Savile Row flexibility

[dopey]

Originally Posted by savvyibd

I was told two weeks between the 1st and 2nd at A&S. Sounds a little quick, to me. . . .
Either they are not that busy or they are being accommodating. There isn't any aging or curing or anything that takes loads of time in the process. The only real delay might be getting the cloth if the distributor doesn't have it in London and even that can't add more than an extra day or two. Drafting and cutting doesn't take that long. Sewing for the first fitting takes some time, but not that much. There is still lots of work that is left for later.

They could probably do it in a week if you really needed them to and they felt like it and faster if they were willing to drop everything else for you.

 

[Holdfast]

Originally Posted by passingtime

It depends what you mean by flexibility, what do you want them to do? Don't try and drive a square peg through a round hole though.

+1

I often read: "you can get anything you want with bespoke".

Sure.

But it won't necessarily be any good, especially if it's not what the house is used to making.

Everyone does things a certain way. There's room for manouevre, room for personal expression, but if you push the envelope too much, you're likely to get a crap result at least at first.

Work with the flow, or pick a different tailor.

If you have VERY specific or very unusual ideas that you absolutely won't compromise on, you are going to have to have a LOT of iterations of "almost there" garments until you get it right. You're basically playing designer and no designer gets a garment right first time. If you have a lot of money, you can use Savile Row to get there eventually. You could also save a lot of money and use a much cheaper bespoke tailor and be obsessively precise and nitpicky with them until they finally get what you're trying to achieve. You'll get a similar end result, with a lot less expense.

Often one difference between Savile Row and the travelling overseas tailors or the cheaper bespoke tailors is that elusive sense of aesthetic coherence or styling sensibilities that evolve as a "house style". If you don't want a house style and are prepared to design your own, then why pay for Savile Row?

 

[savvyibd]

The thing is I don't know what I want, or what will look best on me, but I want the tailor to ask me questions, and him design a suit that he thinks will compliment me.

To be honest, I've seen nice suits from Versace to Kiton to G&W. But I still want to feel like they will ask me questions and find what will best compliment me. I could go on just about any website and be perfectly happy with most suits I see there that are classically tailored. I do, however, require a shoulder that Kiton is famous for. Otherwise, I don't really care all too much.

 

[Manton]

Not sure what is so unique about Kiton's shoulder. It's a nice, medium soft, lightly padded shoulder.

The closest thing on Savile Row is A&S. One difference is that they tend to extend their shoulders slightly, and Kiton does not. But you can ask them to rein that in.

If you want the silhoutte that Kiton is based on, but can't get quite right, go to Rubinacci on Mount Street. Bring lots of money.

 

[savvyibd]

Originally Posted by Manton

Not sure what is so unique about Kiton's shoulder. It's a nice, medium soft, lightly padded shoulder.

The closest thing on Savile Row is A&S. One difference is that they tend to extend their shoulders slightly, and Kiton does not. But you can ask them to rein that in.

If you want the silhoutte that Kiton is based on, but can't get quite right, go to Rubinacci on Mount Street. Bring lots of money.

I like the shoulder more than my Oxxford coats that I did a scrap try on with. E Zegna can't come close. Their fabrics are very nice, but 180+ threadcount is too much: they don't hold up well.

When you say lots of money...

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by savvyibd

When you say lots of money...
Suitcases full. I think they are 2,800 pounds for a jacket.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by Manton

If you want the silhoutte that Kiton is based on, but can't get quite right, go to Rubinacci on Mount Street. Bring lots of money.

Do I hear an echo in the room?

 

[savvyibd]

Originally Posted by Manton

Suitcases full. I think they are 2,800 pounds for a jacket.

Well, A&S is around 2000 to start. And I don't think I've ever picked a 'starting' fabric.

 

[dopey]

Originally Posted by savvyibd

Well, A&S is around 2000 to start. And I don't think I've ever picked a 'starting' fabric.
"Starting fabric" covers a lot of ground on SR. Also, I keep hearing that Rubinacci's London tariff includes VAT, whereas most of SR excludes VAT when quoting prices. I don't know if the price manton quotes was ex-VAT or inclusive of VAT.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by dopey

"Starting fabric" covers a lot of ground on SR. Also, I keep hearing that Rubinacci's London tariff includes VAT wheras most of SR excludes VAT when quoting prices. I don't know if the price manton quotes was ex-VAT or inclusive of VAT.
It is inclusive of VAT, and, at least the last time I was in London, it was the price for a suit, not a jacket.