What do you ask your tailor?

[cinema]

Hello,

I am planing to dip my toe in the world of bespoke and have a sports coat and possibly a SB suit made.

My first foray will be in London but decidedly off row. From reading the forums but the tailor seems to have a good reputation (Though I am more than keen to receive your recommendations.) However all the comments say that you need to know precisely what you are asking for and clearly detail your requirements.

I haven't a clue.

I am 5'10" with a 40" chest and 32" (ish) waist. Blond hair and fair skin. My back does curve a little inward at the bottom and most off the peg suits do curve in tightly following the contours of my spine.

For the sports jacket I'm thinking something like this JQ creation (would that I could afford him!)

How many vents should one have? Should the cuff buttons work? Should the jacket be cut to completely eliminate the bend in my lower back? How low should it hang?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions but I am keen to make the first attempt at bespoke a fruitful one.

For the suit, like many readers I'm sure, I am looking for some sort of Connery James Bond meets George Clooney fusion. Probably in a dark grey. But I'll need a very good suit to look like those two! I don't need to wear a suit for work, so this will be more for evening wear in both London and Los Angeles.

Again I have little idea about fabric weight and construction so all pointers will be very gratefully received.

Many Thanks,

Matt

 

[Maccimus]

My suggestion is to learn more before you pull the triger.

 

[Despos]

Ask your questions to 3 or 4 tailors, use their answers to know something about their point of view and then choose the tailor with the point of view you agree and feel most comfortable with. Their answers are more relative as they can better diagnose your needs because they are actually looking at you.
Post final pics on the style forum to know what went wrong.

 

[cinema]

That's why I'm here. This sight is a fascinating resource for the novice like me, many thanks to everyone who gives their time to it.

 

[cinema]

Thanks for the advice. I guess I just need to find a few tailors in my price point.

 

[ktrp]

I have some low end M2M stuff, no bespoke.

I wish I'd known/asked more, but to be fair, the M2M stuff I have is all better then the OTR stuff I have, so I try not to beat myself up over it.

'Bespoke' is in theory different from M2M, and one hopes they'll draw out more things and lead you through the process, but I wouldn't assume that's the case. I really believe most clients really just walk in and say 'make me a nice suit'. They want blue or grey and they probably want the same vents/buttons as they normally get.

Given this is theory and not experience from me, I suggest you:

- read up here, the london lounge, etc. on core things that 'change' in a jacket. Vents, yes, buttons, but also gorge, shoulders, padding level, drape, waist, etc, button placement, etc.

- go try on lots of jackets. See what looks good and what doesn't. Bring measuring tape. Try to understand what works for you. Ideal button placement/shoulders/etc are going to be specific to your build. I might like the way a given suit looks on a man who is 6'1 and 185 lbs, but I'm 6'3 165. It would not look the same on me. Even another 6'3/165 man might have different proportions to me, wider or narrower shoulders, longer/shorter legs vs. torso, etc. Experiment.

 

[ginlimetonic]

bespoke, meaning you have upwards of 5000 pounds to spend?

or made to order?

you need to nwo what you need to change on the first fitting or else your suit will turn up worse than OTR

 

[Doxe]

If you have a suit, wear it to the tailors and ask them what they think. They'll be brutally honest.


Ask them about how long your neck is, how erect or forward your posture is, what style would fit your body type (i.e., stronger shoulder pads for sloped shoulders etc.). Ask them about your shoulders: is one lower than the other, are your shoulders forward etc.

Most of all, ask them how they wil deal with these issues.

Start from there.