Navin’s Custom Clothiers

Shady… just plain shady. I won’t be getting any more clothes from Peter nor will I recommend anyone go see him. He’s crooked. He messed up on suit pants and then tried to cover up by telling me that the way the pants came out (way too short) was the style. I asked him to lengthen them and he simply added material… how shady is that? If you want a super budget deal, go see Peter. Otherwise, shop around — spend a bit more — and get a better product.
Danny

I bought my suit through a Groupon, which included a custom suit and shirt. Was easy to make a weekend appointment to visit his fitting studio in SF. He was clear upfront about which materials were included as part of the deal. Did not try to upsell me, though, and I felt like he honored the spirit of the promotion. I chose to upgrade the material, so all in, I got my suit and shirt for $ 1,400. The quailty of the workmanship of the finished suit was wonderful and the fit is magnitudes better than an off-​the-​rack suit. By far my new favorite suit. It’s not as convenient to visit as a store with regular hours, so the scheduling can be a litlte bit of a hassle, but generally he tries to be flexible as to when to meet. He takes a lot of pride in his work, which maybe can rub people the wrong way, but a lot of artisans (which he would definitely consider himself as it relates to custom tailoring) share this personality trait. Will definitely go back for my next suit.

I started working with Peter through the Living Social deal. After wearing some of his custom shirts, I can’t help but want more. The pattern, fabric and style choices are endless and unique. I’ve now returned to Peter multiple times and often receive compliments on my new clothes. I now have his shirts, slacks, jackets, suits, ties and cuff links. Peter is passionate about his business and a perfectionist when it comes to his customer’s needs. If you want to look exceptional and feel confident in what you’re wearing, I highly recommend Navin’s.

This review is long overdue, as I owe Peter this one for lending me a beautiful pair of cuff links.
The suit that Peter made me is amazing. The fabric is functional, breathable, and doesn’t bunch up or crease with extended wear. When I put the suit on, I feel like a movie star. Daniel Craig ain’t got nothin’ on me! (okay, so maybe he’s a real movie star)
After reading some of the other reviews below, I was a bit confused and conflicted as to the vast difference in experience as well as product.
Before I continue I should mention that I have never gotten a tailored suit before I met Peter. I also spend most of my days in a suit as a by-​product of my career choices. In short, my experience in the custom tailored suiting arena is limited, and when I walked into his establishment, I probably looked like the kind of customer that Peter would like to keep in his book of business.
That said, Peter has always been very courteous and friendly, and completely professional, with a very gentle guiding hand. When I asked for a modern, slim fit suit, that is exactly what he delivered. Keep in mind, I weight train. I have a chest and waist differential of about nine inches. Maybe I don’t understand how tailoring works, but if Peter can overcome that when cutting patterns out of cloth before sewing them together, I’m sure he can overcome whatever body type you might have.
Now I did have to shell out additional dollars for customization’s, like choosing a striking paisley lining and getting functional buttons on the suit sleeve, as well as some things on the shirt (which now slips my mind, but I think it had something to do with the French cuff or the collar). All together that brought my total, including the Groupon, to roughly $ 900. Yes, I know, pricey. Especially for an off-​the-​rack kind of guy.
The good little things about the suit that I noticed:
The pants have the tacky strip to keep your shirt from un-​tucking as you hustle around the city from one meeting to the next. The trouser legs have that lining to keep the heavy wear and tear caused by the traumatic movement of walking from ruining the knees of your suit. And even though I didn’t ask for it, he had my name embroidered on the inner breast pocket. It was a very nice touch, though I had trouble reading it upside down when he pointed it out. He also put in a coin pocket in the pants (hidden in the waistline, where the belt might cover it), as well as a phone pocket and a pen pocket in the jacket. All very useful, and I was unaware was part of the deal.
The bad little things about the suit that I noticed:
The suit jacket lining doesn’t extend into the sleeves. That special paisley lining (that I paid extra for) stops at the sleeves. I know most people won’t see it when I put it on, but I know about it, and it bothers me a little.
The buttons are your typical plastic buttons. From what I understand, buttons made of more exotic materials can make your suit pop (as well as drive the price up).
Finally, there was one time I set an appointment for a fitting, and he completely forgot. It’s a trek for me to get up to San Francisco (I live in Palo Alto). I was not happy to find out when I arrived that he was on his way back to Sacramento.
Peter made it up to me by giving me a free tie (Oh, and judging by his selection of ties, he doesn’t seem to be a fan of skinny ties, so if you’re planning on looking more like an associate than a partner, bring your own).

I see Peter is having another groupon sale this year. He was excellent. Its the coolest suit I’ve ever had. It is still pricey, particularly with the frills I got, but noone will look better then you. Promise.

