Gentlemen,
I've spent the past few months reading the forums and learning a good bit about the world of bespoke tailoring. Having just defended my PhD dissertation, I will be moving to London from mid-May through August (for some much needed relaxation and writing) and will be taking advantage of my location to begin building my bespoke wardrobe. As if I needed to tell you all, I'm very excited and, despite my careful research, still feeling a little overwhelmed. I've been lucky enough to have exchanged some emails with the esteemed Costi several weeks ago, and he gave me some fantastic advice and encouraged me to open the topic up to the rest of the forum. I'd love to have input and advice from experienced enthusiasts such as yourselves.
My current wardrobe consists of only one suit (a mid-grey wool/mohair blend with white pinstripes) whose jacket fits well but whose trousers have never pleased me. We might just as well say that I'm starting from scratch, although I do have a growing number of shirts and ties that I've been able to purchase this year while saving for my bespoke suits.
This summer I'll be able to have 4, possibly 5, suits made. Exactly where I go will be determined once I have my final budget squared away. I'd like to go with a solid navy (and something lighter than a midnight navy), a medium charcoal, a mid-light grey and another suit to be named after consultation with you kind folks. I love the idea of a glen check or POW, but I'm open to any ideas, colors or patterns. I should specify that since I'm an academic, in the humanities, no less, my work wardrobe (once I actually find a faculty position!) will be flexible and I will be able to wear whatever suits me, pun intended. I'll be wearing suits to teach, to faculty meetings and for giving talks, but also for nights out with friends and in more casual situations. I suppose I should mention that I find myself drawn to cloths and suits that I find conservative but not uninspired.
What is currently confounding me is how I should distribute my suit commissions for seasonal wear. With Costi I discussed having two suits that could span spring/summer/autumn, and two that are more for autumn/winter/fall. While I do like this distribution, I wonder what cloths and weights might work best for me. I currently live in North Carolina, where winter is relatively short and mild and summer unbearably hot and humid, but my upcoming job search could land me quite possibly anywhere in the US or UK, so it seems unwise to buy suits for a climate I won't be living in for much longer. That said, I do tend to run pretty warm, but this only begins to affect me seriously in the mid-late spring, when any suit is likely to send me perspiring. However, I hesitate to commission suits that are too light in weight, since lightweight cloth, from what I keep reading, tends generally not to tailor as well as the heavier stuff. So I'm forced to consider a hypothetical future climate, knowing that I tend to run a bit warm no matter where I am.
I'm also wondering if it might work best for me to commission two suits in the 10 oz range (from Lesser and/or Harrison's Frontier collection, for example) that I could wear for possibly more than half the year, as well as one suit explicitly for spring/summer (say, a tropical worsted or fresco) and another for colder autumn/winter days (maybe a 13 oz Lesser cloth or even a flannel, which I find delightful if not practical for a beginning wardrobe). I do appreciate that there is no true "year-round" cloth, but I would ideally like to aim for seasonal versatility. I'm a bit worried about ending up with suits that I'm perfectly comfortable in for only small windows of the year, leaving me nothing for, say, those warmer autumn days or those early days of spring when a 13 oz cloth might be too hot but a tropical weight cloth would look and feel a bit out of place.
I've undoubtedly not expressed myself clearly enough or have tried to voice too many conflicting ideas. It would be wonderful if some of you could help nudge me toward good decisions for my first set of bespoke suits. Naturally, I'll be happy to post some pictures once I have final fittings so I can show off!
All the best,
Justin
Going Bespoke
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rogiercreemers
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First: congratulations with your defence! (I am in the final stages of writing a dissertation myself, and will be very happy when it's over).
Sartorially speaking, I've decided to embark on bespoke in relatively the same way you are planning, although with a slightly limited budget. (And hence, Hong Kong tailors - as I get to go there relatively often). It sounds as though you are planning to purchase a bunch of suits in one go. However, in my experience - and I think this is shared by a fair few board members - bespoke is a process of communication and evolution. Hence, if you order a number of suits at once, they will all have the same little niggles, which you could have resolved by ordering one by one, and improving fit at every stage. The relationship between you and you tailor, like any, needs time to bring out the very best.
