# Maxwell Tailors Review



## omairp (Aug 21, 2006)

About two months ago, I went to visit Maxwell Clothiers, the travelling Hong Kong tailors who happened to be one of the few with Edmonton on their itinerary. I wanted to give them a shot to see if they would be a cheaper alternative to my tailor here in Edmonton for basic items. I made a post about it, and a few people PM'd me asking for a review of the clothes once I received them because they were also thinking of using this service. This morning I woke up to find a snow covered box on my doorstep with Maxwell Clothiers printed across the top. So here's my review:

*Fabric:* The selection of fabrics of available through Maxwell clothiers is quite extensive in terms of swatches available, but quite limited in terms of anything appealing. For my experiment, I decided to go with a basic black with grey pinstripe fabric which was Super 130's, but struck me as an average quality fabric in terms of appearance, softness, etc. Normally suits start at $495 CAN, but the one I selected was $595 CAN. I cannot recall the name of the mill, because I had never heard of it before, although it did have a picture of an Italian flag on the swatch book.

I looked through their shirts, and was surprised that there wasn't a single appealing fabric in about 20 books of swatches, so I didn't bother to experiment with the shirts. All of their shirt fabrics struck me as very coarse and unrefined. A far cry from the Testa, Prince Rose, and Thomas Mason fabrics I'm used to. Perhaps some people may find that appealing for casual shirts, but not me.

*The fitting:* I went to their little suite at a local hotel where it was crammed with people looking through swatch books and waiting in line to get fitted. I decided to remove a little bit of the guesswork by bringing my favourite fitting jacket and pants, a Hugo Boss Eagle jacket and Hugo Boss Parker-X pants. (A week before I had a bespoke suit made based around those patterns with excellent results.) I asked the tailor of they jackets were canvassed, the tailor seemed to struggle a little bit with the language, but responded "Yes, canvas." I asked the tailor to use my measurements, but recreate the fit of those items as much as possible, which is quite trim. He happily measured me and my garments and made adjustments for where he thought my garments needed to be tweaked. He even measured the proportions of the lapels to make sure they were spot on.

*The results*:

I tried the jacket on with some anticipation. As soon as I reached down to button up the jacket, I could feel something was off. I looked in the mirror and the placement of the top button was surprisingly low for a 2-button suit. I'm used to the top button being about mid-way between the navel and the sternum, but this was what felt like a few inches lower. It looked equally odd. As well, the lapels looked very bizarre and saggy.

I immediately ran upstairs and whipped out a few of my other suits, (Boss, Z Zegna, bespoke) and slipped them on to make sure it wasn't just my imagination. After taking out a tape measure, the button placement was approx. 1.5" lower than any of my other suits (all 2-buttons) and the lapels were about 3" lower than my usual lapel placement (although I do favour the very contemporary cut with very notch positioning.)

I slipped the jacket on again and looked in the mirror, I looked in the mirror and the cut of the jacket was non-existent. It seemed they just cut a vertical line from the chest to the waist. it reminded me of my first Nautica suit from several years ago, but worse. If it was just the cut, I could probably have my tailor take it in and give it some shape (at my expense.) But the sagging button placement and lapels made it a lost cause.

The lapels of the jacket are the most lifeless of any garment I've ever tried on. They are even flatter than my Hugo Boss lapels, which surprised me. It certainly doesn't strike me as a canvassed garment.

I seriously suspect they developed this model sometime in the mid-80's and have not updated it since.

As for the pants, they turned out to be a reasonable reproduction of my Hugo Boss pants, although somehow baggier (even though they took the exact measurements of my pants.) For some reason they decided that one back pocket would have a button and one wouldn't. I can't tell if that's oversight or an attempt at innovative design. I wish they would have told me, so I could have specified that both pockets should be the same.

Overall, the jacket looks so bizzarely proportioned, it is unwearable for me The pants are acceptable, and I will probably keep them as odd trousers.

In the end if cost me about $830 after paying for pick-stitched lapels, the fabric upgrade, lining to the knees in the pants (yes, apparently that does cost extra), shipping, and the $90 COD for customs (no, they don't declare it a gift.)

Basically the jacket was a total write-off, so I got an $800 pair of pants... and it's no Salvatore Ambrosi. If anyone is thinking of going this route, I suggest finding a local tailor or going to an MTM event for Coppeley or Samuelsohn and Harry Rosen and paying a little extra. Even buying an OTR Hugo Boss at full retail seems to be a much better value.


