Is bespoke worth it, judging by the examples posted on SF?

[Despos]

Originally Posted by a tailor

if rtw satisfies your needs its worth it.
if mtm satisfies your needs its worth it.
if custom satisfies your needs its worth it.

wisdom speaks! Well done A.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by poorsod

I agree with the guys that say bespoke is a journey not an end in itself. It is a process by which you learn what you like and what you don't like. The learning and knowledge gained is the value. The forum can serve as a guide but cannot replace personal experience.

so true.

 

[George]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

You prefer the Ramroop you've seen to the Sextons? I just recently steered someone here to take a look at Sedwell. - B
This example was beautifully executed, very flattering and if the rest of his work is that good, and I suspect it will be, as my friend is not the 'fussy' type, then yes I do. Don't get me wrong, I love Sexton's work, but it's a very dramatic silhouette as RSS has already touched on. The Sexton's I've seen are not for the shrinking Violet. Also, I'm not sure how flexible he is or how willing he would be to tone it down, but then again why should he, if you don't like his work go elsewhere. Touching on what Manton said about Ramroop. Ramroop is probably the SR tailor you should visit if you want something different or if you want to engage or collaborate in the design process. Personally, I see a lot of the work he shows on his website indicative of his willingness to deviate and experiment rather than representative of the bulk of the tailoring he does. My friends suit was conservative, which I think represents the majority of his output. The fact that your tailor was trained by Sexton, then went to A&S fascinates me. I don't see any Sexton in your man's work. What do you think?

 

[TheTukker]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

The way I view it, bespoke clothing is like many of the other finer things in life: it often takes a refinement of one's own senses to make it worthwhile. That doesn't mean you have to learn to like such things, but it's a good reason not to dismiss them out-of-hand.

Fair enough. Frankly though, I view the road to bespoke somewhat similar to the road to the (diamond) engagement ring. You (or they) 'educate' you more and more (read: you get sucked in more and more) till you feel that you have to tick all your boxes in order to be happy with your garment (or diamond ring). Sadly, with the (diamond) engagement ring, she probably won't even be able to appreciate the different qualities of the ring (a good number of women only care about the size of the rock anyway). Best thing is probably to share engagement ring stories with your buddies. Similarly with the bespoke garment, 95+% of the population won't be able to distinguish it from a RTW garment. Those 95+% are probably pretty happy with RTW garments and that's good for them. And since perhaps not everyone has buddies they can share their bespoke garments with, I am assuming that's why people come (in part) to these fora.

For the record: I like bespoke. In part because I have 'educated' myself to such an extent that I look for certain elements that I am assuming I won't be able to find in RTW garments. More importantly though - and I am surprised that I hardly ever see people raise that argument here - I am inherently lazy and hate going out to stores and spend ridiculous amounts of time on finding the right garment. Bespoke just makes live easier.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by Lonneker

Fair enough. Frankly though, I view the road to bespoke somewhat similar to the road to the (diamond) engagement ring. You (or they) 'educate' you more and more (read: you get sucked in more and more) till you feel that you have to tick all your boxes in order to be happy with your garment (or diamond ring). Sadly, with the (diamond) engagement ring, she probably won't even be able to appreciate the different qualities of the ring (a good number of women only care about the size of the rock anyway). Best thing is probably to share engagement ring stories with your buddies. Similarly with the bespoke garment, 95+% of the population won't be able to distinguish it from a RTW garment. Those 95+% are probably pretty happy with RTW garments and that's good for them. And since perhaps not everyone has buddies they can share their bespoke garments with, I am assuming that's why people come (in part) to these fora.
Self-contentment is what drives me. I could not care less if others approve of my choices (yes, I know, I entered the Esquire contest). It's much more that understanding the nuances of things increases my enjoyment of them and I find it nearly impossible to ignore nuance once it's been revealed to me. I could get into shovels if I spent the time to understand the details that make one "better" than another. The only thing that stops me is realizing there is only so much time and money one can devote to such luxuries.

 

[sellahi22]

My body shape is pretty standard and RTW usually fits me well. The biggest problem with RTW for me is fabric/detail selection. Even the medium/high end brands put out one charcoal and one navy per season, and the rest is typically multi-stripes or loud plaids that aren't my taste. And most of the cloths used are very lightweight and "Super" 120/150/etc. And even when I find a suit that fits me well in a cloth I like, it might be 3 button (I prefer 2), or the lapels might be too skinny (I like wider ones), the buttoning point might be too high, etc.

I don't think you need to be a clothing obsessive to benefit from the customization that bespoke provides. Even the price is generally competitive. I like Isaia a lot, but their suits retail for $2500-3000 (and you don't get the basics on sale). For that price, you would have several bespoke firms to choose from.

The only reason not to go bespoke, IMHO, is time. It takes a while to do measurements/fittings/etc, and you might have to go through a couple suits before you even get something fitting as well as your favorite RTW.