Also, in an academic environment, have you thought about also getting sports coats/blazers (or a blazersuit) and odd trousers? Similarly, have you thought about one or more double breasted/three piece suits to bring variation in form as well as fabric?
As to seasonal distribution: let's say you're in a temperate climate (England/New York) and decide to get five suits. If it were my money, I would get:
1 Lesser 16oz or similar heavy worsted
1 Minnis/Fox flannel ca. 14 oz
1 Lesser 13 oz or similar mid-weight worsted
1 Fresco
1 Linen
Apart from that, keep an eye on the cloth club subscriptions. I am certainly looking forward to the RAF blue PoW...
Sartorially speaking, I've decided to embark on bespoke in relatively the same way you are planning, although with a slightly limited budget. (And hence, Hong Kong tailors - as I get to go there relatively often). It sounds as though you are planning to purchase a bunch of suits in one go. However, in my experience - and I think this is shared by a fair few board members - bespoke is a process of communication and evolution. Hence, if you order a number of suits at once, they will all have the same little niggles, which you could have resolved by ordering one by one, and improving fit at every stage. The relationship between you and you tailor, like any, needs time to bring out the very best.
Also, in an academic environment, have you thought about also getting sports coats/blazers (or a blazersuit) and odd trousers? Similarly, have you thought about one or more double breasted/three piece suits to bring variation in form as well as fabric?
As to seasonal distribution: let's say you're in a temperate climate (England/New York) and decide to get five suits. If it were my money, I would get:
1 Lesser 16oz or similar heavy worsted
1 Minnis/Fox flannel ca. 14 oz
1 Lesser 13 oz or similar mid-weight worsted
1 Fresco
1 Linen
Apart from that, keep an eye on the cloth club subscriptions. I am certainly looking forward to the RAF blue PoW...
Last edited by rogiercreemers on Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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culverwood
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I too wear sports-coats and blazers with odd trouser more than suits as it can give more variety that may be why my suit collection is skewed: 50% flannel, 20% linen, 10% tweed and 20% worsted.
If it were my money as an academic living in London determined to buy 5 suits I would go: 1 tweed (something substantial like a P&H Hartwist), 1 linen (RTW or MTM as it will look crumpled after half an hour, 1 grey flannel chalk stripe (the Minnis looks good), 1 black tie, 1 lighter weight navy or other dark blue worsted.
If it were my money as an academic living in London determined to buy 5 suits I would go: 1 tweed (something substantial like a P&H Hartwist), 1 linen (RTW or MTM as it will look crumpled after half an hour, 1 grey flannel chalk stripe (the Minnis looks good), 1 black tie, 1 lighter weight navy or other dark blue worsted.
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rogiercreemers
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I hadn't thought about tweed at all, but indeed, a Hartwist or a nice Donegal would work very well in the academic context, and you can wear the coat separately.
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Simon A
You have made a good choice in selecting solid colours for your first four suits, they will be easy to accessorise (and possibly mix and match). A POW is nice for a change and slightly more casual. If you run hot, consider using Brisa (or Fresco or Finmeresco) for your late spring/summer/early autumn suits. They breathe well, look good and are good workhorse suitings.
