My First Chan Suit

I am new here (only observing until now) and am thinking myself about taking the Chan route, but quite deterred by the length of the sleeves.

First, if you have working buttonholes ( and I assume this suit has), how difficult is it to shorten them?

Second, on some previous posts here and on AAAC, members suggested to bring your best suit. Is it the best thing to do?

B

I am new here (only observing until now) and am thinking myself about taking the Chan route, but quite deterred by the length of the sleeves.

First, if you have working buttonholes ( and I assume this suit has), how difficult is it to shorten them?

Second, on some previous posts here and on AAAC, members suggested to bring your best suit. Is it the best thing to do?

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I'm not sure I'd let the particulars of my experience detract you. As far as I know, my experience is unique to the members of this forum. The sleeves clearly are in error (by a substantial margin). But Patrick has committed to making things right and I'm convinced he will.

That brings me to your other question regarding the wisdom of bringing your best suit as a template. I think I erred in coming to the appointment in a suit that was so radically different from both what I was looking for and what Chan specializes in. The Brioni is as close to perfect in sleeve length as you could expect from OTR. But its shoulders are shorter and a bit higher than the Chan. I compared the sleeve lengths of the two jackets and they are almost exactly the same, so clearly the shoulder is the culprit.

As I mentioned previously, if I had it to do over again, I'd have eschewed the suit and come to the appointment in only a shirt and trousers. In this case, my Brioni was nothing more than a distraction.

I'm still surprised they got the sleeve lengths wrong. I would expect Patrick to recognize that different shoulder types are going to require different sleeve lengths.

With regard to the lapel roll, perhaps my vision of it is different. Have you had the suit pressed, yet? I had mine pressed and the lapels look very much the same as your's. Perhaps my jacket wasn't pressed well and my concept of lapel roll is off.

dan

With regard to the lapel roll, perhaps my vision of it is different. Have you had the suit pressed, yet? I had mine pressed and the lapels look very much the same as your's. Perhaps my jacket wasn't pressed well and my concept of lapel roll is off.

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No, I haven't had it pressed yet. What you see is straight out of the box--and a small box it was--with only about 24 hours on the hanger. There isn't much roll at all but I expect that to be corrected with a good steam.

Lots of good comments already, just a few to add:

I'd recommend that you ask for to open the quarters on your next suit.

The "roll" of the lapels or lack thereof, looks like that of an "American" 2.5 button coat, see manton's post. I prefer the look of the European version.

The shoulders look a little strange to me, but I can't put my finger on why. I wasn't surprised when you mentioned they were going for a Brioni look...they went with the concent, but seems to have come out much softer. I'd almost like to see more structure, or less...as it is, it's sort of inbetween. I like the roped sleevehead very much.

Anyways, the suit looks great. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for the good word on the shoes. They're a demi-brogue that I got from Shipton & Heneage.

As for the shoulders, they're not quite as padded as the Brioni with a more natural, longer slope. The jacket does have that puff effect on the sleeve head which is very similar to the Brioni.

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Nice suit. I think that's the same fabric I used for one of mine (VBC pinstripe?). I doubt that it will be a big deal to fix those shoulders--in fact, if you have them take it back in March I am sure they will do put you to the head of the work queue.

All of my WW Chan suits have that puff effect at the sleeve head. I think it may depend on how much shoulder padding you specify.

How do you like the ticket pocket placement? Yours look to be proportioned exactly like mine, and I think that if I ever order another suit with a ticket pocket I will have them place it about 1/4" to 1/2" closer to the main pocket below it.

To answer a question from elsewhere in the thread, I sometimes tuck in the flaps on all three pockets, and sometimes I tuck in the ticket pocket flap only. I think it looks fine. I believe there is historical precedent for unflapped besom ticket pockets, though you don't see them very often.

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(dah328 @ Feb. 07 2005,09:12) With regard to the lapel roll, perhaps my vision of it is different. Â Have you had the suit pressed, yet? Â I had mine pressed and the lapels look very much the same as your's. Â Perhaps my jacket wasn't pressed well and my concept of lapel roll is off.
No, I haven't had it pressed yet. What you see is straight out of the box--and a small box it was--with only about 24 hours on the hanger. There isn't much roll at all but I expect that to be corrected with a good steam.
The appearance of the lapel roll can also be a function of the skill of the presser. I have had canvased suits come back from a bad pressing with the lapels pressed flat, and I have had fused suits come back from a good pressing with the lapels soft-rolled with a decent amount of body (well, as much as the material allowed). If you steam the underside of the lapels, they should spring up a bit.

Nice suit. I think that's the same fabric I used for one of mine (VBC pinstripe?). I doubt that it will be a big deal to fix those shoulders--in fact, if you have them take it back in March I am sure they will do put you to the head of the work queue.

All of my WW Chan suits have that puff effect at the sleeve head. I think it may depend on how much shoulder padding you specify.

How do you like the ticket pocket placement? Yours look to be proportioned exactly like mine, and I think that if I ever order another suit with a ticket pocket I will have them place it about 1/4" to 1/2" closer to the main pocket below it.

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Actually, mine was the Loro Piana Super 120s that Chan was running on special last November. It's a fantastic fabric--buttery soft, lightweight, with a very nice drape.

I like the ticket pocket placement, although I hadn't really considered it until you posed your question. Too much lower and it might look crowded, although I imagine a quarter inch lower wouldn't be too risky. My next suit (dark gray 2-button peak lapel) will come without a ticket pocket, if only to infuse a little more formality into the proceedings.

As to the matter of sleeve lengths, I think Mr. Chu has a bias for making sleeves on the long side. I discussed this matter with him when I made my November order. He thought they should be longer than I wanted, and I, a novice at this business, deferred to him. As it stands, they ended up longer than I'd like but not egregiously so. They are about the length a typical American department store alterations tailor will put on a suit sleeve unless instructed to the contrary.

This is a useful warning; I have my first Chan fitting in March (I was sufficiently concerned that I wanted to get a fitting rather than get a completed suit that might need reworking) and I'll be sure to watch the sleeve length especially carfully. Like many SF members, I always struggle with communicating this to tailors.

I was firm with Raymond on the first fitting--he thought the sleeves on the suit I wore to the fitting were too short and I told him emphatically that the coat sleeves had to show 1/2" of shirt cuff.  It worked out fine.

These are the kinds of issues that show the faults with a one-fitting suit.  You might not know what you like (or what you forgot to specify) until you see it done another way.  That's why I always advise people dealing with WW Chan for the first time to get one suit only, and to get it in the least expensive material available.  They are good enough at what they do that any mistakes or miscommunications will be small and either fixable or acceptable to most people, but if getting things *perfect* is the goal, it takes either two+ fittings of the first suit or more than one order.

When I got home tonight, I tried on the jacket of my new Chan suit. The sleeves, while not egregiously long, don't show an appreciable amount of cuff. However, they are at least a good inch shorter, relative to my hand and wrist, than those on Vintage Gent's suit. As they now are, I can live with them. Those on Vintage Gent's suit definitely need shortening.

I can't imagine having a suit made with only one fitting, and having working buttonholes put in. Couldn't you just have them leave the sleeves basted and get it done locally?

I can't imagine having a suit made with only one fitting, and having working buttonholes put in. Couldn't you just have them leave the sleeves basted and get it done locally?

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Certainly. In fact, you can have them send you the coat with unfinished sleeves, have them remeasure and optimize it at their next trip, and have them finish it in HK at no charge (though I think they will charge for the shipping). To me that is preferable to having it done locally.

Many thanks to all for some great pieces of advice.