Store Guide: Surmesur, a new custom men’s clothing shop for guys intimidated by the tailor
Name: Surmesur
Sells: Tailor-made men’s clothing, ties and belts, plus socks and cufflinks
Contact info: 108 Queen St. E., 416-214-2840, surmesur.com
Hours: M–W 10–6, Th–F 10–9, Sa 10–5, Su 12–5
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Too many men make do with boxy, off-the-rack suits because they think going bespoke has to be intimidating and expensive. Surmesur, a new custom menswear shop downtown, is neither. Owners Vincent and François Thériault, who opened their first store in Quebec City before expanding to Montreal and Toronto, break the tailoring process down into simple steps. Customers start by choosing a fabric, which determines the price of the garment. Next, they make selections from a checklist of options (slim fit? Spread collar? Contrast stitching?) via touchscreen monitor—a high-tech way to help befuddled dudes differentiate a peaked lapel from a notched one. There’s even an airport-style body scanner (to take measurements) and a floor-length flat screen that displays the finished look.
The brothers work directly with tailors in Asia, which, along with the not-so-trendy Queen East address, helps keep prices down. And they are low: shirts range from $45 to $125, while suits start at $325. Garments take about three weeks to arrive, and first-timers will need to come in for a final fitting with the in-house tailor. After that, you can start ordering in multiples.
240986 The store is at Queen and Jarvis, a location that owner <strong>François Thériault</strong> says allows him to keep prices down (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A001-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A001.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A001.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a001/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a001 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240987 The 5,000-plus fabric samples are daunting, but the staff can help. Two of the retail assistants are graduates of Ryerson’s fashion design program while assistant manager <strong>Murtaza Bukhari </strong>has a degree in textiles (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A002-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A002.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A002.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a002/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a002 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240988 The first step is to choose the fabric, which also determines the price of the garment. Suits start at $325 and rise to over $1,200 for high-end fabrics from manufacturers like <strong>Dormeuil, Scabal, Holland & Sherry </strong>and<strong> Vitale Barberis</strong> (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A003-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A003.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A003.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a003/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a003 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240989 A few of the thousands of shirting fabrics on offer. Shirts range from $45–$175 (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A004-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A004.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A004.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a004/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a004 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240990 A wall-mounted touchscreen helps customers see how the finished outfit will look. Thériault says about 80 per cent of customers have no idea what they want when they first come in (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A005-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A005.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A005.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a005/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a005 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240991 After picking a fabric, a sales assistant takes you through each aspect of the garment. There are, for instance, 25 different collar shapes to choose from (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A006-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A006.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A006.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a006/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a006 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240992 For a shirt, you can also customize the fit, the cuffs, the pockets, the shape of the bottom of the shirt, the placket, and any embroidered details (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A007-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A007.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A007.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a007/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a007 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240993 Thériault creates an order on one of several touch-screen computers in the shop (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A008-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A008.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-A008.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a008/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-a008 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240994 Measurements are taken using both a measuring tape and a scanner containing 60 cameras (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B001-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B001.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B001.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b001/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b001 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240995 The store sells ties, cufflinks and socks as well as custom belts. Bow ties ($30–$45) (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B002-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B002.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B002.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b002/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b002 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240996 Cufflinks ($30) (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B003-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B003.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B003.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b003/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b003 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
240997 Some samples for inspiration (Image: Kayla Rocca) Store Guide: Surmesur https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B004-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B004.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-B004.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/style/toronto-store-guide-surmesur/slide/surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b004/ surmesur-toronto-store-guide-b004 0 0
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
Where are all the stores like this for women’s suits?!
Is there an equal demand for suits for women? What do you guys think? Or would we want custom made dresses instead?
late comment but Bows & Lapels also does women’s suits on request. Their fabrics are limited but fit guaranteed. Great for Men’s suits at best price in town http://www.bowsandlapels.com