★ The $10,500 Suit for Men

MSNBC:

What makes a suit cost upwards of $5,000 and sometimes considerably more? It’s a combination of material, labor, skill and not a little egotism. (You have to think you’re worth it, after all.) Is there really that much difference between a $2,000 suit and one costing two, three or four times more? To many men a suit is a form of psychological, as well as physical, armor. It not only makes you look good, it can also give you more confidence. “I can afford a $10,000 suit,” it makes you think. “And those other chumps can’t.”

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Just how high do the highest-end men’s suits go? Expect to pay a minimum of $3,500 for a truly first-rate custom number, though depending upon the name on the label starting prices can range much higher. Also, don’t forget that if you’re buying in Europe, the exchange rate of the dollar against the British pound or the euro, makes the ostentatious border on the obscene. But don’t expect prices to be particularly lower at some U.S. tailors, either. While H. Huntsman, for instance, asks a princely $4,500 before Value Added Tax (currently at 17.5 percent, putting the total cost well over $5,000) for an entry-level bespoke in Super 100 wool, on New York’s Upper East Side, bespoke suit maker Jon Green won’t get the fabric rolling for anything less than $5,100 (taxes not included).

Want something a bit finer — or perhaps a whole lot finer? Expect to pay dearly for it, though bear in mind that most of the expense above $5,000 or so is due to the fabric, not the talent of the workmanship. Master tailor and “Power look” avatar William Fioravanti, for instance, charges clients who walk into his Manhattan showroom up to $10,500 to create a bespoke suit in Super 220 merino wool, of which he says $5,000 covers the cost of four meters of cloth — precisely the extra above his entry-level rate. “This year we will sell at least 12 or 13 suits at that price,” he notes.

If I had the money, I’d most certainly buy one of these.