Newbie's new "bespoke" suit

[Doctor Crane]

After a year of lurking in the stands, I finally thought it was time to jump into the game. Whew. Hard part's done. Now I can honestly say that the knowledge I've gleamed from this board has been invaluable and if only I had found you guys before my first bespoke experience in Korea, I probably could have saved myself some frustration and gotten exactly what I wanted... but that's another story and I actually look forward to telling it. Bu that's later... On to the heart of the matter: The past year and a half or so I've acquired quite a suit... uhh sickness?... as I can't keep myself from coveting more and more and more annnnd well more than I probably need. That being said, about six months ago I visited one of those traveling tailors who roam about the globe meeting you in hotel rooms for fittings and such. I'd seen an article on CNN's web site about the firm and had read about their rumored prominent clientele and figured, hey, got nothing to lose so why not. And so thus I embarked alone on the metro downtown with: what I thought was alot but in actuality was very little knowledge about suits stashed away in that brain of mine, the hotel address written down on a piece of paper crammed in my suit pocket, and a feeling of apprehension at not exactly knowing what I was doing. I was positive though that off the rack suits didn't fit me, my size being slightly smaller than the standard 38r. I also had my mind made up that I hated American styled suits and was thirsting after a quintessentially British looking specimen. Anyway, long story short, I got this

Before getting too much more into the story, what do you guys think of the fit and the look? It's a two piece super 150s cashmere/wool blend with hand stitched front, ticket pocket, hacking pockets, boutonnière string on the lapel, surgeon's cuffs and double vent. Sorry about the pictures and I'll definitely try to get better ones later.

 

[Brian SD]

I really like it, however I am not the most knowledgable member here on the subject of fine suits (particularly bespoke). I think you definitely achieved what you were going for, and I think the fit is extremely flattering and has a great sillhouette.

 

[Downtowner]

May I ask which tailor made that suit for you? Looks very nice from the picture.

 

[faustian bargain]

your hat is too big. nice color though.

i'm also a newbie...but i'd like to hear comments on that tie. the (windsor?) knot seems a bit wide, but maybe that's only because i'm used to seeing four-in-hands.

/andrew

 

[Keith T]

Welcome to the Style Forum, Dr. Crane. We're listening....

(Sorry I couldn't resist).

I like the suit. I especially love the lining (royal? aqua/teal?), and while the pic of you wearing it is not the best, it looks like the fit is pretty good from what I can tell. Slightly waisted, not really "sacky", are the armholes high enough? Can't really pick up the hand-stitching from the pics, but that is a nice touch.

I do see where the pinstripes match up on the breast pocket, but not quite on the ticket and flap pockets (just to nit-pick). You can find a previous thread where pinstripe-matching was discussed ad nauseum, if you are interested. This is not a big deal, IMO.

Your shirt/tie are bold and in keeping with the British look that you are trying to achieve, so good job accessorizing. Pocket square is nice too, but I would have gone points-up with it.

I get the feeling that there is more to your story, if you care to share that with us. I do hope you are pleased with the suit overall, it does seem pretty nice to me.

 

[retronotmetro]

I do see where the pinstripes match up on the breast pocket, but not quite on the ticket and flap pockets (just to nit-pick).  You can find a previous thread where pinstripe-matching was discussed ad nauseum, if you are interested.  This is not a big deal, IMO.

I'm not sure what the tailor's convention is, but the pictured pattern-matching method is how my striped suits with darted fronts are made. The dart prevents you from matching stripes above the waist pockets, so you match the stripes with the fabric below the pocket. Since the ticket pocket falls at the same level as the dart, you match the stripe closest to the inside edge of the pocket, and let the rest of them fall as they will.

I can't think of how else you'd pattern-match the flaps on a darted suit. Anyone know another way? Would you keep the darts higher, or move them out of line with the pocket flaps?

 

[Phil]

looks great to me. my only gripes (and they are very minor) are the tie knot and the cuffs on the shirt. The tie knot is simply too big for my taste. Even though its a windsor (or a pratt), it can be tied a bit tighter. It looks to me that if you pulled it a bit tighter the dimple would form a bit better and it would also shrink the size of the knot too. the cuffs on the shirt are nice, love to see french cuffs, but they are way too big on your wrists. by that I mean the diameter of the cuffs is very large in proportion to your wrist. I think they would look a bit better snugger to your wrist. But like i said, minor complaints. the suit is beautiful

 

[Classic]

Good looking suit.
Although IMO it is a matter of personal taste, I also would like to see the cuffs somewhat tighter.
What kind of shoes are you wearing with it?

Classic

 

[faustian bargain]

doesn't the hang of the cuff suffer if you make it too tight to the wrist? i like the length of the sleeve on the straightened arm, where it just touches the base of the thumb. if you tighten the cuff, won't it ride up?

and now that i look at it, i'd personally like to see more of the cuff exposed under the jacket sleeve - right now it looks like 1/4" or less, but i like 1/2". i guess that's just personal taste though.

/andrew

 

[imageWIS]

Very nice, but the stripes at the pockets could have been better matched (ok, so I'm guilty of starting the matching patterns thread). I as well love the Windsor knot, but as well think it is too big. I also agree that the French cuffs could be tighter / closer together. Of, course these are personal choices so your mileage may vary. That being said, I hope you enjoy the suit.

Jon.

 

[Doctor Crane]

Thanks everyone for the replies, they've been most insightful.

I definitely agree that the cuffs on the shirt, as well as all my shirts for that matter, are a bit too big for my wrists and I thank monsieur Pink for that (Don't kill me... I didn't know when I bought them.) Anyway, your comments just reinforce my view that I definitely need to get myself over to Jantzen and order some shirts that fit.

As for the tie, cufflinks etc. I had thrown everything on just to take the pictures and hadn't really noticed the knot size but definitely agree it was a bit too big. I'll try to take some better picture's later perhaps, as the ones I posted were done at 2 in the morning in a darkened basement.

I got the suit done without knowing about Chan and their round-the-world fittings and I'll make it a point to try them next. From what I can tell the suit is only half-canvassed, if that is even possible, which to me is a bit of a let down. Though for the price and the turn around time, I can't complain at all.

 

[imageWIS]

Half canvassed is possible...usually the lapels and perhaps the chest is canvassed, whilst everything else is fused.

Jon.

 

[Phil]

faustian-

making the cuffs too tight would make them both uncomfortable and not hang right, but making them a bit tighter would be fine. Actually Dr. Crane, I am surprised that you can get them to sit comfortably inside your suit sleeve considering how big they look. Before I started getting my shirts made, I found it a constant problem. My cuffs were so big that they got all caught up in the suit sleeve.

 

[Doctor Crane]

I guess the appropriate reply would be: Can I make RTW cuffs smaller? I've already taken most of my dress shirts to the tailor and had them cut the extra cloth on the sides and sleeves (no darts for me, thank you) to loose the bagginess and they've all turned out great and add alot to the look. Could I do the same with french cuffs? I'd imagine it being a bit more difficult considering how a cuff is attached to a sleeve, but then again...

 

[Downtowner]

Dr. Crane,

My question might have gotten lost in the shuffle of responses to your original post -- which tailor did you use? Do you mind if I ask what the price was of the suit? While it may be 1/2 canvased, it appears in the fit and style department to be quite good, so you have every reason to be pleased with it.