Get the Fit You Deserve at the New Less & More Bespoke at COFCO Plaza
The quantity of bespoke tailors in Beijing providing affordable business wear is astounding at times, but not many of them have the style or sophistication that can be found at this new kid on the block, Less & More. This classy men’s boutique was founded a little over eight months ago, and are striving to become your go-to outfitter for classic, dignified menswear for all price brackets.
The store is located near the Beijing Railway Station, at COFCO Plaza. At first glance, Less & More is reminiscent of your ye old bespoke tailor shop, almost as if you were teleported to Savile Row in the 70s. It’s a classy place, with a cornucopia of pop culture memorabilia strewn about. They will soon be adding a cafe and a bar on site specializing in single malt whiskey so you can sip away while master tailors take your measurements. These additions should be completed by the end of the summer. There are also plans to expand to more cities. Currently, they are only located in Beijing and Shenzhen, but they hope to also open shop in Chengdu, Xi’an, Tangshan, Suzhou, and Handan by the end of 2016.
As for their suits, they feature wools from Italy and the UK and specialize in English and Italian cuts. Some of the brands they feature include Zegna (RMB 1,180/suit), Vitale Barberis Canonico (RMB 5,880/suit), and Scabal (RMB 15,980/suit). You can choose for it to be either entirely handmade or using more modern techniques, which brings the cost down considerably. For their shirts they use either Egyptian (RMB 850) or Xinjiang (RMB 498) cotton. They let us in on a little secret that the quality you’ll find in a dress shirt made from Xinjiang cotton isn’t that different from Egyptian, and it ends up being about half the cost. We couldn’t tell the difference, but appreciated their honesty. Also, doesn't it just feel better to buy local?
Whatever style or fabric you choose, everything is made to order so it will usually take about three weeks to complete your order. This approach they explained allows them to keep their prices lower than their competitors. Something else we liked is that they also have a mobile fitting room going around town, if you prefer to do the initial measurements and later fittings from the comfort of your home or office, and have your new bespoke threads delivered to you when completed. It’s a free door to door service.
Prices here range from RMB 3,000-40,000 if you decide to go completely handmade. This explains why their name is Less & More because they have a little bit of everything whatever your desired price may be. Just because you don’t want to spend a month’s salary on a suit doesn’t mean you can’t still buy something made with the craft and style you deserve. However, maybe you do want the bells and whistles that come with a high price tag if that’s the case then feel free to go wild because here, the sky or the depth of your wallet is the limit.
Photos: Courtesy of Less & More