The London Lounge

Dear All

I have been lurking in the shadows of your posts for a while and have finally decided to come to the fore to pick your sartorial minds. I am a young professional who is need of a new suit(s) and have the following dilemma: i) I fear that given the hours I work, the investment in a suit from the row will be a short-lived one with it soon wearing out; ii) the outlay for three or four suits from the row (so that I have more of a bespoke formal wardrobe which I can rotate) would deny me of my any other guilty pleasures; and iii) whether the fit of a bespoke offering is far superior to that of a coat which is RTW or from a MTM block that fits you well (craft and handwork aside). I seem to be fortunate enough to have found MTM blocks and RTW offerings that fit me well, the pictures are of a RTW coat I have from a high-end brand.
Looking at the coat, do you think that a bespoke coat would offer a superior fit (and is it particularly keeping with any house’s style)? Also, given my shape, who would you recommend that I visit on the row?


I am currently thinking that I will get a couple of suits from Timothy Everest’s MTM service as the block, even unaltered, seems to fit me very well and the price of the suits is low enough that I would not mind them wearing quickly. However, if you think that a bespoke offering would provide a much better fit, I might be convinced to save my pennies (I am not that vain but I do try to look my best).

I am under no illusions that there is no substitute for bespoke. I do however question, without stepping on any of the learned members toes, that perhaps the real benefit or joy of bespoke is the experience itself and the warm feeling one has of wearing a garment which an artisan has spent many an hour perfecting. I will visit the row and am very much looking forward to it but perhaps, until I can develop a relationship with a particular tailor, the good fit of clothes can be more easily ascertained/ realised when they are not being made from scratch.

I look forward to your comments.

Crooky,

Welcome to the Lounge!
Why does a possible bespoke suit have to be "from the Row"? Since you are making budgeting considerations, there are plenty of perfectly valid bespoke alternatives that might not cost (significantly) more than a "high-end brand RTW" coat.

For me, yes, the experience and the warm feeling do play a significant part. I realise that this is not the most insightful comment, but it is difficult to turn back once one has tasted bespoke.

That said, if TE's blocks suit you well, I don't see why you should not try TE MTM. I would, however, choose proper English cloths rather than the attractively priced Vitale Barberis or other continental favourites. You could build your basic rotation through MTM relatively quickly and economically, and then move to bespoke thereafter. I don't think there is a right way or a wrong way, as everyone's priorities and circumstances are different.

s

crooky13 :

Welcome!

It seems to me that at least once, you should have a proper bespoke suit made. This is your life, and not a rehearsal. If you're going to have a regret, let it be for what you've done, and not for what you've failed to do. Have faith that whatever your guilty pleasures, your cash flow will expand over time to accomodate them. The talent and enthusiasm that goes into a bespoke suit is infectious and accrues to your benefit, no matter what your endeavor.

C

carl browne wrote:If you're going to have a regret, let it be for what you've done, and not for what you've failed to do.

Yes, remorse is preferrable to regret...

carl browne wrote:The talent and enthusiasm that goes into a bespoke suit is infectious and accrues to your benefit, no matter what your endeavor.

Great idea and excellent advice, Carl!

Costi, Shredder and Carl

Many thanks to each of you for your comments!

Costi - budget is an issue so much as I have set aside a sum that I am comfortable with spending, I just want to make sure that I make the most of it. I realise that there are a number of tailors that are not on the row who produce true bespoke but have seen so few of their finished items compared to those from the row (in publications such as the Rake, etc) that I feel more comfortable with taking the plunge with a name and being measured by a face that I recognise.

Shredder - I think that perhaps this is the most sensible way forward for me. It appears that there is a certain 'je ne sais quoi' in experiencing the process and then treasuring a bespoke garment. I will just have to ensure that once I go bespoke I don’t eschew all my other suits in favour of that one!

Carl - as Wilde once said "anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination", I think your comment has encouraged me to try to take the plunge as soon as I can. So many thanks for the advice, albeit the expensive advice!

Now that it seems I am going to build a basic rotation in MTM to enable me to move on to bespoke as soon as possible. Are there any houses in particular that you may recommend me after looking at my shape above? I have a traditional v shape but with rather broad shoulders. I do like quite a fitted coat, peak lapels and normally go for one or two buttons. However, some of the pictures of the softer draped jackets are also appealing.

Thanks

Crooky

Crooky,

Your taste is and should be your own. That said, given your dramatic V shape, you might consider experimenting with a cut that, while not obscuring it, allows it to be appreciated in an understated way. Any well-cut bespoke coat will move with your body in a way that reveals your physique, so perhaps you might not need to select each element (strong rope shoulder, peak lapel, longer lapel V from 1 button, 'quite' fitted) to emphasize it. You can afford to make a more relaxed choice in one or more of those elements, if you like, and that might increase the impression of ease and confidence you project in the jacket. A more boyish or stocky figure might have need of the tailor's noble illusions, whereas you can benefit from his discretion. Any good cutter at the houses you are considering can probably advise you well if you raise the subject. In my own case, I want to appear relaxed, fit, and correct in all my jackets, and work with the cutter with those explicit goals in mind. The balance shifts a bit depending on where the garment will be worn--business, city casual, country--but all three need to be present. If you haven't done so, you might find it useful to try on various garments at some of the bespoke houses you're considering to "get the look and feel" of how some of the variations (more or less drape, different shoulder and sleeve head treatments, lapels rolling to different buttons, etc.) might work on you if you put them together. Good luck, and enjoy the process.