First bespoke suit- input welcome

[brittain]

In a few weeks I'll be meeting with Patrick of WW Chan to be measured for my first bespoke suit. Ive got several questions and would be interested in some input before I pull the trigger.

Below is what I currently own. They are all SB; all are 2B except the gray sharkskin, which is a 3B roll 2B. All are dual vent except the khaki cotton, which is a single vent.

gray sharkskin
navy micro-pinstripe
charcoal pinstripe
black
khaki cotton
chocolate brown

For my first suit, Im thinking either a solid navy or a POW check. From what Ive read on here, the VBC cloth seems to be a smart choice for a first suit, then perhaps try something pricier once Chan has perfected my fit.

I work in government, but already have somewhat of a reputation for dressing differently (meaning: I dont wear short sleeve shirts with ties), so not fitting into the exact office stereotype isnt that important to me. I want something I can wear to work, but wouldnt have a problem wearing out to happy hour or dinner, or the occasional wedding, etc.

Ticket/Hacking pockets- I like them both but am concerned they might date the suit. Am I going to want to be wearing ticket pockets or hacking pockets in 5-10 years?

I also plan to order a sportcoat, fabric as yet undetermined.

If all goes well with Chan, I would like to order a DB suit and an unstructured linen jacket for my next go-round.

I guess the point of this thread is to get some input on my color/cloth selections, and any advice on the ticket/hacking pockets. Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by brittain

Ticket/Hacking pockets- I like them both but am concerned they might date the suit. Am I going to want to be wearing ticket pockets or hacking pockets in 5-10 years?

An out ticket pocket and/or hacking pockets "place" your suit as Anglophile, and might "date" your suit to various periods. Neither feature is American. No matter what the time or the place, nearly all Americans would view those features as out of the ordinary.

If you do not love them for what they are, and already have doubts, perhaps the best thing on the first item that you get made is to go with conventional flapped pockets and skip the ticket pocket. A glen plaid is already a bit informalizing, so if your intent was to inject a bit of dÃ

gagÃ

into your first bespoke suit, the fabric will already do that for you.

- B

 

[alebrady]

another option i have found useful when stretching my own boundaries is try incorporating unique elements one at a time...i.e. rather than have hacking pockets w/ a ticket pocket maybe try straight pockets with a ticket pocket or slanted pockets without the ticket.

sometimes you get more bang for the buck with less..although, i must admit, i am increasingly partial to ticket and hacking pockets

when i first used chan i went through the exact same thought process wrt fabric. i chose a vbc (rather than some more expensive cloths i was interested in) to be used for my first suit. in hindsight, i think it was a wise decision, however, i did not use chan again. if i had continued with chan i may have thought maybe i should have just gone with a more expensive fabric. Using a lower quality fabric basically provides you a form of limiting your investment should things turn out poorly. of course, i do note that it is not like the vbc is overly cheap or unbearable...but it definitely is not one of my favorite fabrics

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

If you do not love them for what they are, and already have doubts, perhaps the best thing on the first item that you get made is to go with conventional flapped pockets and skip the ticket pocket. A glen plaid is already a bit informalizing, so if your intent was to inject a bit of dÃ

gagÃ

into your first bespoke suit, the fabric will already do that for you.

- B

I try to inject a bit of degage into everything.


OP: in terms of what you see here in WAYWN (not the empty plates) and in stores/brands, what is your style? What suit have you seen that you think is great?

 

[brittain]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

A glen plaid is already a bit informalizing, so if your intent was to inject a bit of dÃ

gagÃ

into your first bespoke suit, the fabric will already do that for you.

- B

Originally Posted by alebrady

another option i have found useful when stretching my own boundaries is try incorporating unique elements one at a time...i.e. rather than have hacking pockets w/ a ticket pocket maybe try straight pockets with a ticket pocket or slanted pockets without the ticket.

I agree with you both, the fabric and pockets might be a bit much. If I go with the glen plaid, I'll probably stick with standard pockets. if I go with the solid navy, I will probably go with a standard flap pocket with the ticket pocket.

Originally Posted by edmorel

OP: in terms of what you see here in WAYWN (not the empty plates) and in stores/brands, what is your style? What suit have you seen that you think is great?

I'll probably wear my RLBL to the fitting as an example of the kind of fit and shape I would like, but with slightly wider lapels and a softer shoulder with none of the standard RLBL roping. I want a SB, 2B, dual vent, perhaps a slightly higher button stance, open quarters. Pants will be flat front, side adjusters, plain bottoms.


With respect to the WAYWN thread, I like the overall shape, button stance, quarters, and shoulders similar to thes ones shown here in 0b5cur1ty's pics.

 

[alebrady]

certainly, we all have our own preferences....but does the buttoning point look way too high??

 

[Zenny]

I agree, the buttoning point seems a tad too high, above his natural waist.

 

[blackbowtie]

It seems to work for him though. Would it be the case that a higher button stance would work for certain physiques?

 

[chewy]

If those were the suits I already had, I'd get a strong blue pinstripe or blue tick weave fabric.

One other thing you should consider is getting two trousers.

 

[Butterfly]

Originally Posted by blackbowtie

It seems to work for him though. Would it be the case that a higher button stance would work for certain physiques?

Yes.

 

[Bounder]

There are hacking pockets and then there are hacking pockets. Though they are more authentic, I think the extremely-angled hacking pockets you sometimes see are a bit much on a suit. But you don't have to have your pockets set at 30 degrees. Having the pocket set at even a very slight angle can add a rakish air to a suit even though hardly anyone will specifically notice that you have hacking pockets.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by Bounder

There are hacking pockets and then there are hacking pockets. Though they are more authentic, I think the extremely-angled hacking pockets you sometimes see are a bit much on a suit. But you don't have to have your pockets set at 30 degrees. Having the pocket set at even a very slight angle can add a rakish air to a suit even though hardly anyone will specifically notice that you have hacking pockets.

Yes, I agree with this. On my suit jackets with hacking pockets, like this faux tweed, the angles are more moderate that would be classically the case on a true hacking jacket:

- B

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Zenny

I agree, the buttoning point seems a tad too high, above his natural waist.

This v. high button stance has been the trend for a while. But I don't care for it, in general, and think practical considerations weigh against it.

 

[courty]

For a first bespoke suit, I would go for a classic and a workhorse - a plain navy serge with straight flapped pockets and no out ticket pocket. I would save the hacking and ticket pockets for the sport coat. A POW, given the casualness of the cloth, also looks good with a ticket pocket.

 

[Chips]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Yes, I agree with this. On my suit jackets with hacking pockets, like this faux tweed, the angles are more moderate that would be classically the case on a true hacking jacket:

- B

This is probably one of the best examples of the kind of peak lapeled jacket I would want to have someday.