Last edited by Simon A on Thu Feb 23, 2012 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If you run warm and don't know where you'll be, start with the tropical/fresco, and then a 10oz. Those will almost always be useful anywhere. After you learn more, decide what to complete the wardrobe with-- weights as well as patterns. If you can justify only one 13oz, you might make a different choice than if you knew you were going to get 2 or 3.Gilles Deleuze wrote: I'm also wondering if it might work best for me to commission two suits in the 10 oz range (from Lesser and/or Harrison's Frontier collection, for example) that I could wear for possibly more than half the year, as well as one suit explicitly for spring/summer (say, a tropical worsted or fresco) and another for colder autumn/winter days (maybe a 13 oz Lesser cloth or even a flannel, which I find delightful if not practical for a beginning wardrobe). I do appreciate that there is no true "year-round" cloth, but I would ideally like to aim for seasonal versatility. I'm a bit worried about ending up with suits that I'm perfectly comfortable in for only small windows of the year, leaving me nothing for, say, those warmer autumn days or those early days of spring when a 13 oz cloth might be too hot but a tropical weight cloth would look and feel a bit out of place.
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Gilles Deleuze
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Thanks very much to everyone who has responded with such thoughtful comments! It's all very much appreciated.
Allow me to follow up with some additional thoughts:
First, ideally I'd have plenty of time in London to have one suit made at a time, giving each suit time to break in slightly between visits to my tailor. Unfortunately, I do only have about 3 1/2 months in London, after which time I am entirely unsure when I'll have another chance to have even that much time in the city to have suits made. I was, of course, not going to commission 4 suits at one go, but was going to start with one before having the others made after giving that first suit a few weeks of wear. That strikes me as a potentially workable situation for my time frame, but if it's not do please let me know!
So, to proceed with the follow-up questions:
I like the idea of beginning with a 10oz and/or a tropical weight suit. I especially like the look of Lesser's 8/9 oz tropicals. My question, though, is whether a suit in this cloth will look appropriate outside of the height of summer, i.e., during the warm days of spring or autumn? Also, do tropical weight suits and frescos always have to be unlined? Would the lack of a lining reduce the suit's durability? I wonder if it's wise to get an unlined suit in this initial purchase of a "core" suit wardrobe. Could these two suits serve as my initial "spring/summer/autumn" suits?
When it comes to the autumn/winter/spring suits, as I said, I'd like to ensure that they can be worn outside of the coldest days of winter. I don't know from experience, but it does strike me that a 16 oz worsted might simply be too hot for me, especially given the way buildings are heated these days. Might it be worth getting two 13 oz worsteds? Or one worsted and a flannel? While I love the idea of flannels and tweeds, I do wonder if they're versatile enough to be included in this initial foray into the world of bespoke. If they are, then I suppose I'd be inclined to try out a flannel first and save the tweed for a later date. The catch, I suppose, is the durability of the flannel: I am on a budget and would need these suits to last as long as possible. Should I avoid the flannels, or maybe go for a worsted flannel?
Sport coats are, naturally, another element in the mix. I may forego the idea of a 5th suit, should my budget allow, and instead have a sport coat made, in a cloth that could ideally be worn for much of the year. I've been toying with this idea, but, then again, I've also wondered if it's worth investing in a decent overcoat, as well.
Thanks again, everyone,
Justin
Allow me to follow up with some additional thoughts:
First, ideally I'd have plenty of time in London to have one suit made at a time, giving each suit time to break in slightly between visits to my tailor. Unfortunately, I do only have about 3 1/2 months in London, after which time I am entirely unsure when I'll have another chance to have even that much time in the city to have suits made. I was, of course, not going to commission 4 suits at one go, but was going to start with one before having the others made after giving that first suit a few weeks of wear. That strikes me as a potentially workable situation for my time frame, but if it's not do please let me know!
So, to proceed with the follow-up questions:
I like the idea of beginning with a 10oz and/or a tropical weight suit. I especially like the look of Lesser's 8/9 oz tropicals. My question, though, is whether a suit in this cloth will look appropriate outside of the height of summer, i.e., during the warm days of spring or autumn? Also, do tropical weight suits and frescos always have to be unlined? Would the lack of a lining reduce the suit's durability? I wonder if it's wise to get an unlined suit in this initial purchase of a "core" suit wardrobe. Could these two suits serve as my initial "spring/summer/autumn" suits?
