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Balani Custom Clothiers
Category: Shopping Fashion Men's Clothing Men's Clothing [Edit]
55 W Monroe St(between Wabash Ave & Michigan Ave)
Chicago, IL 60603
Neighborhood: The Loop
(312) 263-9003
- Nearest Transit:
-
Monroe-blue (Blue Line)
Monroe-red (Red Line)
Jackson-blue (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 6 pm
Sat 10 am - 2 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street, Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
8 reviews for Balani Custom Clothiers
8 reviews in English
-
Review from Danny F.
Chicago, IL
11/30/2011
I had an amazing experience at Balani! Being a tall and slim guy, it's always a pain for me to find dress shirts that properly fit me. Either they fit my torso correctly but are short in the arms and tight around the neck, OR the neck and arms are just right but the shirt is billowy in the chest. Life is hard...
Enter Balani! After receiving a gift certificate for a dress shirt, I made an appointment with Cordt. He did a great job of guiding me through all the options that come with each dress shirt, and helped me pick out fabrics that would compliment my existing wardrobe. A few weeks later my shirts arrived and were a perfect fit. I'm not lying when I say that I have NEVER looked better in a dress shirt. Having a shirt that fits me perfectly is such a relief, and I can't wait to go back! -
Review from David J.
Chicago, IL
7/21/2011
I went to Balani for my first ever custom suit, and now that I have it I don't know that I ever want to go back to getting stuff off the rack. They have a TON of fabric choices. They have so many fabrics available that it would have been overwhelming if Ricardo hadn't been there guiding me through it. Ricardo seemed to have a very intimate knowledge of the thousands of different fabrics they have available, and I ended up very happy with my selection (a worsted super 120). Ricardo did not pressure me to go with a more or less expensive fabric (I ended up with a less expensive fabric for one of the shirts I got). The measurement was done very carefully, and Ricardo measured everything at least two or three times. You can tell that he takes a lot of pride in his work.
After a couple weeks, my suit was ready to try on. I went in and was pretty happy with the fit, but Ricardo had some suggestions for some alterations. Since he'd done such a good job before, I went with his advice, and I'm happy I did. The suit came back a second time and this time it really fit like a glove. I really like the feel of the suit and it looks great. It's pretty versatile as well, so I'd feel comfortable wearing it to a job interview, wedding, or even a fancy night out.
I really appreciate the superior service and guidance that Balani and Ricardo provided throughout my experience with them. They've earned my trust and I will definitely be back for more suits in the future. Thank you! -
Review from Leo P.
Chicago, IL
6/6/2011
A few months back i purchased the Groupon for suit, 2 shirts, 1 tie and a set of cuff links and let me tell you how pleasantly surprised i was with what i experienced at Balani's.
At first i was a little skeptical that I could get a high quality suit and all the trimmings for under $1000 and i was incorrect in that thinking. The experience start to finish was second to none. I have had custom made suits from other vendors such as Tom James previously. Balani hit it out of the park. The quality of the fabric, the attention to detail on the construction of the suit and the fit is perfection at its best.
Ricardo Bucio was my suit consultant. He has been a pleasure to work with and i will continue to get my suits from him at Balani. This is as good as it gets.
Thanks again Ricardo. -
Review from Nick S.
Chicago, IL
6/1/2011
I recently picked up my custom suit along with a couple shirts made for me. I don't own to many suits because everything off the rack doesn't fit right, due to height and wingspan.
I took this bad boy to Venezuela for a wedding in the 85+ degree heat, the shirt and the suit still felt remarkable comfortable.
Fellas, do yourselves a favor and don't sell yourself short when you need a custom suit for special occasions. This is coming from a regular t-shirt and jeans guy.
Tell my homeboy Cordt I sent you, that is if you are lucky enough to have him as your consultant. -
Review from Jason P.
5/24/2011
I have seen the error of my ways, and I will never go back to buying a non-custom suit ever again.
I would never have tried this place out if it wasn't for the recent Groupon. For the price of the Groupon I got a suit, a couple of shirts, a tie, and a pair of cufflinks. We're not here to talk about Groupon though, we're here to talk about the service and the quality. Getting an appointment was a little tricky, as they were swamped post-Groupon. I got my appointment about 3 or 4 weeks after calling (also due in part to my wacky schedule). About a month and a half to two months later, I picked up my shirts and had the first fitting on my suit, and a week later I had the finished suit. Really makes you realize how much effort goes into making sure everything looks perfect, and it does.
