Richard Bennett Custom Tailors & Shirtmakers

Moved out of the area a few years ago — need to go back soon. The shirts I purchased from here must have been to the cleaners at least 50 times by now and still look new. I don’t shave every day, and as a result, collars of my shirts get frayed, but my RB shirts still look great. Not inexpensive, but the quality is worth the $$.

I’ve bought shirts from this place for years. The company has lost its way and customers, including me. The last straw I ordered shirts in November. Shirts promised in Decemember. Never receiveed the shirts. Repeatedly emailed and called Jim… no response. Magically after I dispute the credit card transaction the shirts are delivered by UPS. The problem, I never received the shirts. Who sends a $ 1770 package in Chicago and does not request a signature. Call the village, they have lost their idiot.

Could Eva and Fred post some pictures of what they describe as wardrobe disasters? They make it sound like they’re Michael Jackson at the plastic surgeon’s. I’ve found the tailors and Al at Richard Bennett to be top notch.

These guys are great. I had my first made-​to-​measure suit built for me recently after having two done at Balani. What a difference. They use similar materials but the difference in quality is apparent from the beginning. They take a lot more measurements and the clothes come back slightly big so their in house tailors can make all of the finishing touches onsite after you try on what’s made offsite. That makes a big difference for getting the right fit. At Balani they send if offsite to China (RB’s are made offsite in the US) and make very minor adjustments when it comes back and only if they need to. Unfortunately with Balani my suit came back with too short with the pants and one of the shirts was also so short that I don’t even wear it. I think RB might be $ 100 or more expensive than Balani, but that money is well spent if you’re going the made to measure route. I searched around for a while based on on-​line reviews and originally chose Balani, but now wish I could return those two suits and get two more from RB. While the price might be similar the quality of Richard Bennett is definitely a step up, or at least in my experience with three suits total (two balani and one RB).
They are worth checking out if you’re in the market for a made to measure or custom suit.

A great experience from start to finish. Jim shepherded me through the full-​custom process, helping me select a quality fabric and the options I wanted. A few fittings later, I walked out with an excellent suit that fits perfectly. This despite my bizarre body shape, and for less than I thought it would cost. Everyone at the shop was helpful and courteous, and I’m definitely going there before buying off the rack again.

I would give zero stars, but unfortunately Unilocal does not provide that option. My first experience involved having a small tear in a suit pant fixed. The job was satisfactory, mostly because I had very low expectations going in. The kicker was when they price-​gouged me for $ 10 since I came in unannounced and knew I hadn’t researched other options. I read on here that someone paid $ 65 for an entire suit jacket alteration. I’m not one to piss and moan over a couple bucks once a service has already been provided. I find that negotiating such small differences will result in a piss-​poor job being done. I prefer to let them assume they will get whatever price they want, do the best job, and just be done with it. However, clearly I was fleeced, and they would rather step over a dollar to pick up a penny.
My second experience involved a request to have a few measurements taken for a custom suit that is being made in another state. Immediately, I was cutoff and told that «unfortunately, this is a service [they] cannot provide.» I find that hard to believe considering they are in the business of making CUSTOM SUITS. Given the economy, I can’t imagine anyone passing up free money just for taking a few measly measurements (when I went into their store, it was a ghost town, so I can’t imagine they are «killing» it — pardon the pun). Perhaps they felt slighted because I wasn’t giving them my business? Had they let me finish, then they would’ve known that the choice to go with someone from another state has entirely to do with the fact that the GROOM lives in said state, and has no idea who these guys are etc… So, for obvious reasons, suits are being made in another state and I simply needed some run-​of-​the-​mill measurements to be able to provide another tailor. The individual on the phone attempted to claim reputation as their reasons for not assisting, as if to imply that if my suit — made in an entirely different state — would somehow give Richard Bennett a bad rep if it didn’t turn out well. I politely explained to them that they would not be held accountable for anything beyond providing these basic measurements (which I had instructions for on a form provided to me — something so simple I could almost do myself if I had a third hand).
Now, if you are reading this, you’ll probably say, «well this reviewer didn’t actually have a suit made by RB.» And you would be correct. I can’t attest to their work, and quite frankly I probably never will because I am OCD and EXTREMELY picky about how my clothes fit (and not just suits). I have found that communicating one’s preferences to a tailor is a different beast altogether. That being said, from the few reviews here, I will never go there for a custom suit. What you should take away from this, however, is that in my two interactions with this group, I have concluded that they are 1) rude and 2) greedy. And it seems Unilocalers agree. My guess is your experience will be a miserable one.
There are so many better, unheard of tailors who do a far better job for cheaper. Most of them, sadly, are overseas. But, this is the American way.
End Tirade
****UPDATE****
The owner, Albert, upon seeing my review, contacted me via Unilocal and was extremely apologetic. While I can’t speak for everyone at RB, if you do go, at least request him.

