The Official-ish DC Thread

[smittycl]

Nothing like scads of conflicting advice at 8:00AM!

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

Don’t do this.

No, I would give the buttonhole work to William Field. It won’t be a Milanese buttonhole but it will be done by hand.

Ah conflicting opinions, I love it!

Is this just a rude request? Or is the issue more that asking a MTM factory to leave something off their standard pattern more complicated than it seems?

I don't really care about the Milanese thing.

 

[smittycl]

Ah conflicting opinions, I love it!

Is this just a rude request? Or is the issue more that asking a MTM factory to leave something off their standard pattern more complicated than it seems?

I don't really care about the Milanese thing.

It's okay to leave off working buttonholes on the sleeve of MTM jackets to ensure you can adjust the length properly upon receipt. Can't see any reason why leaving off the lapel buttonhole would cause an issue unless the factory just can't accommodate changes.

Also, a tailor can just remove the thread from an existing buttonhole and re-do by hand if you want. Same way they can just pull the threads out of faux buttonholes. Why not just have it made normally and adjust it later?

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

It's okay to leave off working buttonholes on the sleeve of MTM jackets to ensure you can adjust the length properly upon receipt. Can't see any reason why leaving off the lapel buttonhole would cause an issue unless the factory just can't accommodate changes.

Also, a tailor can just remove the thread from an existing buttonhole and re-do by hand if you want. Same way they can just pull the threads out of faux buttonholes. Why not jut have it made normally and adjust it later?

Yeah this sounds like the safest option.

 

[Easily Amused]

I have a two part question:
1) I went to EP last weekend and am commissioning a navy double breasted suit, but his lapel buttonholes are machine-stitched. I usually don't care about this, but wanted to do something a little special with this suit. Is it weird to ask him to tell his factory to leave the lapel buttonhole out and I can have someone here hand-stitch them later?
2) Does anyone know a tailor in DC who does hand-stitched/milanese buttonholes on an already-finished suit?

Luis Tailor in Old Town Alexandria does working button holes.

 

[bicycleradical]

I had working buttonholes done at Best Tailoring on Lee Highway in Fairfax however I doubt they were done by hand.

 

[lordsuperb]

Yeah this sounds like the safest option.

Why not ask Ezra if he can find someone to do the handmade buttonhole?

 

[bry2000]

Did not mean to give such a curt reply, but just questioned whether it would be worth the extra time and expense to get a handmade lapel buttonhole, when a machine made one is offered.

Yes, you can request no buttonhole and then have someone do it. But candidly, in all the years of ordering bespoke and RTW suits, I have never once looked at a (presumed) machine made lapel buttonhole and wished that it had been done by hand.

Machine made buttonholes will be predictably neat and clean, There is no guarantee that a handmade buttonhole will be very clean. I have gotten handmade sleeve buttonholes from alterations tailors that were very sloppy. Since you will likely not use the buttonhole much, if at all, I don't see any benefit. Ymmv, of course.

 

[smittycl]

Timed passes still required unfortunately.

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www.popville.com

 

[dc_slicker]

I had working buttonholes done at Best Tailoring on Lee Highway in Fairfax however I doubt they were done by hand.

I won’t recommend that place. They murdered one of my jackets and refuse to make it right

 

[bicycleradical]

I won’t recommend that place. They murdered one of my jackets and refuse to make it right

I did not have that unfortunate experience however seeing yours will make me think twice about going there. It'll be easier for me to get to Chris Kim if I need any serious work done now.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Christopher Kim is my tailor. He's not cheap (although slightly less expensive than Will Field), but you get what you pay for. He and his staff do good work.

 

[Idesofmarch17]

Christopher Kim is my tailor. He's not cheap (although slightly less expensive than Will Field), but you get what you pay for. He and his staff do good work.

Concur.

 

[smittycl]

I've been going to Geoffrey Lewis Tailors since I moved here in 2007. They do amazing work.

Home

Custom Suits & Bespoke Tailoring

geoffreylewisltd.com

 

[lordsuperb]

How do we get some of those fancy Italian tailors to travel to DC?