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## blizzack1 (Jun 4, 2005)

I've used Maxwells before here in Ottawa, and would not recommend them that highly.

If you want some disposable shirts, and are not hard to fit - then they are OK. The quality of the fabrics, of is all over the map, from good, to being so rough you don't want to wear them after a few washing.

My last couple of orders (2006 and early 2007) a number of buttons have been loose, and the delay between ordering and receiving the items seems to have gone from about 8 weeks to well over 12 in some cases.

What used to be a positive (I have heard this is no longer the case) is that you were able to have the clothes tailored locally if something was wrong - free of charge. This is actually how I met my current tailor. believe they may have you send them to Vancouver now for adjustments.

I'm sorry to hear about your negative experience.



omairp said:


> About two months ago, I went to visit Maxwell Clothiers, the travelling Hong Kong tailors who happened to be one of the few with Edmonton on their itinerary. I wanted to give them a shot to see if they would be a cheaper alternative to my tailor here in Edmonton for basic items. I made a post about it, and a few people PM'd me asking for a review of the clothes once I received them because they were also thinking of using this service. This morning I woke up to find a snow covered box on my doorstep with Maxwell Clothiers printed across the top. So here's my review:
> 
> *Fabric:* The selection of fabrics of available through Maxwell clothiers is quite extensive in terms of swatches available, but quite limited in terms of anything appealing. For my experiment, I decided to go with a basic black with grey pinstripe fabric which was Super 130's, but struck me as an average quality fabric in terms of appearance, softness, etc. Normally suits start at $495 CAN, but the one I selected was $595 CAN. I cannot recall the name of the mill, because I had never heard of it before, although it did have a picture of an Italian flag on the swatch book.
> 
> ...


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## Puffdaddy (Dec 21, 2006)

I have placed two orders of suits and none recently. They are fine. Perfectly good to wear under a sweater, LOL . . .


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## omairp (Aug 21, 2006)

blizzack1 said:


> What used to be a positive (I have heard this is no longer the case) is that you were able to have the clothes tailored locally if something was wrong - free of charge. This is actually how I met my current tailor. believe they may have you send them to Vancouver now for adjustments.


Short of removing the front half of my jacket and replacing it, I'm not sure what adjustments could salvage it. 

Oh well, live and learn.


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## blizzack1 (Jun 4, 2005)

omairp said:


> Short of removing the front half of my jacket and replacing it, I'm not sure what adjustments could salvage it.
> 
> Oh well, live and learn.


I spoke with my tailor a while back and he said that it is common for them to remake the entire suit if it gets messed up. You'll have to probably go back and forth with them a couple times. They may well tell you to send it to their tailor in Vancouver if that is what they do now - but hopefully they will tell you to take it to a local tailor to have him 'take a look at it' to see if it can be fixed / verify something is wrong. This is what they have done to me with my messed up shirt order.

If you have any more questions you can PM me, I will be seeing my tailor this weekend and can ask for some advice for you on how to work a 'return', etc.

Cheers,

Josh


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## Sylvestre (Dec 29, 2007)

Also dipped my toe in the water and ordered 3 shirts while they were here in Toronto. This was based on others who raved about the quality of the shirts for the price. Sadly, I was not impressed. 

I chose a white herringbone and a blue herringbone in egyptian cotoon and a black w/ thin, vertical stripes (not pin-stripe) in oxford cotton.
When I received the shirts, I was not terribly impressed with the material, but it was the fit that really surprised me. 

I would think that, with measurements, the shirts would still fit better than an OTR however that was not the case. There was at least 5-6" of excess material along the waist, at the back of the shirt. Strangely, the front fit quite well however the back means that it billows out an incredible amount.

The white and blue shirts were done w/ french cuffs however the holes clearly do not line up well, to the point that the cuff is skewed quite badly when worn.

Personally, despite the ~$50 I paid, I won't use them again.


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## bacid (Nov 9, 2007)

Reading these reviews is very depressing.

I was hoping Maxwell's would be as good as they say.

Blizzak: I'm in Ottawa, where would you suggest I get a MTM at a reasonable price?


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## Fadi Q. (Mar 7, 2008)

bacid said:


> Reading these reviews is very depressing.
> 
> I was hoping Maxwell's would be as good as they say.
> 
> Blizzak: I'm in Ottawa, where would you suggest I get a MTM at a reasonable price?


bacid, I am from Ottawa as well.

Have you heard of Bolandi Classics? They are a Canadian label with best quality of service and moderate pricing (my suit landed at $950). I was introduced by a colleague of mine and had the pleasure of using their services in Fall 2007.

