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Cad & The Dandy

Sleats

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Hi Guys, I see that a few of you guys from askandy are on here but so apologies for the 'reintroduction' but I am one of the owners for a British tailoring company called Cad & The Dandy. Really introducing myself and asking for feedback on our site and hope to help out and play an active part in this forum.
Really keen to have constructive feedback on ourwebsite, to hear if there is anything people would like to see on it in addition to what is there already etc etc.
We have a blog which is regularly updated, (shortly with a few interviews from some industry people, cloth merchants, tailors and fashion bloggers) so hope this will be an interesting read for people.

I hope in return I can offer some advice and inside info - look forward to contributing!

Sleats..

website is www.cadandthedandy.co.uk
 

StopPolloition

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Sleats,
Welcome. I think forum members probably want more of the juicy details before participating in a discussion about your site. Without them, you may not generate much interest and will probably be dismissed at first glance as another entry level MTM that specializes in online sales or has local salesmen (that may or may not know much about proper fit). I'm a rather junior member/long time lurker on these forums, but I think at a minimum, people would want to know the following information:

Suits:
1.) Construction quality. Is this a full canvas suit or does it use some/all fusing. People here are very particular about this sort of thing. Even at your prices, value conscious SF customers will not be interested in a garment that is entirely fused. Some probably will not be interested even if it is floating chest piece if it has fused lapels and quarters. Mentioning having a ex-Saville row [sic] tailor on your website is unlikely to win you points if these constructions details are not given (also you may consider fixing the spelling). Also I think a lot of people would want to see close up photos of your work. Key points would be the collar, lapels, button holes, and certain specific seams.
2.) Materials. Most of your fabric details don't give much information as to what mills these fabrics are sourced from. Some of them say from Huddersfield, but more details probably would be appreciated. Also, what sort of buttons do you use, plastic or horn?
3.) Actual construction location. Your business front is located in the UK, but do you outsource any of the labor? Is this all done in one shop or is the pattern made somewhere, garment is cut somewhere else, finished in another location, etc.?
4.) Fit. On the website you can modify small details like the leg opening of trousers, etc., but what other variations are you able to accomodate? I have very sloped shoulders bilaterally so I require the yoke to be cut differently. Do you have only one stock pattern that you base your fits off of and modify or are there different fit models? People are probably even more particular about fit types than they are about construction quality [and they are very particular about construction quality].

Shirts:
Similar information needed, but people are going to want to know if you offer real mother of pearl buttons. How stiff are your collar and cuff interlinings? Where are your fabrics sourced from and can you offer fabrics like Thomas Mason, Acorn, etc.? Do you have the option of fused or unfused collars/cuffs for people who have a preference for one? Also, measurements for shirts don't seem to have shoulder slope/square shoulder options, wrist measurements, watch space for one cuff, or monograms. Are there more features to be added in the future? How are measurements interpreted in relation to the end product. If I gave you my chest measurement of 42", would I end up with a shirt that has an allowance of 3" or 8"?

All that said, the site does look nice. The layout is easy to navigate for the most part, and the fact that you have a blog and are posting on forums makes you seem a lot more approachable for whatever weird requests customers might come up with. A lot of people are suspicious of new inexpensive MTM places if the representatives seem difficult to approach with questions or do not give much information. Places like that generally will be assumed to not care that much about the fit of the end product and unwilling to rectify a problem should one arise. That's my feedback, I hope I don't seem like a prick. The fit of your suits look quite nice on the gallery.
 

emmanuel

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Am I the only one that gives up on reading a thread if there is way too much writting?
 

StopPolloition

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Originally Posted by emmanuel
Am I the only one that gives up on reading a thread if there is way too much writting?

Damn, I guess I did write too much.
tounge.gif
Sorry, I'll go spend more time at bored.com instead.
 

nmprisons

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Originally Posted by emmanuel
Am I the only one that gives up on reading a thread if there is way too much writting?

I love it when folks who know share what they know. The more the better.
 

emmanuel

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Originally Posted by StopPolloition
Damn, I guess I did write too much.
tounge.gif
Sorry, I'll go spend more time at bored.com instead.


Im just messing wih you. Really the only reason I even commented was because I was bored!
smile.gif
 

penguin vic

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Sleats - here's a discussion on one of your suits: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=87152 General praise on the fit on that particular customer of yours. The questions from StopPollotion are of interest although he makes some assumptions as to what forum members want and are interested in.
 

Sleats

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Ok great - thanks for that hadnt turned up when I had searched.....interesting read and pleased that feedback on the thread as to one of our suits was amazingly positive.

Regarding the questions posted above:

I will be as brief as poss to answer them

Material: 95% English fabrics, from Dugdales, Johnstons (of elgin) and other smaller names, (we ourselves are exporters of cloth) and we make our garments in two locations (one europe and one in asia) but also we have the standard Holland & Sherry and big name cloths etc. Buttons as standard are plastic but obviously we also have horn available.