When it comes to the autumn/winter/spring suits, as I said, I'd like to ensure that they can be worn outside of the coldest days of winter. I don't know from experience, but it does strike me that a 16 oz worsted might simply be too hot for me, especially given the way buildings are heated these days. Might it be worth getting two 13 oz worsteds? Or one worsted and a flannel? While I love the idea of flannels and tweeds, I do wonder if they're versatile enough to be included in this initial foray into the world of bespoke. If they are, then I suppose I'd be inclined to try out a flannel first and save the tweed for a later date. The catch, I suppose, is the durability of the flannel: I am on a budget and would need these suits to last as long as possible. Should I avoid the flannels, or maybe go for a worsted flannel?
Sport coats are, naturally, another element in the mix. I may forego the idea of a 5th suit, should my budget allow, and instead have a sport coat made, in a cloth that could ideally be worn for much of the year. I've been toying with this idea, but, then again, I've also wondered if it's worth investing in a decent overcoat, as well.
Thanks again, everyone,
Justin
No need to get the summer suits unlined (unless they're linen, when it is really a good idea).
And when you look around you'll find that most people in the US wear tropical or at least light/mid weight all through the winter. Which is hardly optimal, but you won't stand out too much in a crowd.
It all depends on how much you want to dress up, what part of the country you're in, and so on, but consider a Donegal tweed like the LL fall offering or the P&H Thornproofs for your winter suit. It will last forever and look a lot less urban if you're wearing it to work.
And when you look around you'll find that most people in the US wear tropical or at least light/mid weight all through the winter. Which is hardly optimal, but you won't stand out too much in a crowd.
It all depends on how much you want to dress up, what part of the country you're in, and so on, but consider a Donegal tweed like the LL fall offering or the P&H Thornproofs for your winter suit. It will last forever and look a lot less urban if you're wearing it to work.
The role of tweed and of sport coats generally may depend to some extent on the academic persona you intend to embody. A distinguished American scholar of 18th-century English literature, now emeritus, taught and appeared all his career in English suits and furnishings, mostly pinstripes:
He was New York bred and educated (Columbia) and for a while a younger colleague of Edward Said, whose cultured cosmopolitanism he admired (this quite separate from Said's political interventions). So if such an urbane presentation is your goal, your suit plan sounds an excellent start.
On the other hand, the Spenserian sub-warden of Merton met us for an informal senior common room dinner in a glen-check tweed odd jacket, and was typical of the dons we saw out and about on the grounds. Tweed of course has a long association with Oxbridge (famously, in the twenties of Waugh's Brideshead, only tweed suits, not odd jackets), and the 'tweedy professor' is a well-earned cliche on both sides of the pond. So I think a tweed odd jacket would never be out of place; were you to get a gutsy one like those woven for the Cloth Club by Lovat Mill, it would likely serve you for so long as you kept fit enough not to outgrow it--an advantage in an early purchase.
As others have said, I'd be inclined not to invest in bespoke for your summer linens, seersuckers, cotton twills or pincords at this stage. Treat them as bridges. I'd be inclined to start with one fresco/Brisa, two mid-to-heavy worsteds, a substantial flannel, and a bulletproof tweed odd jacket. These will all see time in any but the hottest climates over the years. Then, if you find you land in a place with an extended warm season, you can add MTM items in the cotton/linen cloths. Likewise, I'd be inclined to go RTW or MTM on your overcoat at the start, at least until you know where you'll be for a while.
Good luck, and keep us posted on what you end up with.
He was New York bred and educated (Columbia) and for a while a younger colleague of Edward Said, whose cultured cosmopolitanism he admired (this quite separate from Said's political interventions). So if such an urbane presentation is your goal, your suit plan sounds an excellent start.
On the other hand, the Spenserian sub-warden of Merton met us for an informal senior common room dinner in a glen-check tweed odd jacket, and was typical of the dons we saw out and about on the grounds. Tweed of course has a long association with Oxbridge (famously, in the twenties of Waugh's Brideshead, only tweed suits, not odd jackets), and the 'tweedy professor' is a well-earned cliche on both sides of the pond. So I think a tweed odd jacket would never be out of place; were you to get a gutsy one like those woven for the Cloth Club by Lovat Mill, it would likely serve you for so long as you kept fit enough not to outgrow it--an advantage in an early purchase.
