First sportscoat

[Coffee]

Hello!

I´ve been thinking about upgrading my wardrobe by getting my first sportscoat. It wouldn´t be such a big deal if I had the selection most of you enjoy, here in Finland. Mostly low quality and small selection with high prices. I don´t feel comfortable ordering clothes online either. Taxation here is high for imported clothes and I´m concerned about fit.

I know a skilled tailor, who has a MTM-program and also does bespoke but his services ain´t cheap. That´s why I´m going to ask your advice before dropping some of my hard earned savings on a jacket.

I was thinking about getting a grey, propably herringbone, jacket. Two of my main concers are durability and fit. To how long extend is it possible to make adjustments on the jacket when ready, and how tough is herringbone wool? I realise I may not be as slim after five years as I´m now and was hoping the jacket would change with me. Is this kind of jacket something you could imagine seeing a 21 years old man wearing and think he looks good? I don´t want to look like an old man nor do I want to look like I´m trying too hard. Jacket isn´t exactly a common sight in Finland. I don´t know if you realise what kind of pressure an extremely casual environment puts on those who want to wear something else than windbreakers

.

Finally I have some questions about MTM and bespoke. I can´t decide which way to go. Bespoke even as an experience would be nice and I would certainly get what I ordered; a unique jacket, something to be proud of. The construction would also be of higher quality compared to MTM. On the other hand MTM is cheaper. What kind of experiences have you had with MTM suits and jackets? How much does an average MTM jacket cost? How about bespoke?

All comments are welcome whether they are on topic or off it. It would also be nice to see pics of some of your jackets.

Thanks for your time.

 

[a tailor]

m2m or bespoke either way you have the same choices of fabric, pattern , color and garment style. the big difference is the price. m2m will give a good fit. bespoke should be finer workmanship and detail. do not decide on the fabric and style till you see all the samples.

 

[kitonbrioni]

Sounds like you need to take a discount airline flight to London, Paris or Milan to get your clothes. Can you wear them on the way back and avoid new clothes duties?

 

[Dragon]

I suggest to try MTM first since it is probably cheaper and it seems you don`t have a good idea of what YOU WANT yet. I think bespoke is better if you know what you want.

 

[Coffee]

So you don´t think bespoke is that much better fit- and constructon-wise to justify the extra fee?

When talking about taxes I meant clothes imported from USA. Finland belongs to EU so no taxes are paid for goods ordered from member lands.

 

[Jolly Green]

So you don´t think bespoke is that much better fit- and constructon-wise to justify the extra fee?

Nobody would say that, I'm sure. The question is, can YOU justify the extra fee? Some can justify spending $10,000 on a suit.

You are in a similar situation as myself. Starting our wardrobe. It has been said repeatedly that the beauty of bespoke is in its subtleties. i.e. the average man will not recognize it as better than a mid-grade OTR suit (or sportcoat, or shirt, or shoes, or whatever, for that matter).

With entry-level bespoke costing 50% to 2x more than entry-level MTM, is it that much better? One should not purchase above his means. It seems to me that the better alternative is to cover the basics with several respectable OTR (if you are fortunate enough to be of average build) or MTM (if like me, not so much). Once you have the basics covered, you will also have the experience to recognize the limitations of OTR/MTM, time to consider bespoke. Assuming you buy good quality now they will be still usable as "beaters" when you do have bespoke in the closet.

Until I win the Lottery, this will be my strategy.

Cheers,
D

 

[Concordia]

Grey herringbone tweed is a pretty classic thing to wear around here. Don't know how it would look in Finland but I doubt you'd regret it. Harris tweeds in particular are notoriously durable.

There are two schools of thought on the MTM vs. bespoke thing. The first has been expressed pretty well-- buy more clothes for less money now, and when you can spend more and your body has settled down, you'll know what you want and be a more educated consumer.

The other way to approach it is to build a relationship now with a good bespoke tailor (or not-so-good--- some things are only known with experience) and learn the ropes by getting a very few classic items that you'll wear out through constant use. My first Savile Row garment was a tweed jacket I bought for use in college, for example. It had an honored place in my closet next to a few thrift shop items I wore to class. When you're 28, you will be in need of more clothes, be able to afford them, and will know just how to buy them.

A lot of how you come down on this will depend on your body type, how fussy you are about fit, and the amount of money you have.

 

[Coffee]

Thanks for your answers. Two of the last posts have really been helpful. I think a lot of this fuss ultimately pours down to being able to justify bespoke.

Although I´m not very sure whether fused jackets are that much inferior compared to sewn ones, I still hate the feeling of having compromised in some thing. Now don´t get me wrong, I compromise everyday. I just want to wear at least one piece I can be satisfied with. Although a MTM-jacket would be cheaper than a bespoke one, it still costs quite a bit of money and using that much money on something you know isn´t exactly what you wanted, is a very off-putting thought, don´t you think?

Many of you think It´s the details that make bespoke so great. I wouldn´t pay that much extra just for the details.

 

[Jolly Green]

Originally Posted by Coffee

Although a MTM-jacket would be cheaper than a bespoke one, it still costs quite a bit of money and using that much money on something you know isn´t exactly what you wanted, is a very off-putting thought, don´t you think?

mm-hmm. It's really important to have a good knowledgable person taking your measurements. He should be able to reliably know what the factory will do with those measurements. Your average salesman at Barneys/Sak's/etc. probably doesn't have enough experience for that. [WAG] I would venture to guess that most of the MTM horror stories come from inexperienced fitters [/WAG]

Originally Posted by Coffee

Many of you think It´s the details that make bespoke so great. I wouldn´t pay that much extra just for the details.

Quality/Cost ratio is, no doubt, exponential. You say that now. I'm sure the "experts" here also said similar in their sartorial prepubescence.

Cheers,
D