There are a lot of tuxedo shops in New York City. Custom ones. And then others that offer ready-to-wear tuxedos. But the fact is that most of them offer the same things — slight variations on the old classic black tuxedo; or the white tuxedo smoking jacket with black pants. Fabric and design options are usually very limited — there’s only so much one can do for a traditional tuxedo, right? It’s all pretty predictable.

We don’t have separate women’s and men’s design and-or fabric books; there are no designs or fabrics that are specifically for men, and others that are specifically for women at Watson Ellis. At Watson Ellis, unisex — or androgynous — custom suits are really what we specialize in.

Finally heading back to work this summer? Here are some of the custom items and fabrics we’re loving for the balmy months

We’re so thrilled to be making more and more custom suits for women. Come and join the women’s suit revolution!

I was cued to think about this idea of authenticity in the custom suit industry by listening to a recent NY Times podcast called “The Beauty of 78.5 million Followers,” which essentially documents how much PR exists in the world of cosmetics, and how it essentially serves to cover up the often ugly truths about how products are really made.

A guide on what to look out for when shopping men’s custom suits: here’s how to know if you’re getting good quality or not.

Sustainable wool and non-mulesed custom suits: how mulesing works, and what we’re doing to make it stop.

At Watson Ellis, we take care to ensure the best quality for our vegan clients while still delivering final garments in keeping with their sustainable values.