My First Chan Suit

[Vintage Gent]

Gentlemen, it has been a long time coming. Last November, I took the Chan plunge and commissioned my first bespoke suit. It arrived Friday in excellent order with one glaring exception--the sleeves are considerably too long. So I will have to see Patrick once more during his March visits to the U.S. Given that, I'm wondering what other items you recommend I have addressed. I've thought in particular about having a little more waist suppression. I've attached a couple of images for your consideration.

 

[zjpj83]

I agree - more waist supression. There is not much shape now.

 

[johnapril]

Notes:

a) shorten sleeves (already noted)
b) take in the waist (already noted)
c) the coat looks as though it is well past your thumb, a bit long, though it may screw everything up to shorten this now
d) the lapel does not roll at all, but this does not detract from the suit necessarily
e) nice fabric
f) perfect shoulder

 

[dah328]

Notes:

a) shorten sleeves (already noted)
b) take in the waist (already noted)
c) the coat looks as though it is well past your thumb, a bit long, though it may screw everything up to shorten this now
d) the lapel does not roll at all, but this does not detract from the suit necessarily
e) nice fabric
f) perfect shoulder

Commenting on the above:

a) I agree, and I'm surprised their initial measurements were that far off.  The sleeves on my jacket were perfect although it's not my first order.
b) Agree.  I have the same request on my latest order.
c) This is hard to tell w/o a side profile shot.
d) Disagree.  I think the lapel rolls nicely.
e) Agree.

With regard to the earlier comment about the break of the pants, again, I think I'd want to see a side profile shot before I came to that conclusion.  The pants look like they're nicely proportioned for the suit, something that can often be off on an altered RTW suit.

I would add that it fits very nicely around the collar, chest, and shoulders.  All in all, a very nice looking suit.

dan

 

[johnapril]

d) Disagree.  I think the lapel rolls nicely.

Uhh, where?  Perhaps we have different visions of this effect.

from Polo.com:

What is a "rolled lapel"?

One of the last stages in the construction of a well-made, hand-finished suit is the pressing. It is at this step that the suit jacket lapels are carefully pressed so that they "roll" or turn softly down to either the first or middle button as opposed to lying flat against the jacket. On a three-button suit, when the lapel is rolled to the middle button for a deeper gorge, the top button should be left undone for greater comfort and ease. With poorly made, mass-produced suits, the lapel line is often pressed flat, a process that saves the time and handwork that a rolled lapel requires. Rolled lapels create a more elegant line and are a hallmark of quality and finesse.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by johnapril,Feb. 07 2005,09:04

Notes: a) I agree, and I'm surprised their initial measurements were that far off. The sleeves on my jacket were perfect although it's not my first order.
Here's where I think things went wrong. I wore my Brioni to the fitting. Patrick used that as something of a template. Because the Brioni has tighter shoulders, the same sleeve length didn't translate well to the longer shoulder line Chan uses (and which I prefer). In retrospect, I would have gone in with only a shirt and trousers, forcing measurements to be taken based on my body. Live and learn, I suppose.

 

[johnapril]

How does Chan feel compared with the Brioni, (which I assume you like)?

 

[Vintage Gent]

How does Chan feel compared with the Brioni, (which I assume you like)?

Such a difficult question. The Brioni (vintage, peak lapel) has been my favorite suit for a good two years now. It generally fits very well, but like any OTR suit, there are a few places where things aren't perfect.

The Chan suit, with the exception of the sleeve length and the boxiness about the waist, fits just a bit better. It also comes with the advantage of having all the details I wanted (working sleeve buttons, no belt loops/side tabs, ticket pocket, side vents, button fly). Its construction is artful, to say the least, very nearly on par with the Brioni. Fabric-wise, the Chan easily trumps the Brioni, but that's because the Brioni was made well before the modern revolution in wool production.

 

[johnapril]

If I understand you correctly, the pants have no belt loops. Is the need of a belt then replaced by side tabs? Or do the pants simply fit perfectly so no fastener is required?

Thanks.

 

[AlanC]

I agree with johnapril on the lack of lapel roll, especially since it has a 3rd button in the roll. You might simply need to fire up a steamer, hold the lapel out straight and steam out the current crease on both sides (for both lapels). I've found this works wonders in getting a good lapel roll.

 

[tdial]

The jacket appears to fit beautifully. I like the shoulder line and the high gorge. Lapel roll is a matter of choice, and generally, I like to see a little more, but it doesn't look bad.

Yes, the sleeves are too long and I agree, more waist suppression would really give it a nice, tailored look.

The pants do look like they could be slightly long, since there appears to be a bunching or bulge just above the ankle.

One question: does it appear to anyone else that the distance between the ticket pocket and the side pocket is too great? I know this can't be fixed now, and maybe it's just a personal thing. I could be wrong.

 

[johnapril]

Maybe maybe not. That is a tough one. Does anyone have a picture we could use to compare?

One reason I don't take a ticket pocket on my suits is I like to tuck in the flaps on my pockets, and I wonder if it wouldn't look a little odd have the ticket pocket's flap tucked in as well (or left out). Anyone have experience and an opinion? Also, I have always thought a ticket pocket belongs on the piece of outerwear one wears over the suit to the event for which the ticket is intended. Of course, the event could be in LA, for which no outerwear would be necessary, necessarily.

 

[Vintage Gent]

If I understand you correctly, the pants have no belt loops. Is the need of a belt then replaced by side tabs? Or do the pants simply fit perfectly so no fastener is required?

Thanks.

Yes, the trousers have side tabs and suspender buttons. I wanted them to fit at my true waist, so I elected for this option.

 

[johnnynorman3]

Nice shoes as well, BTW.

Shoulders look good -- how closely do they approximate a Brioni shoulder in terms of padding, slope, etc.? My Chan suits don't have that little "puff" at the shoulder, and I think maybe it's because I didn't specify that I wanted it. Is it the picture, or does the sleeve head have a "puff" or roped effect similar to a Zegna or Brioni?

Agree a bit of waist suppression would be good.

The lapel roll is lacking, but that's because of the long trip from Asia, and a bit because the lapel shape is convex instead of concave or straight. A steam will do the trick -- I have done this to both my Chan suits and the lapel roll on them is only slightly worse than on my Oxxfords.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Nice shoes as well, BTW.

Shoulders look good -- how closely do they approximate a Brioni shoulder in terms of padding, slope, etc.? My Chan suits don't have that little "puff" at the shoulder, and I think maybe it's because I didn't specify that I wanted it. Is it the picture, or does the sleeve head have a "puff" or roped effect similar to a Zegna or Brioni?

Thanks for the good word on the shoes. They're a demi-brogue that I got from Shipton & Heneage.

As for the shoulders, they're not quite as padded as the Brioni with a more natural, longer slope. The jacket does have that puff effect on the sleeve head which is very similar to the Brioni.