bespoke novice, experiences with Graham Browne or Choppin & Lodge?

[handmadeharry]

I am surprised to see that you had a bad experience at Choppin and Lodge!
I have had more than two dozen suits and jackets made by them and not a blip. I have sent friends and collegues there and all are pleased as punch.
Richard Wainwright has been my tailor for fourteen years and set up the Choppin and Lodge business four years ago.
I haven't met Ryan so I can't comment on that ,but I am sure that if you were to contact Richard he would certainly make sure your problems were solved. He used to make my suits at Chestet Barrie and Huntman and is at the top of his game. My wife has had a suit from there too!! I would recomend that you give him a call. I think you will get better results from talking to them and whilst I concur that your experience is somewhat flawed this is a forum and not a place to vent ones anger and frustration.
Bespoke is not for everyone but they would get my recommendation past, present and future.
I'm not defending them but you might consider that your comments which are certainly full of frustration and anger can affect people's livelyhood and that's far more serious than a suit that doesn't fit correctly!!
Good luck with all
H

 

[Grammaton Cleric]



I'm not defending them but you might consider that your comments which are certainly full of frustration and anger can affect people's livelyhood and that's far more serious than a suit that doesn't fit correctly!!

Huh? So if he's had a poor experience w/ C&H he shouldn't write about it on a message board devoted to such issues, because it might 'affect people's livelyhood (sic)".

Don't be ridiculous.

 

[greger]

If you are not getting your money back you might as well let Russell try. There is nothing to lose, but maybe something to gain. If he takes a look maybe he'll see what to do immediately.

No doubt that somebody higher up should have stepped in a whole lot sooner.

 

[NickyD]

My first thought on reading the post from ALondoner was to dismiss it as a complete load of rubbish but, upon re-reading, the heartfelt vehemence comes through so I can only contrast my own, very different, experiences. I am not an "unassuming" client attracted by the location. I have been a client since the days of their, virtually clandestine, operation in an obscure passage off Bow Lane. I am a middle-aged, experienced and discerning buyer and a long time purchaser of tailoring services. Choppin & Lodge clothing now forms a majority of my wardrobe, the proportion growing as I wear out or discard previous commissions. We're talking 15 suits and at least as many again jackets and trousers.

I have been, and indeed am, delighted with each and every garment. I enjoy the playful flair of the designs and the quality of the execution. On the (very) few occasions where I have had a niggle, this has been resolved to my absolute satisfaction. Should ALondoner have availed himself of Russell's offer he would now be in possession of an expertly cut suit from someone at the top of his game. His loss.

I have had the rather childish pleasure of being stopped in the street by one of those tailors you see wandering around the City with a trolley bag to compliment me on my suit - hardly the product of "using clients' money and time trying to learn how to make suits". In contrast to ALondoner I recommend Choppin & Lodge and will continue to enjoy their design flair and flawless finish.

 

[Grammaton Cleric]

Interesting that both handmadeharry and NickyD just signed up to SF today/yesterday. What a weird conincidence that two ardent supporters of C&L, both w/ over 20 garments from the firm, have signed up and posted within the past day.

 

[ALondoner]

I am surprised that someone views my contribution to this forum as a “vent of anger and frustration”. Any experience of the kind I had with Choppin & Lodge does inevitably involve frustration; nevertheless, my description is civil and detailed enough for other users of the forum to be able to make informed decisions about their choices. This is the essence of this thread and of this website.

I have no intention to harm anyone, particularly “people’s livelihood” as you appear to be implying, but rather flag out what I deem is a bad professional, for the purpose of informing fellow consumers.

I shall not respond to the rest of your personal comments, but rather let other readers judge them.

Nevertheless, your observation that a suit which doesn’t fit correctly is not a good reason to post against the services of a certain tailor in a style forum, in case this affects their livelihood, left me confused. What is a good reason then?

 

[NickyD]

To Grammaton Cleric - of course it's not a coincidence, I can read Styleforum without registering but to post I had to sign up. I've never had any relevant personal experience and/or contribution before, simple as that. I'm genuinely surprised by ALondoner's experience and wished to contrast my own. You should expect more new joiners as I bring the post to the attention of 4 of my friends whom I have introduced to C&L and who are happy with their purchases.

