Tailor's fabric book, British Woolens

[whoop]

Hey all,

I have lurked this forum for a loong time and I decided to get a custom suit made by Richard Lim (in Los Angeles). I didn't have time to shop the fabric district before I went, so I ended up choosing a fabric from a company called British Woolens in Montreal. It's a navy window pane that seemed close to a super 150s that he was showing me in a bolt that he had on hand.

Has anyone else heard of this company or am I mistakenly buying into what the tailor had on hand? I wish I would have known what choices I had, what do you guys think I should have asked before I put down the deposit? Is there a huge difference between what you can hustle out of the fabric shops and what the Tailor stocks? (from what I have read, there is not, but I just wanted to hear any horror stories to be sure I wasn't falling into the same traps)

 

[IronRock]

Originally Posted by whoop

Hey all,

I have lurked this forum for a loong time and I decided to get a custom suit made by Richard Lim (in Los Angeles). I didn't have time to shop the fabric district before I went, so I ended up choosing a fabric from a company called British Woolens in Montreal. It's a navy window pane that seemed close to a super 150s that he was showing me in a bolt that he had on hand.

Has anyone else heard of this company or am I mistakenly buying into what the tailor had on hand? I wish I would have known what choices I had, what do you guys think I should have asked before I put down the deposit? Is there a huge difference between what you can hustle out of the fabric shops and what the Tailor stocks? (from what I have read, there is not, but I just wanted to hear any horror stories to be sure I wasn't falling into the same traps)

No trap. He wants you to come back and re-order, it's not worth his while.

Can't tell you anything about the cloth but I 'd bet its perfectly fine for a first go at bespoke.

 

[whoop]

No trap. He wants you to come back and re-order, it's not worth his while.

Thanks for the response. You're right, I bet it's just a fabric house that had what I wanted. The tailor didn't even have the fabric on hand, it had to be ordered.

I guess I am just a little unsure about the fact that I didn't get the details about the fineness and weight of the wool when I ordered the suit. Is it weird to ask the tailor about the weight and grade of the fabric after it has been ordered? Is it a silly move to put down a deposit without understanding the details of the fabric that you are ordering?

I guess what I am really worried about is: is it strange to ask a lot of details about fabric and construction after the fact, or should you get them up front?

 

[pvrhye]

Depends. If you come in talking about lap stitching and canvassing options, he'll probably ask for the weight. Else, he probably just ordered a safe bet.

 

[Shirtmaven]

there are two companies that I know of in Montreal who distibute to the tailors.
both source from europe and sell a high quality product.

this fabric is delivered to the tailor, duty paid.
the mills that get most of the love on this site, may not have standard distribution in North america. or richard Lim has a good relationship with ths distributer

if you like the feel of the fabric, then you should be fine

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by whoop

I guess what I am really worried about is: is it strange to ask a lot of details about fabric and construction after the fact, or should you get them up front?

You think of things afterwards to ask so you call him and ask. It's normal and no big deal.

 

[whoop]

Thanks gents, I guess I was just getting nervous.

I'll follow up with the tailor and not feel like a whiny customer.