Suit yourself

pick out some of the smartest options available in the market for men's suits.

High fashion is no longer a term that only women are familiar with. In fact, men's fashion indulgences have gone so far ahead that a man's single suit could be worth much more than that precious solitaire his wife sports. The Indian man is getting more brand and style conscious than ever before and to suit his tastes, international brands are lining up impressive performances.

"Men's fashion in India is not just about a black suit teamed with a white shirt and a matching tie. With exposure to international trends and the presence of varied choices, the Indian man is more willing to break the mould and experiment with colours, cuts and styles," says Harish Chandra, brand manager for Hugo Boss, India.

No wonder then that brands like Boss are investing in bringing into the country an array of suits that are understated and sophisticated with a restrained colour palette and delicate graphic touches.

Though the two-button, single-breasted slim-line suit is the most popular, three-button suits and three-piece looks are also being chosen. At a price range between Rs 35,000-55,000, suits from Boss Black may be some of the less expensive options in the market.

In Mumbai, Brioni is Savile Row's modern contender. Known for its sharp tailoring, shorter, slimmer legs, a nipped in waist and light shoulders, Brioni produces only 70,000 suits hand made by 1,200 tailors in Abruzzo. Each suit still takes 20 man hours to sew, each button hole 45 minutes.

A suit, off the rack, costs roughly 3000 Euro. Made-to-order ones can cost anywhere between Rs 3 lakh-12.5 lakh. Competition to Brioni has arrived in the form of Dunhill's expert bespoke tailoring. The brand's master cutter, Daniel Williams, is now much sought after even though his snips and cuts come dear.

Ironically, Brioni's Indian retail partner Kishore Bajaj also owns Badasaab Fashions (James Ferreira designed for them once upon a time), a well-known men's boutique in Bandra that has been known for being suit tailor to the stars (read Amitabh Bachchan) and costumiers to movies like Disco Dancer (who can forget Mithunda's white suits) and Shahenshah.

Italian suit-maker Ermenegildo Zegna stepped into the Indian market with a flagship store at the Taj Mahal in Mumbai, which it claims is the country's largest luxury boutique for men.

The world leader in luxury men's clothing known for its bespoke suits, Zegna has big plans for the Indian market. It, reportedly, is planning to sell Zegna fabric to Indian tailors; the tailors, of course, will not be permitted to brand the finished product Zegna!

Another one that is tailoring-to-taste is Italian luxury brand Pal Zileri. Made to measure or su-misura, as they call it, is Pal Zileri's speciality, buying material from the world over and truly creating a consumer base that is spoilt for choice. More than 180 different processes go into making a single suit... and all of this is done at their factories in Italy.

"Each suit takes almost six weeks to be tailored and every smallest detail is taken into consideration, as per customer specification," explains Adarsh Amin, general manager of Pal Zileri.

Single breasted, two-button, three-button, double-breasted, side vent, centre vent, no vent, single-pleat trouser, no-pleat trouser... the style options are almost endless, as are the material options.

In fact, for the final personal touch, if they wish, the client's name is hand-embroidered on the inside of the jacket. While the ready-to-wears range is between Rs 80,000 and 1.5 lakh, their bespoke tailoring only starts at Rs 1.5 lakh.

Operating in India out of Intercontinental Eros in Delhi, Pal Zileri boasts of clients that include members of the Ferrari Formula One team and Florentine Football Club as well as actors like Nick Nolte and Joseph Fiennes, restaurateur Gordan Ramsay, soccer star Roberto Baggio and cricketer Andrew Flintoff.

And for those who still prefer walking into the showroom and walking out with a suit in hand, there is Salvatore Ferragamo's ready-to-wear collection targetted at confident men, what with their bold prints and intense colours like bright blue, lavender purple, peach and green.

In tune with the latest fashion trends, the suits displayed at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, range between Rs 65,000 and Rs 1.1 lakh.