Regarding cut and potential - obviously everything and anything is possible on shirts or suits whether its split yoking or dictating the height of the stand on a shirt collar. As far as an in house style goes, we have a cut that uses a high arm hole, lower button positioning and waisted quite heavily (where appropriate
smile.gif
)

The website rather than being the mainstay of our business is purely to act as a window into what we offer and allow people that are new to tailoring to see and understand a little more about what is possible and would always encourage as far as possible for people to come to us to be fitted.

As a company we are a 'new' tailor but not embarrased about that and feel our approach to be balanced between tradition and modern and sit on the panel for the London College of Fashion to advise on the curriculum and approach for their tailoring courses and (I believe) the only tailors not on the row to have be invited to do so.
 

Sanguis Mortuum

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I actually ordered an odd waistcoat from you, I should be receiving it this week so I'll let you know what I think. If I like it then I'll probably be looking at getting a suit sometime in the next few months
smile.gif
 

Sleats

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Originally Posted by Aspire2Style
Sleats:

I wear 44XL in a suit jacket.

Your site only accommodates short, regular, or long.

Any help for someone my size?




Hi there, the part refering to short, medium or long is only for measurement guidance and not for the actual length we make your jacket/coat.. depending on what you select on the drop down boxes on the following page it populates a table of what "standard" RTW measurements would be.
We therefore make the jackets to whatever size is required?

does that make sense/help?
if not please let me know and I am more than happy to provide further guidance?
 

Sleats

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Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum
I actually ordered an odd waistcoat from you, I should be receiving it this week so I'll let you know what I think. If I like it then I'll probably be looking at getting a suit sometime in the next few months
smile.gif




Hi there, Thanks for the order therefore, I havent looked I dont think at your specific order but what type style did you go for? I will keep my eyes open for it
smile.gif
 

StopPolloition

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Mr. Sleats,

This sounds very interesting, I'm sorry to have hit you with a barrage of overly specific interrogative questioning. Looking at my post in retrospect, I was bit overly enthusiastic. I also didn't see the 12 Reasons slideshow on your site until I reexamined it just now. There's some close up pictures there as well as some information that I had asked about. Also, some of the articles in your blogs seem to show that you have a lot more interest in style and clothing than some other MTM companies competing in your price range.

It says that you have a unique pattern for every customer. Are you able to make a pattern for somebody who has a sloped shoulder? Almost all OTR clothing and half of MTM clothing still is not as great of a fit as I'd like because they often don't allow adjustments to be made for sloping shoulders. If you could adjust patterns for this and there are more positive reviews of your tailoring work, I may not be able to resist.
tounge.gif



Originally Posted by Sleats
Ok great - thanks for that hadnt turned up when I had searched.....interesting read and pleased that feedback on the thread as to one of our suits was amazingly positive.
....
 

Sleats

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Originally Posted by StopPolloition
Mr. Sleats,

This sounds very interesting, I'm sorry to have hit you with a barrage of overly specific interrogative questioning. Looking at my post in retrospect, I was bit overly enthusiastic. I also didn't see the 12 Reasons slideshow on your site until I reexamined it just now. There's some close up pictures there as well as some information that I had asked about. Also, some of the articles in your blogs seem to show that you have a lot more interest in style and clothing than some other MTM companies competing in your price range.

It says that you have a unique pattern for every customer. Are you able to make a pattern for somebody who has a sloped shoulder? Almost all OTR clothing and half of MTM clothing still is not as great of a fit as I'd like because they often don't allow adjustments to be made for sloping shoulders. If you could adjust patterns for this and there are more positive reviews of your tailoring work, I may not be able to resist.
tounge.gif




Not a problem at all!

Absolutely we cater for sloping shoulders and we would cut our suits accordingly - and can, if required build up the shoulders to off set the sloping look - although my personal taste is not to correct our own shape but merely use it.

The website will soon have this function built in so a 'user' can select the unique body traits one may have ( but to reinforce I would always prefer that the person is measured by us and the website used for re-order etc etc but that goes for any online order system)

I have a pretty sloping shoulders myself and my business partner a pair of shoulders so straight a spirit level would be happy on them. So yes absolutely we cut the suit differently to accomodate!
 

Sleats

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Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum
I actually ordered an odd waistcoat from you, I should be receiving it this week so I'll let you know what I think. If I like it then I'll probably be looking at getting a suit sometime in the next few months
smile.gif




I believe I have located your order or so I hope not knowing your real name, but I believe it is black waistcoat you are waiting on. It will be collected by courier and sent out first thing in the morning (Tuesday)

I believe you dealt with Ian and he will be in touch to confirm when it is on its way.

Thanks again for using us and I trust you will be happy with the waistcoat
 

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