UPDATE: (Posture and rushed pics vs.) First bespoke suit - please critique

[ter1413]

shirt sleeve is horrible. suit looks good but the sleeves look a little long. you an see extra material if you were to pull them doen.

 

[GradSchooler]

Really nice fit. Not so big on the cut out sections on the vest and shirt though.

 

[reidrothchild]

Originally Posted by Antedote

Hi,

I recently had my first bespoke suit made at Trend Custom Tailors in Toronto by Don Lee. There have been a few threads on him, with mixed opinions. I'm really happy with the piece, a 3-piece suit with a few innovations (special blackberry pocket in the pants to minimize the bulge, hidden key pocket in the front of the pants also to minimize bulge, exposed belt buckle on the vest via a cutaway), and overall very well-constructed (IMHO). I also had a shirt made with a watch cuff (visible in last pic), which will be nicer on the next one when it's more rounded I hope.

I know the suit is a touch on the long side, that was my idea, seemed to look right that way. I have a 10-inch drop, and it's fairly suppressed, though without a lot of tension. I hope the photos do it justice, because from the back, there's usually no wrinkles visible. I'd really appreciate any feedback on how it looks + how it could be improved for next time. Thanks!

-A

Overall, I think the suit looks great. Don't shorten the jacket; length is perfect as is. To echo an earlier comment, the first pic does make it appear as though there is excessive bunching at the shoulders, though this appears less severe from the front shot. You look like you have fairly big shoulders, so for future commissions you might try asking for a softer shoulder to make the transition from shoulder to jacket sleeve smoother. The shirt sleeves look too baggy. This is all nit-picking, however, as I think the overall look is a solid A. I don't necessarily like the watch cutaway on the shirt cuff, but I applaud the creativity.

 

[Despos]

A few random observations.
You have a bit of bow in your legs, the way you stand, and the out seams are short and the inseams are long. The trouser balance is too long in the back and the trouser is cut too "open". Very sloppy in the seat area. The tailor did a poor job sewing the seat seam. There is fullness on the right back panel at the rear pocket level and the left side of the seam is tight creating the puckering on the right side of the seat seam. Looks like you may have a high left hip that was not cut for.

Proportion/ balance is non existent on the jacket. The lines of the front look like the jacket is scissoring.
The sleeves are not cut/ matched to the armhole and they don't fall correctly. The shoulder/ blade area are too wide. The left shoulder has severe dimple issues. I think the back was flaring out and the tailor took the jacket in from the center back seam only which is a no-no. The whole jacket is twisted from left to right. On the front view the jacket pulls to your right side. You can see how much wider the jacket front is from the button to the left side compared with the distance from the button to the right side. The front button should fall in line with the vest buttons but is off to the right. The vest view shows the vest pulling towards the left side. The jacket collar needs to be raised 1/2 to 3/4 inch. It is way too low at the center back. The waist line of the jacket is too low. Styling wise, I don't see any harmony between the elements of your jacket.
It is a nice shade of grey.

 

[radicaldog]

If that is your normal stance then shoulders, sleeves and collar are messy. It may be that you're standing in an unnaturally erect way in those shots, but still, there's something really off about that coat. The trouser seat is untidy.

 

[radicaldog]

Originally Posted by Despos

You have a bit of bow in your legs, the way you stand, and the out seams are short and the inseams are long.

Very interesting. How much leg curvature can a good trousermaker hide? I have the same problem and I have to say that my bespoke trousers do improve the situation a bit, but not by much. I guess a fuller cut of trouser would make the tailor's job easier though. Ditto for heavier cloth?

 

[alliswell]

I think Chris was pulling his punches. This looks like a heavily altered OTR suit, so my guess is that it's a bad MTM rather than anything like 'bespoke'. This guy should be avoided unless he offers to make this suit again from scratch, for free, and from a smaller block.

 

[alliswell]

Originally Posted by radicaldog

Very interesting. How much leg curvature can a good trousermaker hide? I have the same problem and I have to say that my bespoke trousers do improve the situation a bit, but not by much. I guess a fuller cut of trouser would make the tailor's job easier though. Ditto for heavier cloth?

You can hide a lot. You do have to tell your tailor that your legs aren't straight, IME - they don't often look for these things unprompted.

 

[Shikar]

I have not read the 2 pages of comments, but the suit looks like a fused Hugo Boss affair which doesnt fit you.

Regards.

 

[ginlimetonic]

Waistcoat revealing the belt buckle, shirt cuff revealing watch are gimmicky. You'd probably get a lot of complements from the ladies who know nothing about 'traditional' style. I see you like the attention to detail, but bespoke should be worn understated. Features on a bespoke suit include is shirt grippers on your trousers, functional cuffs, armpit pad, functional cuff, heel stays.

From the top, shoulders pads are heavily sloped and have a lot of ripples- from the inwards pressure from the sides. Heavy waist tapering makes the suit look feminine, and contributes to the overall fit looking 'top heavy' and unbalanced.

I can see from the back photo that there is too much room in the shoulders and confirm my thoughts about it looking top heavy. The tailor appears to have little skill in stitching the sleeves to the jacket.

 

[Strawfut]

The interruption in the left shoulder line would bother me.

 

[Nataku]

Originally Posted by intlnews

The watch cuff us ugly as hell. Burn the shirt. But the suit is very nice.
+1. Was the shirt cuff an Eric Glennie commissioned piece?

In all seriousness, that looks awful. If I were the tailor, I would have saved myself the work and you the embarrassment and refused to make such an atrocity.

 

[Daseinflaw]

The suit is great-- really nice fit. I definitely like it.
The watch isn't bad either.

 

[Mac]

Honestly, it's terrible. There's pulls everywhere, the shoulders are uneven, there appears to be a divot in your upper left sleeve and the sleeves are too long. The suit trousers are fine from the front, but the back is not well done.

I understand the Blackberry pocket and wouldn't consider it gimmicky, but the rest is awful.

Bespoke? Surely not.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Despos

It is a nice shade of grey.