The initial visit (with Riccardo B.) was great. He took the time to show me just about everything, and didn't put a hard sell (or any sell really) on me to go above and beyond what the Groupon covered. I think it took about 45 minutes to get all my measurements in, pick the fabric and options for my shirts and my suit, and to have me on my merry way.
First, the shirts. Best fitting shirts ever. I'm 6'4" and 195 lbs with a 37" sleeve and a 15.57 neck. Anything "off the rack" in that sleeve size is going to look like a blouse on me because for some reason clothing manufacturers equate tall with fat... dunno why. When getting a shirt made just to your specifications you have complete control. How long do you like your sleeves? How broad should the shoulders be? Do you want an extra button on the bottom because your torso is longer than the average 5'10" male? The shirts aren't cheap, but for the awesome fit and quality you are getting, they are definitely worth it. Expect to spend around $140 on the low end to, I think, about $190 on the high end (depending on the fabric).
Next, the suit. Wow. I have never had such a well made, good looking suit in my life. I don't know how much this would have cost me if I had bought it without the Groupon (somewhere around $800 I think?), but this makes my $700 suits from Jos. A. Bank look like I picked them up from a Goodwill store. The fit is amazing, the stitching and the details feel nice and sturdy, and the attention to detail in the tailoring is apparent (making sure the pin stripes align at the seam on the shoulders, for example). My favorite part about putting together the suit, was getting to pick the lining. Might not sound very exciting to some (or most), but I like walking into court, wearing a suit that has a shiny purple paisley lining... I can even pull out the breast pocket (which is lined with the same fabric) and pass it off as a pocket hanky.
Not sure I would shop here for non-custom items (the ties, at $90 a pop, are a bit expensive), and to that end they really don't have that huge of a selection of pre-made items. Rather, this place is all about making sure you look your absolute best. Will definitely be coming back here the next time I'm in the market for a suit. -
Review from Jenn R.
Chicago, IL
I'll udpate this once hubs gets his suit, but OMG, what attention to detail. We had such a nice experience here and I hope we can afford to buy hubs custom clothes from now on, b/c they really care about what they do.
Hubs was measured, not once, not twice, not three times, but five times, by three different people.
Not only was he measured that much but they measured in places we had no idea mattered. It was incredible and we cannot wait to see the finished product in 4 to 6 weeks. -
Review from Maury V.
Chicago, IL
11/17/2010
Though I have two custom suits in my closet, I always bought off-the-rack dress shirts from Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, Saks, etc. I was always told that the European-cut clothing would fit me the best and I shouldn't worry about anything else. The shoulders were wide and the torsos was slimmer -- what more did I think I could ask for?
Then Elizabeth came along. Easy to converse with from the get go, she was great throughout the entire process. She sold me on the custom shirts after the third or fourth re-measurement, making sure things were 110% correct, and the shirts fit perfectly when it came in.
At prices between $100-200 (depending on fabrics) for a custom shirt, I don't have to buy off the rack anymore.
Elizabeth helped me to pick fabrics, buttons, button-hole threads, monograms, collar and cuff styles (all of this at no up-charge) and probably other things I don't even remember. Ask for her next time you go in... you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Caleb G.
Bolingbrook, IL
2/15/2012
I've never had a custom suit made before, and I won't buy another off the rack again. Having one that fits "right" is worth the higher price. Not only are you getting a suit that fits, you're also getting significantly higher quality material. Generally when I've purchased a suit before, I end up having to have the pants completely deconstructed and paying $50-$100+ for alterations. I'm tall, broad shoulders, and don't wear my pants around my belly button, so the pants off the rack can fit myself and a 13 year old. Getting an "athletic cut" suit doesn't quite cut it either because they generally don't come in 50/52 chest. All that whining said, I will be returning here to get another suit made. I, like many others, purchased to groupon to get the full suit package. I needed a tuxedo, and had one made by Cordt, and the rest of their team that is absolutely amazing. I did end up spending quite a bit more to get grossgrain detail, a vest made, and upgrading the fabric. Some people might be able to buy a suit off the rack and be happy, but until you get one cut and sewn, you won't know what you're missing.