Like many others, I purchased the Living Social deal roughly a year ago (suit, shirt, tie). While the craftsmanship and fabrics were on par with the price paid, I’m not very happy with what I got. Unfortunately, it took some photos of me to realize how badly the suit fits. If I were to do this again, I would rather purchase a cheap H&M suit that actually fits my body type instead of nice fabrics that fit like a poncho around my waist and ankles.
Me: I have your typical slim fit body. Small waist with average chest/​shoulders for my height. Unless something says «modern» or «slim», it doesn’t fit me correctly below the chest, and looks like a sweater grandma would knit for me and say I’d grow into it. All in all, I enjoy clothes that are not hipster tight, but form fitting. I was assured the fit would be slim and modern and heard several references to how it would mirror the current styles of GQ. GQ isn’t a fashion bible in any sense of the term, but I was happy to have something in the same ballpark.
Shirt: This was the bright spot of the entire experience. It fits well in most aspects and has become part of my regular rotation.
Tie: The options were terrible. They’re wide like we’re in the 80s. It takes up half of my body. The options are limited in terms of fabrics, and there were no skinny ties. The tie now is at Goodwill.
Jacket: Fabric options were almost nil at the Living Social price. And they looked pretty horrendous. Want a better fabric? That’s an upcharge? Why not look at some of the best fabrics from England? That’s several times what you would get from the Living Social deal. I don’t mind seeing the options, but understand where I started and how far I’m willing to go. Even with the books and options, they’re still limited. I was expecting options like going into Britex. This is not the case. What I received as a final product fit decently well in the shoulders, but the overall fit was beyond reproach. When buttoned, I can grab a handful of extra fabric before it fits me well. I had one round of tailoring, but did not get much closer.
Pants: Almost the same story as the jacket. I wore jeans and shoes specifically to show the style I liked. What I received was pants with cuffs so wide that they engulf most of my shoes.
Be warned. Unless you want to look like the basketball players in the Navin’s ads with their ultra boxy suits that don’t fit for anything, go elsewhere. Wait for one of the firms from Hong Kong on their US visits. Hell, go to the mall and get something off the rack. It will fit better and you’ll feel better about yourself in the end. The fact that this was on Living Social should have been the fair warning we all needed.

So, I was about to buy the LivingSocial deal but of course wanted to see the available fabrics and make sure that I’m getting something of quality before hunkering down $ 700.
I called the main number (916 area code), and a very nice gentleman explained that there are plenty of fabrics to choose from and that he can schedule an appointment with me to look at the fabrics in their SOMA location. This sounded great!
Just now I get a call back from a different person (415 area code). As soon as I told them I wanted to look at different fabrics before buying the LivingSocial deal, the voice on the other end of the line said: «I DO NOT WANT TO WASTE MY TIME.»
He continued to insist that he wasn’t going to bother helping me until I purchased the LivingSocial deal. Said that I’m welcome to visit their Sacramento location if I wanted to go look at fabrics.
This went against everything the gentleman at the 916 area code told me.
Not only that, but the guy had the audacity to hang up on me. I decided to call back to inform him he lost a customer (one that loves suits and dress clothes). His first response? «I am recording this so that I can play it back.»
Basically, you have a guy there who doesn’t give a crap about customer service.

I bought a beautiful two-​piece suit, two shirts, and a tie from Peter and could not be more pleased with the results. Peter figured out my tastes and preferences quickly and showed me some fabric swatches that were just right. I’ve had suits and shirts made for me before in New York and San Francisco and this was the best experience I’ve had by far.