 

[Bounder]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I could get into shovels if I spent the time to understand the details that make one "better" than another.
http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/11...shovel-museum/

Originally Posted by Lonneker

Similarly with the bespoke garment, 99.995+% of the population won't be able to distinguish it from a RTW garment.
FTFY

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Lonneker

Fair enough. Frankly though, I view the road to bespoke somewhat similar to the road to the (diamond) engagement ring. You (or they) 'educate' you more and more (read: you get sucked in more and more) till you feel that you have to tick all your boxes in order to be happy with your garment (or diamond ring). Sadly, with the (diamond) engagement ring, she probably won't even be able to appreciate the different qualities of the ring (a good number of women only care about the size of the rock anyway). Best thing is probably to share engagement ring stories with your buddies. Similarly with the bespoke garment, 95+% of the population won't be able to distinguish it from a RTW garment. Those 95+% are probably pretty happy with RTW garments and that's good for them. And since perhaps not everyone has buddies they can share their bespoke garments with, I am assuming that's why people come (in part) to these fora.

For the record: I like bespoke. In part because I have 'educated' myself to such an extent that I look for certain elements that I am assuming I won't be able to find in RTW garments. More importantly though - and I am surprised that I hardly ever see people raise that argument here - I am inherently lazy and hate going out to stores and spend ridiculous amounts of time on finding the right garment. Bespoke just makes live easier.

hey, you're still a tool.

ps: don't bother me on things i like,

just for your understanding: you annoyed me more than the foo. live with that.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by ohm

Judging purely from photographs posted on SF bespoke produces some really wonderful pieces of clothing (particularly when the owner has built a relationship with a tailor a la vintagegent and chan)

I apologize for only now responding to your very kind comment. I'm certainly honored to have what Chan has produced for me considered in that class, although there are certainly other Chan customers here I would include.

 

[TheTukker]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Self-contentment is what drives me. I could not care less if others approve of my choices (yes, I know, I entered the Esquire contest). It's much more that understanding the nuances of things increases my enjoyment of them and I find it nearly impossible to ignore nuance once it's been revealed to me. I could get into shovels if I spent the time to understand the details that make one "better" than another. The only thing that stops me is realizing there is only so much time and money one can devote to such luxuries.

That makes sense. Just curious - and I realize this is pretty subjective - at what point do you stop though (and spend your time more wisely/on other things)?

Originally Posted by fritzl

hey, you're still a tool.

ps: don't bother me on things i like,

just for your understanding: you annoyed me more than the foo. live with that.

I am not sure that I am following you, but then again, I think that's usually the case. Although I appreciate the expressed sentiment, going forward, I would suggest you treat my posts the same way as I typically do yours: just ignore them. Many thanks.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by fritzl

just for your understanding: you annoyed me more than the foo. live with that.

wtf

 

[niidawg3]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

I think there's a lot of truth in this.

The forum puts a lot of stock in "bespoke" as a romantic ideal -- go bespoke for "perfect fit" and have your every wish fulfilled. Look at how we're discussing it in this thread: Is bespoke, as an abstract concept, worth it?

I say no. There's too much bad bespoke for a blanket endorsement. Sometimes it's the tailor's fault and sometimes it's the client's. Sometimes it's both. To invoke Sturgeon's Law, 90 percent of everything is crud.

But that doesn't mean there aren't great tailors/shoemakers/artisans out there. There's been some fantastic stuff posted here. The problem, as I see it, is that too often we get lost in the romance of the idea of having clothing made. It's like saying that hiring a painter will get you a masterpiece. Well, no. Is "hiring a painter" worth it? Who can say?

SF is at its best when it cuts through the romance of high-end clothing, be it RTW or bespoke. Great bespoke, I'd argue, can be a bargain. Bad bespoke, regardless of price, is a waste of money. But "bespoke" as a concept is neither good nor bad. It just is. Trying to talk about this stuff in such general terms does no one any favors.

Just my 2 cents.

preach brother!!

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Lonneker

I am not sure that I am following you, but then again, I think that's usually the case. Although I appreciate the expressed sentiment, going forward, I would suggest you treat my posts the same way as I typically do yours: just ignore them. Many thanks.

accepted

 

[TheTukker]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

wtf

Yeah, take that Foo. And I reached that within my first 320 posts; not bad. Am considering putting it in my auto sig.

 

[DWFII]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Self-contentment is what drives me. I could not care less if others approve of my choices (yes, I know, I entered the Esquire contest). It's much more that understanding the nuances of things increases my enjoyment of them and I find it nearly impossible to ignore nuance once it's been revealed to me. I could get into shovels if I spent the time to understand the details that make one "better" than another. The only thing that stops me is realizing there is only so much time and money one can devote to such luxuries.
Well said. Doc's comments as well.

Look into wood rasps--something as common as a wood rasp, who'd have thunk? http://tinyurl.com/2fa7jjq