Hope this helps - https://www.bolandiclassics.com

They do something called semi-bespoke suiting. You can actually book a consultation at your home or office (I believe it is free of charge)


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## Beanboy (May 26, 2009)

*Chan Tailor visiting Toronto*

Has anyone tried Chan Tailor from HK before? They are coming to Toronto next week. I forgot which hotel, have to look it up.

There's so much mixed feedback from Maxwell, I think I'd better stick with something local for suits. May just try out their shirts for regular wear if its a good bargain.


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

Beanboy said:


> Has anyone tried Chan Tailor from HK before? They are coming to Toronto next week. I forgot which hotel, have to look it up.
> 
> There's so much mixed feedback from Maxwell, I think I'd better stick with something local for suits. May just try out their shirts for regular wear if its a good bargain.


Trying running a search. You would find that they are well known on here and generally well thought of.


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## Mithras (Apr 21, 2006)

I’m in the same boat (though I got into it about 8 years ago…).

Had a suit made (navy with a dark grey nailhead). The pants are great. Well made, good fit (though like you the seat and thighs are somewhat baggy). The jacket though… Oh the jacket… I’m a 44R with a 35 in. waist, so a 9in drop. I have big 20 inch shoulders and a big chest. 

The front of the jacket has darts but somehow it still seems that the jacket measurements are 47in chest, 47 in waist!! (I know this isn’t true, but the jacket just falls straight down from the shoulders). The jacket had so much shoulder padding I could have used it for football. And the arm holes seem to start around ½ - 1/3rd of the way up the jacket. It looked preposterous. 

If I had to describe the jacket cut in one sentence it would be; “Think of a 50XL jacket made with a smaller chest and then cut 8 in off the bottom.”

Pants are nice though. I still wear them as odd trousers.


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## ccsabathia (Jun 19, 2008)

Do not waste time with Maxwell! I ordered shirts with them and they are a disaster. They tend to 'err on the side of caution' and 'pad' the measurements - shoulders an inch bigger, shirt length an inch bigger, sleeve length an inch bigger, sleeve width an inch bigger, torso an inch bigger, etc. 
Maybe their conservative fit is suitable for older clients with large bodies but if you want a trim, slim fit then I suggest you look elsewhere.


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## golfei (Mar 19, 2012)

Don't use them!

A more recent purchase 2012. Too bad i didn't find this thread before i ordered from them. Most of the feedback was positive, though mostly old so all the pricing was substantially lower. This year, I spend over $1000 for a suit, pair of pants and 3 shirts. Prices are almost the same as a made to measure sale here for suits, so very little difference. 

The pants fit ok. The shirts, i'm still trying to decide if they are usable; i ordered french cuffs, and they are so tight, that i can't slide my arm out to see the watch, they are like hand cuffs. Plus there are definite measurement errors. When i got measured, i asked him what he thought about the width of the sleeve, he says too big. After getting my shirts, the sleeves are wider than any shirts i own off the rack. My arms are smaller, not bigger than the average person.

Finally, the suit. It was so tight at the midsection, then when buttoned up it was almost as if there was some sort of invisible cage keeping the top huge and midsection tight. Plus it led to some really weird fold lines. The buttons weren't even sewn on in a straight line. I complained to Maxwell about the suit, given that it was a waste, and they offered complementary tailoring at a local shop for it. I thought that was pretty decent. I went to the shop, had him alter it once, it didn't get rid of the fold lines, so got him to alter it again, and he said he had to take it all apart. In the end, he could not make a suit look like a suit, and the fold lines are still there. That was Jaffar's tailoring. Never even offered to try fixing it again, after the second time. Since then I've met tailors who showed how it's possible to fix something like that, so obviously he wasn't that good. Its a big job though, pricey, so I'm not going to, rather just get a new suit. The suit quality looks only marginally better than the $200 suit I have that is usable. If you want to gamble, waste $1000 and have nothing to show for it, use Maxwells.


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## Beanboy (May 26, 2009)

golfei said:


> Don't use them!
> 
> A more recent purchase 2012. Too bad i didn't find this thread before i ordered from them. Most of the feedback was positive, though mostly old so all the pricing was substantially lower. This year, I spend over $1000 for a suit, pair of pants and 3 shirts. Prices are almost the same as a made to measure sale here for suits, so very little difference.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing. I wasn't going to try them anymore. Its quite sad, it used to be such a great place to get cheap custom made suit with decent quality. Now that if you can't even wear them.... its kind of borderlining being a SCAM!


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