. Coats from £4,500. The waiting list reflects the reputation.
Best for: Wedding suits, lifetime suits, statement pieces
Booking: Initial consultation by appointment, 6-8 week wait
Cad and the Dandy – Spinningfields
London bespoke house with a Manchester branch. Bespoke from £2,500, made-to-measure from £900. Strong on business suits, less interest in occasion or unusual cloths. Quick turnaround for bespoke (8-12 weeks vs Edwin’s longer wait).
Whitcomb and Shaftesbury – by appointment
London tailor visiting Manchester monthly for trunk shows. Full Savile Row bespoke at £4,000+. Worth knowing if you want London-tier work without the train trip.
Premium Made-to-Measure (£900-£2,500)
Marc Darcy – 16 King Street
Manchester-rooted tailoring brand. Made-to-measure from £695, ready-to-wear from £350. Strong wedding and groom market. Sharp Italian-influenced cuts, modern lapels, decent cloth selection.
King and Allen – 39 King Street
National made-to-measure chain with a strong Manchester showroom. From £750 for a full canvas suit. Specialises in business and wedding. Multiple fittings included, decent cloth selection from £750 to £2,000.
Suits You / Slater Menswear – Deansgate and Trafford
Mainstream made-to-measure. From £600 for a half-canvas suit. Functional rather than exciting. Useful for budget weddings or starter business suits.
Department Store Made-to-Measure
Selfridges Personal Tailoring – Exchange Square and Trafford
Made-to-measure from Boss, Canali, Tom Ford. Prices from £900 to £4,500 depending on brand. Selfridges’ in-house tailors handle the alterations. Strong for brand-conscious buyers.
Hugo Boss Tailored – Boss boutique, Cathedral Approach
Boss’s in-house made-to-measure. From £1,200. Lead time 4-6 weeks. The cut is recognisably Boss, which is either a draw or a deal-breaker depending on your taste.
House of Fraser Bespoke – Deansgate
Department store made-to-measure across multiple brands. From £600 for the entry tier, £1,800+ for the upper-tier brands they stock. Solid middle ground.
Alterations and Made-to-Measure on Existing Suits
Manchester Tailoring Co. – Northern Quarter
The Manchester alterations specialist. Full canvas re-line from £180, sleeve shortening from £35, full body resize from £250. They’ll work on Boss, Reiss, even vintage Savile Row pieces. Three-week turnaround standard.
The Tailored Suit – Salford
Independent tailor doing both alterations and made-to-measure. From £25 for sleeve shortening, £400 for made-to-measure shirts, £1,200 for full made-to-measure suits. The kind of place where you build a long-term relationship.
Selfridges Alterations – Exchange Square
If you bought it at Selfridges they’ll alter it for free. If you didn’t, they’ll alter it for a fee but the work is excellent. Use them for serious pieces.
Wedding Suits Specifically
The Groom Department – Northern Quarter
Wedding-suits-only specialist. Made-to-measure from £750, plus matching pieces for groomsmen and fathers. Strong on the modern wedding aesthetic (textured cloth, narrow lapel, soft shoulder).
Jack Bunneys – Hale
Cheshire’s wedding suit destination. Made-to-measure from £900. Caters heavily to traditional weddings – morning suits, three-piece, frock coats.
Marks and Spencer Wedding – Manchester Trafford
The honest budget option. £200-400 for a complete suit, all sizes in stock, in-store alterations. Not bespoke, doesn’t pretend to be, but the cloth is decent and the cut is fine for a one-day occasion.
Casual Tailoring (Soft Suits and Separates)
Universal Works (stocked at Stolen From Ivor)
Soft tailoring brand. Unstructured blazers, drawstring trousers, the modern alternative to a structured suit. £200-400 for a full outfit.
Folk (stocked at Stolen From Ivor and Underdog)
British soft tailoring brand. Wool overshirts, relaxed-cut trousers. Premium price (£200-500 per piece) but worth it for casual offices.
COS – 26 King Street
The most reliable mid-market source for soft tailoring. Trousers £85-115, blazers £150-220. Sizing runs slim and modern.
Ready-to-Wear Suits Worth Knowing
Reiss – 30 King Street
The mid-market workhorse. Full suits £400-650. Decent cloth, modern cut, regular sales. Useful for first business suits or wedding guests.
Hugo Boss – Cathedral Approach and Trafford
Premium ready-to-wear from £700. The Boss cut is structured and recognisably Italian-influenced. Works well for big builds.
Brunello Cucinelli – King Street
Italian luxury brand, Manchester boutique opened 2024. Soft-tailored suits from £2,800. The opposite end of the structured Boss aesthetic – relaxed, drape-heavy, considered.
Selfridges suit hall – Exchange Square and Trafford
Multiple brand selection across price points. Good for trying different cuts side by side.
Shirts
Hawes and Curtis – Trafford and St Anns Square
Standard business shirts. Buy 4 for £100 sales run regularly. Decent cotton, solid construction, predictable cuts.
Charles Tyrwhitt – King Street
Similar tier to Hawes and Curtis. Slim and classic fit options. Multi-buy sales constantly running.
Drake’s London (stocked at END)
Premium English shirt-making. £150-220 per shirt. Considered, well-cut, the upgrade from mainstream.
Shoes for Suits
Loake – 24 King Street
The default British dress shoe brand. Black Oxfords from £200, Chelsea boots from £250. Made in England. Will resole forever.
Crockett and Jones (stocked at House of Fraser Deansgate)
Premium English shoemaker. £400-600 per pair. The proper investment option.
Church’s (stocked at Selfridges)
Italian-owned now but still British made. £500+ per pair. The classic establishment shoe.
How to Buy a Suit in Manchester
Match the budget to the occasion
Wearing it once a year for weddings? £400-700 ready-to-wear, well altered. Wearing it weekly for work? £900-1,800 made-to-measure. Wearing it for your own wedding? £1,500-3,000 made-to-measure or full bespoke if you can stretch.
Allow lead time
Made-to-measure: 6-10 weeks. Bespoke: 4-6 months. Don’t book a wedding suit consultation 8 weeks before the wedding.
The fitting matters more than the cloth
Most Manchester tailors will give you 2-3 fittings on made-to-measure. Use all of them. Don’t skip the second fitting because you’re busy.
Cloth selection
Wool blends from Vitale Barberis Canonico are the standard mid-tier (£90-150 per metre). Holland & Sherry, Scabal, Dormeuil are the premium tier (£200-400 per metre). For a single suit, the cloth difference is rarely worth doubling the price. For a long-term wardrobe piece, it matters.