I have only purchased shirts there, and have been very pleased with their finished product and their service. I highly recommend them. Cathy and Albert have been very accommodating.

I’ve only used Richard Bennet for alterations, but my experience every time has been so great that whenever it comes time for me to suit up in more style than I currently do, I’ll definitely come to them.
I originally stopped by since they are on the ground floor of my office building and I figured «why not.» Earlier this year I lost a bunch of weight over several months, and I had a few shirts I loved but just looked really frumpy still fitting me. I decided to stop in one day and see what tailoring might run and found it pretty reasonable (I believe the extent of my alterations was $ 25 – 30. I received it back and absolutely loved it and the quality of workmanship was great.
Since then I’ve come in several other times. Twice I have asked for something on REALLY short notice, where they would totally have been reasonable to say it couldn’t be done, but they accommodated me with rush processing for a small additional fee which seemed more than reasonable. Today I just picked up a suit jacket and pants that I had altered to fit my now slimmer frame and the work they did was fantastic as usual.
Every time I’ve been there I’ve dealt with Cathy who has been fantastically helpful, and overall I’d recommend them to anybody. The location is super-​convenient for me, but even if I moved offices I would go out of my way to stop by Richard Bennett.

It’s true that this place does a nice job like all the other reviews mention, however that doesn’t justify the pretentious attitude of the people that work there. The moment my boyfriend walks with his suit to be fixed, the attending guy, Jim if I’m not mistaken, rudely hosts him into the store (by telling him that they don’t alter this brand of suit — pretty much we don’t want your business). Thanks to his quiet nature, my boyfriend didn’t make a big deal out of it and patiently worked with Jim to fix his suit. The second time around we brought in a jacket that needed quite a few alterations and when we picked it up, the arms looked ridiculously big compared to the rest of the jacket. When we called back the store to let them know that alterations had made the jacket practically unwearable because of disproportionate looks this is the answer we got from Jim:
(after not letting me explain the situation because he was yelling at the same time I was trying to talk on the phone, accusing me of having an aggressive tone while he was the one yelling at me, refusing to do business with me since I was the girlfriend and not the guy himself– I had to include all of these descriptions so you guys can get a feeling of the setting in which the conversation took place) «IIT IS NOT OUR JOB TO GIVE ADVICE TO THE CLIENT. WE ONLY DO WHAT WE ARE TOLD «
I was expecting to at least get a call from them, to let me know that if we do this kind of modification to the jacket, the outcome might not be ideal and something might look funny. However looks like these people follow strict orders and no matter what I had to pay 65 $ for a useless alteration and get treated like garbage by a rude salesmen.
Such a shame !

I am a woman and had been on a quest to find a custom made suit for quite some time. I simply can’t buy off the rack due to my «unique» body type. I had tried my hand with a national chain and walked away with 3 pairs of slacks that didn’t fit to my specifications that were expensive and had to say «no» to the jacket. I was left to feel it was me and not them… Enter Richard Bennett. I shared with Cathy my previous experience and she was confident that they could accommodate me. In approximately 10 weeks, I now have a beautiful, custom made suit that fits me like the proverbial glove. I had chosen a more expensive fabric so we decided to do a mock up of the pants in a lesser fabric. The first fitting, the jacket was almost perfect. Tears came to my eyes that it wasn’t me and that there are tailors who could nail a jacket for me. The pants took a few iterations, but we got them too! It was good to work with tailors who are onsite. I got to interact with the women who created my suit, not just a sales person. Cathy had a good eye and was able to guide the process. I should note that the suit would have been done earlier had it not been for my travel schedule delaying the fittings! They always met or exceeded their timelines. I am very happy with my suit and can’t wait to show it off. I will be buying more!

Updated my review to 5 stars. Thank you Cathy!
It’s good to see a 5 star quality tailor in the Loop. Both convenient and very customer service oriented. Bravo!

I’ve only bought shirts here so far, 4 of them. All I can say is that I plan on getting all my dress shirts from here now. Never will I buy off the rack again. When something fits right, you want more. I do plan on getting pants and a suit soon. I will definitely be going here. The service was nice, friendly and asked me what I was looking for and not pushing things I didn’t ask for. I’m a guy, when I go shopping I go for what I need and don’t «window shop». RB is a place I will be going back to again. You will pay a bit more but they are custom measured and made clothes so you shouldn’t flinch much. In the end it was worth it for me.

