Mr Ned

I went to Mr. Ned to have my wedding suit made six weeks in advance. I returned three times to try on the various parts of the suit; interior of the jacket, pants, and the completed jacket. To keep this review succinct, the suit was perfect. That it was an easy experience has me recommend this place all the more. And all for about $ 1000!

I agree with the others who have said that Mr. Ned appears to offer the best suit under $ 1000 in NYC. I’ve typically gotten three fittings for each Made to Measure suit (I’ve bought two), which is nice– the Made to Measure suits from the Hong Kong-​based tailors that tour NYC only offer the initial fitting. Vahram (as others have alluded to, current owner; his dad was the originator) includes lifetime alterations with the suits. I did notice that the second suit was even better than the first, so I agree with the premise others have established– but both are my favorite suits. It’s a ⁹⁄₁₀ suit for a ⁵⁄₁₀ price. He’s my current suit guy and will continue to be.

I love Mr. Ned! As another reviewer said, you are upgrading to a Mercedes not a Ferrari! And not a c class, these are CLS or S class! Great selection of fabrics, options for fit, lining, working buttons, etc for around $ 1000.
And as other said, not only do I feel better wearing this, people notice and compliment me!

Very happy with my custom tuxedo.
My suggestion… try to bring some idea of what you want in your garment. If you can articulate it, Varham can make it for you.
I would recommend Mr. Ned to all my friends.

I went to Mr. Ned for my wedding suit this past year. I wanted a three-​piece suit and initially wanted a three-​button coat. Vahram suggested a two-​button coat, but I wanted to go with three. An hour later, after I left the store, I called Vahram and decided to accept his suggestion. It was to be a two-​button suit.
After a couple fittings, I finally saw the suit coat and he hadn’t made the change we agreed to on the phone. It was a three-​button coat. He claimed to not have gotten that message, even though it was he who I had spoken to.
My wedding was less than a week away and now the custom suit I had paid for wasn’t exactly what I wanted. He changed the coat to a two button, but just made an adjustment to the coat without recutting it (so the cut of it is off). I am still very disappointed by this experience, because it was my first custom suit and I felt like Vahram did not appreciate me as a customer because I didn’t buy more than one suit.

I recently had a 3-​piece suit made from Mr. Ned. The only other time I had a custom suit made was years ago in Hong Kong. Mr. Ned’s fit and quality are far better.
Mr. Ned’s is run by Vahram Mateosian, the son of the original Mr. Ned. The father is there all the time but it is Vahram’s shop. It is made to measure and not truly bespoke. My bias is that no one can tell the difference and that the cost difference isn’t worth it for the vast majority of people.
Vahram personally made the initial measurement and even pointed out an asymmetry with my shoulders. Thankfully, this was incorporated into the shaping of the suit. There were 2 more fittings after and the final product was excellent.
Depending on fabric, the suits start at $ 850. Mine was 3-​piece and was about $ 1300. I’ve spent several times that over the years on ready to wear so I feel this is a great bargain. I don’t need to wear a suit to work everyday so your mileage may vary.
The only problem I had was that the vest didn’t fully cover my suspenders and Vahram had to make another one for me. He was accommodating and all turned out just fine.
Overall, I think Mr. Ned’s does good work. The analogy I would use is that most ready to wear suits are like a cheap used car. Functional but not exciting. A made to measure suit from an experienced person like Vahram is like upgrading to a new BMW, Audi, etc. It’s nice and instills confidence. All the folks that keep screaming about truly bespoke don’t realize that they are asking for Ferrari’s. If you can afford a Ferrari, go right ahead. For most roads, the Mercedes is just fine.
All in all, Mr. Ned’s is competent, experienced, and fairly priced. When things didn’t go well, he fixed it to my satisfaction. Not sure what anyone else would want. Except shirts. They don’t do shirts. :)

Over the past few years I’ve had suits and pants and jackets made for me by Mr. Ned. Always get what I want, and when it’s not right it’s always fixed without a problem. Nice people, thoughtful, and there with an idea if I ask. I’ll be a lifelong customer!

