Surgeon's cuffs - machine vs hand sewn

[dsmdylan]

When having an OTR suit finished, is it uncommon or unreasonable to request hand sewn buttonholes on the sleeves?

 

[breakaway01]

it is not unreasonable to request working sleeve buttons for a well-made OTR suit, but you want to make sure the person sewing the buttonholes is competent. Don't assume that hand-sewn is necessarily better than machine-sewn.

 

[dsmdylan]

it is not unreasonable to request working sleeve buttons for a well-made OTR suit, but you want to make sure the person sewing the buttonholes is competent. Don't assume that hand-sewn is necessarily better than machine-sewn.

How likely am I to find someone competent? I live in Dallas and use the, generally, most highly recommended tailor in the area. He has done working buttonholes on 2 suits for me but he didn't even seem to understand the difference between handmade holes and installing premade holes. He simply said, "they are sewn on by hand." Nothing against my tailor but, as I learn more, I've come to realize that perhaps the work is not of a caliber suitable for my RLPL suits.

 

[breakaway01]

I am not sure what you mean by "installing premade holes." What is a premade working buttonhole?

 

[breakaway01]

You may want to ask the premier men's stores in the area (e.g. Sid Mashburn, Neiman Marcus) where they have their tailoring done. Some may have an in-house tailor who is willing to do outside work, others may be able to recommend an outside tailor.

 

[dsmdylan]

I am not sure what you mean by "installing premade holes." What is a premade working buttonhole?

Sorry, I'm talking about machine sewn as opposed to hand sewn.

 

[starro]

A clean buttonhole beats a messy buttonhole, and similarly a sound one beats an unraveling one. Whether machine or hand made, a buttonhole can be any combination of the above. So as long as the buttonhole is clean and sound, why fuss over such a trivial detail?

The only other thing is, just make sure the tailor isn't charging hand price for a machine made hole.

 

[dsmdylan]

A clean buttonhole beats a messy buttonhole, and similarly a sound one beats an unraveling one. Whether machine or hand made, a buttonhole can be any combination of the above. So as long as the buttonhole is clean and sound, why fuss over such a trivial detail?

The only other thing is, just make sure the tailor isn't charging hand price for a machine made hole.

I generally agree but if I can look at something and it bugs me, I don't consider it trivial. Also, my question is mostly a philosophical one looking to generate some discussion. I'm probably not going to go out and have my buttonholes remade.

As to the difference, machine-sewn holes look very.. bulky to me, while (well done) hand-sewn ones appear very fine. See: JefferyD's work.

 

[breakaway01]

As in so many things related to menswear (handsewn vs machine made buttonholes, bespoke or MTM vs OTR tailored clothing) it really all comes down to the skill of the person doing the work. It is impossible to generalize. As I mentioned above, try asking at men's clothing stores that specialize in high-end tailored clothing.

 

[starro]

I generally agree but if I can look at something and it bugs me, I don't consider it trivial. Also, my question is mostly a philosophical one looking to generate some discussion. I'm probably not going to go out and have my buttonholes remade.

As to the difference, machine-sewn holes look very.. bulky to me, while (well done) hand-sewn ones appear very fine. See: JefferyD's work.

At the end of the day, you are the only person who decides whether you're happy with a piece of work. I agree with the other posters here that there are many variables going into a buttonhole looking a certain way, such as thread thickness, looseness of the weave, sewing techniques etc. And let's not forget that your taste in buttonholes may well be very particular, so out of a number of acceptable buttonholes, maybe only one speaks to you.

Can you guarantee a "good" tailor will produce something to your heart's desire? No, too many things can go wrong. Maybe they have an off day. Maybe their style isn't to your taste. Maybe something's happened and they are just coasting off their earlier reputation. And if you want things just perfect, best to learn how to make them yourself (or be prepared to pay an exorbitant amount to someone worthwhile). Else, make compromises and use common sense to find out the trustworthy tailors.

 

[dsmdylan]

So, for example here's the work I had done on a suit:

Seems okay I guess, not sure if treating the lining like that is typical - looks messy to me. Anyway, this is a Saint Andrews make RLPL suit so they really stand out when compared next to their beautiful hand-sewn buttonholes:

 

[papado]

So, for example here's the work I had done on a suit:

Seems okay I guess, not sure if treating the lining like that is typical - looks messy to me. Anyway, this is a Saint Andrews make RLPL suit so they really stand out when compared next to their beautiful hand-sewn buttonholes:

Those machine made ones are shoddy based on the fact they should not be going into the lining (other than that they are clean). Here is a photo of some oxxford handmade sleeve buttonholes for comparison (have some photos of Isaia and some Wazin did for me in NY too if it's needed).

In reality it's just a tiny detail and idea of craftsmanship but only us SF folks will make a huge deal of it. Most of my jackets have hand made but one sees the details besides me so it's really a tailoring snob kind of habit I've developed when there are much more important things when it comes to tailoring!

 

[taxgenius]

Those machine made ones are shoddy based on the fact they should not be going into the lining (other than that they are clean). Here is a photo of some oxxford handmade sleeve buttonholes for comparison (have some photos of Isaia and some Wazin did for me in NY too if it's needed).

In reality it's just a tiny detail and idea of craftsmanship but only us SF folks will make a huge deal of it. Most of my jackets have hand made but one sees the details besides me so it's really a tailoring snob kind of habit I've developed when there are much more important things when it comes to tailoring!
View attachment 1109094 View attachment 1109095

Can you post the ones from Wazin?

 

[papado]

Can you post the ones from Wazin?

These are ones on some RTW Isaia (pardon the lighting as it's late here in NY). I've found the ones on his custom suits are tighter and more standard buttonhole shaped as opposed to these tear drop ones which I have on RTW jackets. My suit jacket from him is at his shop now to add another buttonhole so I can't produce photos now but can when it's back if there is some interest.