I have had more than 20 suits or jackets and trouser ensembles made by Richard Bennett Tailors over the past several years. I have also worked with other top bespoke tailors in London, New York, Montréal, And Toronto. (As well as some of the best custom MTM tailors from Hong Kong.)
Richard Bennett is at the top of the game.
The quality of the hand-​stitched button holes, the precision of the pressing, the evenness of the stitching in the seams — it is the details of construction which truly set the bespoke garment apart. The details are where this small shop excels.
If you want that one perfect power suit, this is the place to get it — with precisely the fabric, lining, construction, and details you want. A 10% cashmere/​90% wool blend charcoal with red pinstripes in a 2 button single breasted with peak lapels, hacking pockets (including ticket pocket), side vents, a red paisley lining, working cuff buttons, a 5-​button waistcoat with lapels, and trousers with kiss-​pleats — no problem. You choose the exact fabric, and the exact features you want. No settling for what happens to be on the rack. No limitation to only two or three made-​to-​measure («MTM») choices. Need help choosing the right combination of alternatives — that’s what these guys do.
If you are seeking the sartorial equivalent of the audiophile’s reference system, or the oenophile’s bottle of ’77 Petrus, this is the place. That said, they will also produce a product that less demanding sorts will immediately recognize as quality.
Do not try to rush the process. This is a small shop — not a factory front. Bespoke is not like made-​to-​measure. If you approach the process with factory expectations you are setting yourself up for frustration. Approach this as an experience of working with a team of artisans in creating a wearable work of art, and you will have a blast, learn a lot, and have a product that will last for years.

Found this tailor on Apple maps locally near work. Great service. Had two pants and a lab coat tailored. All three were ready 1 week earlier than expected. James Gordon was great. I was greeted by first name upon my return which is impressive given the spelling of my name. When dealing with pricing, they are on the higher end but it goes hand-​in-​hand with their quality of work and service. Recommend to all.

Visiting Chicago for a few days and needed some pants hemmed. They were able to turn around my request in 2 hours! I was originally told 3 days. Cathy was very accommodating and even showed me the ins and outs of wearing a scarf! They have a nice selection of clothing and will make a point to stop by and shop the next time I visit Chicago. Thanks again Cathy. Love the ‘made from bamboo’ scarf!

I was getting married in October of 2009 and I went to Richard Bennett to have a suit made. I admit that it was short notice, they had about 17 days to complete the job, and I agreed to pay a $ 300.00 rush delivery fee. The order was very straight forward; a black single breasted, two button ventless jacket with tick stitching. I came in for two fittings. The pants were well cut, and constructed, the jacket was a nightmare. The sleeves and the bottom of the jacket were too short and the shoulders were completely wrong The final iteration of the jacket before the wedding was going to have to work, because it was two days before the wedding. The proof came when I saw the wedding pictures and I could see the huge gap between the top of my belt and where the jacket came together. This is now in the permanent record of my wedding pictures.
I went back in to see Jim, and express my displeasure over the way that the jacket came out. He offered to alter the jacket and get it right. I went back for at least three more fittings before he offered to start over with a new jacket. Someway, somehow the jacket still did not come out right, and is still too short and has too much room in the front. I can’t imagine charging someone a premium for a rush job on a product that still did not meet the specifications as agreed upon when I paid them in full as they requested.
We went to Vietnam for our honeymoon. I had five beautiful, hand made suits that fit perfectly, and were completed in less than two days (with fittings). The cost for those five suits all together was almost half of what I paid at Richard Bennett. I even offered to leave one of the jackets that was made in Vietnam for them to use as a template, unfortunately, they declined the offer because they felt they had it fixed.

I have ordered several suits and a bunch of shirts here. I have been back multiple times. They always remember my name, and the service is what you would expect for a custom shop. The prices are fair — not cheap — but that is what you should expect for custom clothing. Overall a great experience. I work a lot with Jim, and give him great marks for advice and customer service.

I got a call from Albert Karrol (the owner) in response to my review. We spoke for about 10 minutes or so. Seems like a nice guy. He expressed sincere regret that I didn’t have a better experience, and he told me he hopes I’ll give them another chance. He never asked me to change my original post (which I did because a couple of the comments seemed unfair). I’m not sure I’ll go back, but its more likely after the call than it was before.

I’ve just been back for some more (of my new favorite) pants, and suffice it to say, Richard Bennett’s customer service is exceptional — as good or better than the experience that has kept me coming back to Nordstrom, and the reason for the 5^th star. I’ve been in only a couple times now, but I’m always greeted by name. Definitely an atmosphere that makes me want to go back, never mind the sensational product.
Both times I’ve been helped by James Gordon — if he’s there (and honestly, I’ve never *not* seen him there) he’ll take excellent care of you.