Is it too much expect perfection on my FIRST bespoke jacket?

[GrandPhuba]

So I just had my second fitting for my first jacket/sport coat yesterday. The arm holes seem to be bigger than I wanted, that is, when I raise my arms horizontally, the rest of the coat follows.

I already requested during my first fitting that the bottom of the arm scye be raised, and the tailor said he can do so by pinching/reducing some cloth from the shoulder. That seem to have helped a bit, but unfortunately didn't resolve the issue completely. The tailor said he can raise it a bit more, but I fear it still won't resolve the issue completely.

Given that the fabric has already been cut with armholes larger than necessary, should I chalk this up to learning experience and move on or should I demand perfection from the company? I'm inclined to do the former and just strive for better iterations on my next orders; but the fact that I have a 60 USD wrangler denim jacket with armholes that fit better does bother me.

Don't get me wrong, the rest of the jacket looks superb. The length of the jacket and sleeves, the suppression, the button stance, etc. they all look fine to me. The only issue I have is the jacket follows whenever I raise my arms.

I paid around 1000 USD for this (fabric + labor). Yes I'm aware that's not really saville row money territory, but I'm in the Philippines, so that money still goes a long way (especially for solely the jacket).

I know that learning and building a relationship with the tailor is part of the sartorial journey, but am I shortchanging myself if I let this slip by?

What do you think, should I expect outright perfection on my FIRST coat or is it normal for the first few bespoke coats to not be 100% perfect?

 

[jaxenro]

Perfection maybe not but a decent fit yes.

 

[maxalex]

I don’t know anything about tailors in the Philippines but I have long experience trying to get tailors in Africa to make me clothes like a Neapolitan. I finally gave up and learned it was futile to expect tailors to work against their house style.

 

[dapperguy80]

I think you're better off charging this to experience. Is this a 'pinas-based tailor? I'm actually considering to have suit made with Exclusively His, I mean they're not fully bespoke but Made-To-Measure. Let's admit it, there's a very small sartorial scene there, and people wouldn't pay that much attention, but for the eagle eyed, it will noticeable.

 

[GrandPhuba]

@dapperguy80 The company positions their product and branding as "saville row style" bespoke suits.

I agree the people won't really pay much attention to the armholes but I myself will surely notice it.

I think the "master tailor" is receptive to feedbacks and I'm sure they'll do better if I talk to them about concerns. I'm just wary if I'm shortchanging myself big time by letting it slip.

 

[paxonus]

How often do you find yourself in a situation where you will be raising your arms in this manner while wearing a tailored jacket?

 

[maxalex]

How often do you find yourself in a situation where you will be raising your arms in this manner while wearing a tailored jacket?

High armholes are a hallmark of fine bespoke tailoring because it is an area of the jacket that is very dependent on personal shape—and thus is always cut too big and low on OTR jackets that must fit a range of bodies. The problem is that big generic armholes cause the whole jacket to lift up when raising an arm; when you start paying attention to it, you see it all the time.

So this is not a trivial concern to anyone paying for bespoke, who expects a garment that fits like a second skin but still allows total movement without distorting the drape. Of course the average person doesn’t know or appreciate any of that (especially these days)—but many average people do have a sense when a man simply looks “right” and natural in perfectly tailored clothes, even if they have never given a moment’s thought to armhole positioning.