Reading ALondoner's post I have no doubt that he has had a bad experience, he makes that clear. Where I disagree is his conclusion that this experience is the default. That's just not the reality and, indeed, how could they continue to survive in "a premium City address" should that be the case. I agree with several of the other posts that this should have been escalated to Russell and Richard earlier, such a shame that he did not take up Russell's offer.

Actually, what really prompted me to write was the implication that I had wasted some tens of thousands of my hard earned money on a bunch of muppets. I didn't and they aren't.

Just so we're clear, and to my eternal regret, I do not receive and have not received subsidised anything from them but would be more than happy should C&L choose to change that policy!

 

[ALondoner]

As a response to NickyD’s comments I would only like to mention that, unlike his conviction, I feel no loss having declined Russell’s “offer”. On the contrary, I find it at least puzzling that such an expert tailor, “at the top of his game”, did not think it was necessary to take care of a client visiting his business in the first place, but rather confined himself to trying and collecting the pieces after the damage was done and, crucially, I asked for a refund.

He did not think appropriate to at least offer this refund, for a service that I paid for but I did not receive, either. Instead, he preferred to keep both my deposit and the garment. In my opinion this is lack of professionalism, which I believe other fellow readers have the right to be informed about.

 

[NickyD]

Mmm, I hadn't realised quite how interactive these threads can become and this will be my last post, at least on this subject. To say it was ALondoner's loss comes across as presumptious which was not my intention. What I really wanted to get across is that it is a shame that ALondoner has not been able to share in my positive experiences and that he could maybe have done so if he had been prepared to allow Russell to redress whatever ALondoner felt was wrong with the garment. Clearly he has gone beyond this point. Actually a loss to all concerned.

Having anything bespoke made is, in my view, one of life's greatest pleasures, be it jewellery, furniture or clothing. Don't let this experience detract from those pleasures.

Now, my next plan is bespoke shoes in Warsaw - any tips/advice from the subscribers?

 

[Bespokeclothes]

I am very surprised at the complaint regarding Choppin and Lodge as only today i collected my new overcoat which is simply breathtaking. The coat was a perfect collaboration between Choppin and Lodge and myself in every respect - where nothing that i asked for was too much trouble provided of course, that it worked! If it was deemed incorrect or wrong in any way i was advised of why and what could be done as an alternative. This 'guiding hand' was based on truly solid tailoring experience and, the service was what one would expect from a professional establishment within the tailoring business.

I am not the easiest of clients to please yet i have had several suits made which i am absolutely delighted with. For those who know bespoke achieving the perfect suit is difficult at the beginning and it takes patience and a little extra effort to achieve that perfection but, i have never had a bad suit made there - but quite the reverse. They have been excellently cut and like all garments, have been tweaked at a very early stage to take in to account any specific requirements making the final result meet my every expectation.

I would highly recommend anyone to use Choppin and Lodge, and by having spoken to many other long standing clients that i encounter there - i think says it all. There is no other better recommendation than repeat business.

 

[Grammaton Cleric]

^ can the mods check IP addresses here - another new poster who just registered yesterday!!

 

[Borange]

Before taking the plunge into a bespoke, I have been following this forum for quite some time, absorbing. Having just completed my first suit at Choppin and Lodge, I thought I'd share my experience.

Firstly I decided a great place to start was navy 1B in a sturdy fabric. I'd seen quite a few positive reviews of Smiths Botany book so I chose a medium navy herringbone from there. I'd also been saving pictures of suits and jackets that I liked so that I could better communicate what indeed I wanted.

My first impressions were that Ryan asked very good probing questions and the basted fit proved that he'd taken accurate notes. The jacket was very good straight off, well fitting and proportioned. I had very specific ideas regarding the fore parts so some revisions were needed to achieve the result I wanted (2-3 fittings). They were however very accommodating throughout the process and it was worth the effort in the end.

Typically I have a great deal of difficulty with my trousers so I order one pair full and one slightly slimmer. Both pairs are higher waisted, one with daks tops, one with side adjusters. I was very pleased to find that they were very flattering after one initial fitting. Balance, front to back, is quite nice and finish is good. The waist band was a touch higher than I wanted initially but the difference was minor.

Some final tweaks still need to be made but I'm very pleased with the result on the whole. In total I had 5 fittings, which I think is very good indeed for a modest price. My impression of Ryan and Richard is that they focus on making a garment with which you will be happy; they want repeat business.

Here are some pics of the basted fit:

And the finished suit:

(The slimmer trousers are pictured above)