I have had three suits made here. Despite the fact that Varahm is a nice guy and they use union labor and treat their employees well, I Will never go back.
The first suit I had made turned out too boxy for my taste, but I recognize that as my fault since I was new to the custom clothing world and simply didn’t know what I wanted well enough to express my opinion on the matter. That said, there were construction problems that rest on Ned’s shoulders. Most notably, the lapel was not sewn properly and so there are dramatic, unsightly ripples at the notch. Also, despite being boxy, the jacket is incredibly uncomfortable. I can not wear it for mroe than thirty or forty minutes while working at the computer without cramping in my upper back. This suit sits in my closet and I wear it maybe 2 times a year.
The second suit I had made turned out better. This was because I was clear about my likes and dislikes with respect to the previous suit. While the cut is more to my liking, there were construction problems that really detract from the suit. Most notably, the suit came with a small hole in the crotch. Seriously. Also significant, the shoulders were cut differently and so the whole thing doesn’t look uniform. Arg. I wear this suit when I want to look decent, but don’t care if something bad happens to my clothes. (i.e., I might wear it to a wedding reception where it is likely to have a drink spilled on it, but never to a fancy dinner or an interview)
Less you think they get better the more you work with them. The third suit was a total disaster. The sleeves were opened for buttons then inexplicably sewn all the way shut. The sleeves were attached in such a way to make me look like a zombie while wearing it. The fit was a weird combination of boxy and too tight. Literally unwearable. I simply gave the jacket away and now have one pair of very, very expensive suit pants.
For labor-​friendly alternatives try Martin Greenfield in Brooklyn or Samuelson made suits from Paul Stuart.

Poor service and quality.
I went to Mr. Ned based on the positive reviews on Unilocal.A costly mistake. I’ve had items custom made at Michael Andrews and at CEGO. Mr. Ned doesn’t compare. I ordered a piece of clothing from Mr. Ned, and despite several fittings, I ended up with an item that was far too large. The business was unwilling to work with me despite the high price tag. I took the item to a tailor downtown who confirmed that the shoulders were too large and there was excess fabric throughout (someone warned me that the «house cut» at Mr. Ned runs toward big shoulders, but this was ridiculous). In addition, part of the lining was hanging out because it had not been sewn in and chalk marks still covered the lining. The tailor could not believe that the item had been supposedly made for me.

Here is what you get when you order a custom suit from Mr. Ned:
Varham, son of the founder Ned, takes your measurements and quizzes you gently about what sort of suit you have in mind. They will make you any sort suit you want — there isn’t an enforced house style — although Varham will steer you away from any utterly wrongheaded decisions. The measurements are applied to a pre-​existing block pattern that best matches the cut you’ve specified. Second fitting is with just the basted body of the jacket to allow for significant alterations. Final fitting has the collar and sleeves already set, the trousers completed, with just the buttonholes and fine tweaking remaining. Total turnaround time is roughly 6 – 8 weeks; total cost using standard super ¹⁰⁰⁄₁₂₀ fabric is $ 850; functioning sleeve buttons and hand finishing along the lapel will run you $ 50 a piece.
This is not true custom/​bespoke given that they are working off an existing pattern. That said, I have to imagine they’re drawing from a great multitude of proprietary patterns in order to accommodate all the sizes and shapes coming through their door. Moreover, all work is done on the premises, and the owner takes the measurements personally and shepherds your suit through every stage of production. In my mind, that’s about as close as you’re going to get to custom at a price that’s remotely affordable without a finance job.
Now am I happy with my first suit from Mr. Ned? Frankly, I am a tiny bit ambivalent. On the plus side: the trousers are fantastic and are perfect not just in fit but are of a piece with the ensemble. The back of the jacket and the sleeves exhibit terrific fit and drape. Finally, the lapel has a kind of graceful flow that says, «I am wearing a custom made garment!» to anyone sensitive to this strain of vanity.
My criticism involves a rather imperfect drape to the sides and a lack of polish in the details due to the garment being largely machine made (although all the critical components like the sleeves are set by hand). At my final fitting, Varham pointed out this was my first suit with them. Implicitly the second suit would be an improvement, at least in the fit department.
For most readers, $ 850 is a lot to spend on something that is only the first step towards a perfect fitting suit. For me, it’s justifiable in that I wear suits for work constantly. I require a garment that is not only truly comfortable, but can withstand the wear and tear of NYC life; my suit is made from 14 oz Scabal Super 100 which is some pretty tough wool — it feels like a military uniform.
Is it worth it? Absolutely. I wear my Mr. Ned suit more than any other. I feel more confident, thinner, smarter, etc. It’s hard to put a price on materialistically driven self-​worth, right? More objectively, Mr. Ned is widely regarded as the best game in town for custom suits under a $ 1,000. He knows his craft, delivers the goods on time, and makes the garments in NYC. I can’t think of anyone else that can even come close to offering that kind of value for money.
Cool Trivia: Mr. Ned is the preferred tailor of film director Wes Anderson and made all the suits for the Royal Tenembaums.

If varm could be a member of the family he would. The best suits, best service. All at great prices.
Nothing more to say… email me if you have a question.
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