Best patterns for bespoke suits

[Powderfingrer]

So, after years of casual clothes, I have a new gig that will be suits only. I have a nice wardrobe of suits, but, alas, that Covid 19 + (er, 40) I put on lead most to not fit well. So I'm in the market for some new suits, and I'm lucky to have the means to afford some nice ones.

I'm curious about 2 things. First, if I get 15 new suits, what 15 patterns would you choose? I enjoy being somewhat flamboyant, so I don't need to stick to the ultra-conservative; I enjoy people noticing. Second, I like old-school tailoring - kind of Cary Grant c. North by Northwest. What East Coast tailors might specialize in this regard?

Thanks so much for the advice.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Flamboyant but old school?

 

[comrade]

One can wear understated fabrics fabrics and still be somewhat flamboyant by
choosing shirts and ties, etc to enliven the look.
Re: fabrics, I vote for birdseye or nail head in grey and blue. Chalk stripes,
Price of Wales Plaid. If you may wear tweeds at this job there are many options
that approach flamboyant. Also, contrasting vests give a vaguely Edwardian
style. See Harold Macmillan:

 

[Powderfingrer]

Flamboyant but old school?

Yes. In the sense that lapelled vests and Prince of Wales plaids are old school but beyond the typical navy and gray.

 

[ChasingStyle]

where are you based?

 

[Powderfingrer]

Washington DC

 

[yanagi]

If you really want 15 bespoke (as opposed to MTM) suits, I'd still suggest taking it slow by ordering 1 suit at first; and wearing it a few times to see if you like the fit and styling. No point in sinking the money and time for 15 bespoke suits all at once if it turns out something's amiss and you won't wear them.

 

[classicalthunde]

Divij Hemrajani comes to DC, I've used him for 2 garments and have been pleased with the results. They're made in HK, affordable, and flexible when it comes to style. I believe Steed travels to DC as well, but that's a bit out of my price range

for 15 suits with a variety of styles I'd go:

4 structured style (e.g. Huntsman) - dark navy twill, charcoal birdseye, pinstripe, dealers choice flannel
4 drape 'soft tailoring' style (e.g. Anderson and Sheppard) - navy fresco, mid-grey sharkskin, light grey plain weave, dealers choice Donegal tweed
3 Neapolitan style - blue navy hopsack, drab corduroy, tan solaro or linen
3 double breasted - navy twill, mid-grey flannel, PoW
1 formal tuxedo - DB midnight blue barathea

EDIT - I'm an idiot, I read 'pattern' as cut, and not as a fabric/design pattern

 

[Encathol Epistemia]

So, after years of casual clothes, I have a new gig that will be suits only. I have a nice wardrobe of suits, but, alas, that Covid 19 + (er, 40) I put on lead most to not fit well. So I'm in the market for some new suits, and I'm lucky to have the means to afford some nice ones.

I'm curious about 2 things. First, if I get 15 new suits, what 15 patterns would you choose? I enjoy being somewhat flamboyant, so I don't need to stick to the ultra-conservative; I enjoy people noticing. Second, I like old-school tailoring - kind of Cary Grant c. North by Northwest. What East Coast tailors might specialize in this regard?

Thanks so much for the advice.

Fifteen seems to encompass almost every major pattern generally available. There are a few that I particularly favor and are pretty eye-catching: Chalk Stripes, especially on a double-breasted suit, Solaro, Windowpane and Prince of Wales Check. Color is important too, which is admittedly stating the obvious, so perhaps besides patterns, you should try bolder shades than the usual navy-charcoal set. I have a blue fresco suit that once prompted a man wearing a hard hat to exclaim, "that's an amazing suit." You could probably also wake some eyes up just by choosing greens that are a little more daring than olive or sage.

As for Tailors, my experience is quite narrow, but I think that you might like Joseph Genuardi. He's pretty knowledgeable and adaptable. I think that if you look over some of his work, you might get a sense if he's suitably old-school. He's also usually pretty game to try interesting things. I've commissioned several things from him and will be seeing him Saturday. My sensibilities tend to be pulled both toward the old-fashioned and the idiosyncratic. (This three-button jacket that he made for me, which was inspired both by Stroller Jackets and Norfolk Jackets, that he made for me embodies both aspects pretty well)

I'm not sure if he's conveniently enough located: His shop is in Hoboken, a third of a mile from the train and subway station. Union Station to Pennsylvania Station to 33rd Street to Hoboken is, however, perhaps materially longer than starting from 30th Street Station. (If you'd like to cut the travel time down to whatever it is from Union Station to 30th Street followed by the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated and Broad Street Subway, you could try John Di Pietro, here in Philadelphia. He's 86, so being 'old school' comes built in, but he's literally the only other tailor that I've used, so that's not a particularly thorough recommendation, although I do like him)

 

[bdavro23]

I think its important to understand the line between style and costume, and not cross it. That line is a moving target and to some extent is influenced by the person wearing the clothing. I try to keep my clients from making clothing that makes them feel like they are playing a character.

I bring this up because I think there is something to be said for having a level of consistency in your wardrobe. Especially in the case of starting over, as in your case, you get to avoid the mistakes you made previously and learn from them. I would think about making the differences between your suits rather subtle, especially if there is a strong pattern involved. For example, a slightly more structured jacket for the fall winter and a slightly softer jacket for spring summer. There are other ways to do this obviously, but I think the key is to not have major outliers and deviation from whatever your median might be.

In terms of the actual patterns, I'm partial to birdseye and really like tonal plaids where the cloth resolves to a visually interesting solid from a distance, but has movement and a bit of intrigue when you get a little closer.