Some thoughts on taking a Living Social, Groupon, or any other social/​coupon/​deal arrangement with any company offering custom hand made goods… You really need to know IN DETAIL what you are buying, what you can do if you are not happy when you engage with the vendor, and if you have any recourse in the event the final product is not acceptable.
Does the description convince you that you will receive something of high quality? What are your options if things are not what you expect or don’t go as planned? For example:
* What happens if you don’t like the materials (fabric, lining, whatever) being offered by the vendor or those materials don’t meet your expectations given the price you are paying?
* What if the vendor asks you to pay more? Do you know what are legitimate extras within the industry and what are unjustified «add-​on» charges? What if you are asked to pay for an «upgrade» in advance? Will you pay that before you have received any goods from the vendor? Does committing the entire value of the purchase up front make sense to you when the goods are custom? Wouldn’t it make more sense to pay some smaller portion up front and the larger balance when the goods are delivered and when the goods meet your standards?
* What if the vendor doesn’t deliver the product you expected within the time frame you agreed?
* What if the quality of the workmanship, fit, or something else is «off?»
* If you purchased a «coupon» from a third party (Living Social, Groupon, etc.), will that third party back you or will they back the vendor if something goes wrong? If you don’t get what you expected — is it just your «tough luck?»
I was introduced to this vendor through Living Social.
Upon visiting the vendor to begin the process, I was not happy with what was offered by the vendor in comparison to the Living Social coupon value of $ 1685, in comparison to what I paid for that Living Social «coupon,» and in comparison to what I expect of a custom clothier. On top of that, I was asked to pay for «upgrades» in fabric, extra charges for cuffs, extra charges for pleats, even a charge for the material to line the suit!
Those «extras» were roughly 50% more than what I had paid for the coupon! I was then asked to pay for all of those «extras» in advance even though I had already paid a substantial amount through Living Social.
When I expressed surprise at the bill I was shown, the owner told me that the charges for «extras» were necessary because otherwise his business doesn’t make a profit on the deal, that I was welcome to take my business elsewhere and, if I chose to not to do business with him, I would receive a refund from Living Social. To be clear on this point, when I spoke to Living Social their customer service rep said the vendor had no right to say that I would receive a refund and, in fact, Living Social did not provide a refund.
I was not satisfied with what this vendor was offering compared to the «value» advertised for the deal ($ 1685), I was not happy to be presented a bill for roughly 50% more than what I had already paid, I lost faith in the vendor during the process, and I was disappointed that Living Social would not provide a refund in this situation.
Before you consider buying from a custom-​made vendor, make sure you know absolutely what you are getting for your money. Understand that completely before buying any «coupon» through a social/​coupon/​deal company or for that matter in ordering direct through the vendor. If necessary, visit the vendor in advance. Do the terms of the deal (fine print, etc.) match what the vendor has promised and are those terms sufficiently descriptive to protect your interests? If not, are you sure you want to proceed?
You should also decide how much you are comfortable paying in advance of receiving your goods. Is 25% enough? Is 50% risky? You have to be comfortable with the amount of money and time you are committing up-​front and throughout the entire process.
On a related topic, do you even know that the price is fair? Who are the vendor’s competitors? What do they charge for completed work and how much do they ask you to pay in advance? I recently learned that Nordstrom’s does custom suits and they have an excellent reputation for always making their customers happy.
Finally, if you are thinking about prepaying through a third party social/​coupon/​deal company, please consider that doing so may limit both your ability to negotiate and any recourse you might have if the completed work is not of an appropriate quality given the amount paid.

After purchasing a two piece suit, two shirts, and a tie, I couldn’t be more happy with both the product and the process. At a glance Peter knew my height and weight, which shoulder sits lower, and probably lots of other tiny details that I wouldn’t have thought were relevant. He has a huge selection of fabrics, and lots of suggestions/​pictures for people like me that don’t have anything specific in mind. I told him I had black and grey suits, and wanted something different, and he had lots of great suggestions. The result is a perfect fit and exactly what I asked for (a slim fit). The shirts were tapered just right and didn’t have any baggy excess like the shirts I buy off the shelf (even those labeled as «slim» or «tailored» fit). The suit was the best fit I have tried. I have purchased other slim-​fit suits off the shelf and had them tailored. They fit ok, but tend to be more constricting and show some strain/​wrinkling as I move. This suit is just as slim fitting, but somehow is not constricting. Very happy with the result!

Let me start by saying that I am extremely pleased with my decision to go with Peter for my custom three-​piece suit and shirt. During the initial consultation /​measuring appointment, Peter proved to be incredibly knowledgeable as he guided me through all the different possibilities with regards to style, fabric, color, fit, etc. I knew generally what I wanted when I walked in, but Peter really helped with the many details that go into a custom suit.
I had high expectations when I walked in to pick up the finished product, but Peter managed to exceed them all. The suit and shirt fit perfectly, and they look terrific. My girlfriend loves it. I highly recommend Peter to anyone looking for a top quality suit!

I am extremely happy with my suit! I have never had a jacket fit so perfectly on me. My suit has my name embroidered on the inside pocket. There are no branding items or washing instructions other than the name, order number, and date on the inside of my pants. My suit is original and authentic, and it was made for only me. Thanks Peter! And yes, I assume it is dry clean only!

Extremely friendly and professional, has an eye for detail and a really wide selection of fabrics. Highly recommended!

Peter custom made a beautiful suite for me. It fits perfectly and the fabric is top quality. It was a painless process, took about 30 minutes to pick out the fabric and do the measurements. Peter is friendly, professional, prompt, and I highly recommend him.

There is truly nothing like custom suits and Navin’s does it to a T with friendly, personal service and an eye for the right match. Everything is hand selected, the materials are fine quality and you’ll never find someone wearing your same tie.