The London Lounge

Dear Julian, it makes perfect sense to move slowly. Most important in the end is that you feel at ease and comfortable with what you are wearing. This is what people meeting you will notice most. You want to be Julian, not a two-feeted hanger for bespoke items :roll: Cheers, David Thanks for the ad...

Thanks everyone, and especially Costi for kicking my thread into life. Side adjusters vs a belt is currently serving as yet another example of a class of problem that I've encountered on a few occasions during my first steps into bespoke. Another example for me is jacket length. The type of issue th...

Re Peter Smith leaving and moving next door to RA, has this been confirmed? Yes. RA sent out a glossy A5 booklet to its customers entitled "Today and Tomorrow", mine arrived this morning. It lists some key staff, one per page except for Richard Anderson and Brian Lishak who share the first page. Re...

The "Elegance in an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s" exhibition at New York's The Museum at the Fashion Institute, on until 19th April, looks well worth a visit. Details here: http://www.fitnyc.edu/21912.asp I'm particularly taken by the straight front cutaways on the 1935 A&S suit about half w...

What advice would people offer to someone of a slimmer build as far as fit is concerned? (Please don't say "eat more pizza" :) ) In RTW jackets I often find that even if I can find something in a size 36" chest(*) the shoulders are often still too wide. I realise that the sizing for cardigans is dif...

I've had a couple of bespoke pairs of trousers made and one of the things that I'm beginning to really like about them is the fact that I specified buckle-type side adjusters rather than belt loops. A view expressed in many places on the internet is that not wearing a belt can help a short-ish perso...

Do you intend to play any tables or concentrate on soaking up the atmosphere? If you do intend to place any bets then I would recommend blackjack as the game that, with only a modicum of research, can deliver the best results although without rather sophisticated playing techniques the odds are stil...

A very interesting idea. How do you expect durability to measure up? I can see that being another advantage of linen or am I underestimating the durability of more traditional linings?

- Julian

Thanks everyone. I hadn't realised it would be such a nuanced discussion. It's been most enlightening.

With all this uncertainty around the pronunciation of the final "t" maybe it's best if I go for a Chesterfiel coat instead .

- Julian

This is a really dumb question but it's dumber to remain in ignorance. Is a covert coat pronounced as: cover-t with "cover" as in covering something up ("He covered his face with a mask"), also similar to "Thou shalt not covet" in one of the ten commandments? or is it pronounced as: covert as in "He...

No one likes to feel duped, short-changed or taken advantage of. The customer, instead of simply assigning blame, should seek to achieve resolution. I like what Micheal referred to as getting livid. All these mild-mannered bespeakers should be turning green a la Incredible Hulk. It's one thing to c...

I've been away for a few days trying to enjoy what might be the last gasp of the British summer and return to quite an active thread. In answer to Michael's specific question from a few days ago: "Where did you do this research? On the net? Where? what feedback influenced you most to make the decisi...

In a way this makes it even more frustrating because the jacket isn't a disaster, it's actually really good. The shoulders, chest and back are all very tidy and, although I would probably have moved the top buttoning point down maybe 1/2", it's not enough to make a huge difference and some slight l...

Thank you all for the replies. Michael's comment about houses tending to make the first coat in the house style is interesting; it's interesting to put my experience in context and it does reinforce the general impression that I was left with, the impression that the cutter had simply cut the coat t...

I'm still wrestling with two style issues in getting a fit and style that I feel is optimum for me; they are almost certainly related and there might be a third related factor as well. My first issue is the buttoning point on two button single breasted sports coats. There has been some wonderful inf...