Bumping an old thread rather than start a new one. Odd that Ede & Ravenscroft seem to fly under the radar; then again, Suit Supply (and Meermin) are getting all the attention - nothing wrong with either, as I really welcome Suit Supply's approach to reinvigorating the RTW market in the basic to mid tier suits. Unfortunately, after trying on in person a number of Suit Supply ranges, I find them too fashion forward and ill-fitting for my physique.
Popped into Ede & Ravenscroft today in Burlington Gardens, and spent a lovely hour plus chatting away with a very affable and knowledgeable Anglo-Indian gentlemen, who inquired as to my requirements and pulled out a number of 40R in various dark greys (sadly, no navys in 40R - except for pinstripe) from the sales selection, and immediately picked out a 40R in dark grey tropical wool 10.5oz, half-canvassed for £395.
The jacket fitted perfectly, although we both commented that the sleeves appeared a fraction short. It could have been due to my v-neck sweater I was wearing, but he felt happier (as did I) if we lengthened the sleeves by 3/4 of a cm. He mentioned that when he does bespoke, he always ends the sleeves at the wrist-bone - never longer. He also fitted my trousers, and we both suggested that the break could do with being shortened by another 1/4 inch from the first measurement. Tried the jacket on after the 2nd trouser pinning, and both of us were extremely happy.
I also tried a pair of dark grey flannel 12oz trousers £175. Again, good fit - although like the suit, will be better once my gym-work makes inroads on reducing my 啤酒肚 (beginnings of a beer belly, as my language partner refers to it). Measured and pinned the trousers to perfection, and am picking up both my suit and grey flannel trousers a week today.
We spent a lot of time chatting, as he was keen to get an idea of why I need the suit and the length of my commute, in order to advise suitable material in terms of durability and weight. We discovered that we both share the same commute (Heathrow Connect) - except in opposite directions (I'm going to Heathrow, he is coming from Hayes). He also was more than happy to provide me with a brief synopsis of the history of the company, the clientele, a little bit about the MTM and bespoke work that he does, and he provided advice and picked out a lovely sports coat that he thought would suit me, after I mentioned that I'm interested in looking for a sports coat in the next few weeks (after the September No Purchasing Club). He advised coming back in a few weeks when their Autumn / Winter collection was in stock, and comparing the one he picked out with the others in the range i.e. functional solids in navy, grey, etc.
It was a lovely light olive (in fact, olive probably isn't the right colour but my colour-wheel knoweldge is sub-par) with faint burgundy (again, my colour-wheel is sub-par) window-panes. Something I would never normally pick, but when I tried it on, it fitted wonderfully, although he mentioned that he thought the back needed cleaning because there was too much drape, and my indigo v-neck sweater picked out the faint burgundy window-panes. Similar colour to this jacket, but window-panes are more burgundy and fainter.
He also gave me a brief synopsis on the different types of material such as donegal, and invited me to pop in when he is next in, in 2 weeks time to introduce me to different fabrics and material, so I can get a feel for their texture, weight, construction, etc.
Needless to say, I think I'll be a returning customer. It's lovely to finally find a 'go to' place after spending lots of time visiting different places and trying on different suits.
Edited by Putonghua73 - 8/25/12 at 12:57pm
