Connoisseur's Guide
The Most Expensive Suits
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It's not as easy as you might think. For obvious reasons, most designers and tailors try to keep their prices relatively earthbound because they know the market for suits with sky-high prices is extremely small. But there is a small number of exceptionally well-heeled customers out there--Arab princes, Russian oligarchs, rock stars and corporate tycoons--who will pay a price, sometimes fantastic prices, to get the look they want.
What makes a suit cost upwards of $5,000 and sometimes considerably more? It's a combination of material, labor, skill and not a little egotism. (You have to think you're worth it, after all.) Is there really that much difference between a $2,000 suit and one costing two, three or four times more? To many men a suit is a form of psychological, as well as physical, armor. It not only makes you look good, it can also give you more confidence. "I can afford a $10,000 suit," it makes you think. "And those other chumps can't."
The other question, of course, is where to find such unparalleled threads. A recent meander down Manhattan's Madison Avenue, for instance, revealed that the majority of the fancy boutiques are selling suits that, although not cheap, are hardly in the same league. (For the most part, all the designers in question made their name in women's fashion. A good rule of thumb for men looking to buy a great suit: Don't buy from someone better known for kick pleats and evening gowns.) At Yves Saint Laurent, suits topped out at $2,195 for a blue pinstripe in "year-round wool," with no "made-to-measure" options available.
At Gucci, the last and most expensive of Tom Ford's cutting-edge statements was a grey stripe with Jacquard stitching for $2,600, with made-to-measure alternatives running only 10% higher, according to a sales woman. At Dolce & Gabbana, a top-of-the-line black pinstripe went for $2,195.