As others have said, I'd be inclined not to invest in bespoke for your summer linens, seersuckers, cotton twills or pincords at this stage. Treat them as bridges. I'd be inclined to start with one fresco/Brisa, two mid-to-heavy worsteds, a substantial flannel, and a bulletproof tweed odd jacket. These will all see time in any but the hottest climates over the years. Then, if you find you land in a place with an extended warm season, you can add MTM items in the cotton/linen cloths. Likewise, I'd be inclined to go RTW or MTM on your overcoat at the start, at least until you know where you'll be for a while.
Good luck, and keep us posted on what you end up with.
Congratulations on completing your PhD! It''s quite an achievement and I wish you every success in the future.
As a fellow academic, I have a few thoughts about fabric selection. Given that you are likely to be working in a fairly informal or non-conservative work environment, it may be worth while considering selecting fabrics with slightly more visual interest or surface texture. If you are careful about your fabric choice, you should be able to use your garments as separates, as well as wearing them as a suits, providing a broader range of choices and options for day to day wear. For example, for your navy or blue suit, you could have something made-up in a herringbone. This would look equally presentable as a suit and also give you the option of wearing the jacket as a blazer. Likewise, I think the suggestion of having a winter-weight suit made in a Donegal a good one, as it would provide you with a similar kind of flexibility. PoW-patterned fabrics are flexible, too. I personally tend to steer away from plain worsteds and twills, simply because - for the most part - I find that they're too "formal" for daily use.
You'll be spoilt for choice in London; are you planning on going to the Row or off-Row? Perhaps a mix of both?
As a fellow academic, I have a few thoughts about fabric selection. Given that you are likely to be working in a fairly informal or non-conservative work environment, it may be worth while considering selecting fabrics with slightly more visual interest or surface texture. If you are careful about your fabric choice, you should be able to use your garments as separates, as well as wearing them as a suits, providing a broader range of choices and options for day to day wear. For example, for your navy or blue suit, you could have something made-up in a herringbone. This would look equally presentable as a suit and also give you the option of wearing the jacket as a blazer. Likewise, I think the suggestion of having a winter-weight suit made in a Donegal a good one, as it would provide you with a similar kind of flexibility. PoW-patterned fabrics are flexible, too. I personally tend to steer away from plain worsteds and twills, simply because - for the most part - I find that they're too "formal" for daily use.
You'll be spoilt for choice in London; are you planning on going to the Row or off-Row? Perhaps a mix of both?
Justin, Congratulations. Having defended my own PhD dissertation in philosophy a few weeks ago, I know what you have been through. However, being neither an academic nor a young man perhaps my encouragement has merit. You seem well advised already. The more substantial cloth in solid and POW pattern is wise. I would only get two suits, perhaps three for now,and concentrate on odd jackets suitable for a man of your profession. Thus attired,you will look splendid in any liberal arts college in the US,and I suspect, abroad. I especially like cloth from Dugdale because of its rougher finish and the cost is very reasonable. I trust that you will make one stylish professor! There are so few of them and the world could well benefit from a few more.
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Gilles Deleuze
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Gents, your responses have once again impressed me. It's quite nice to be able to hear voices from inside and outside the academy on matters of style. I've taken a day to think things over a bit (not that there's any rush, as I don't even leave for London for another two weeks) and ask myself what sort of distribution of suits I'd be most comfortable with. I think that, for now at least, I'd really like to begin building a core wardrobe of suits, from which I can branch out a bit later (once I secure a faculty position) to sport coats, blazers and the like.
I have taken to heart couch's recommendations regarding urbanity, and I think his proposition is intriguing. Provided I have enough time during my stay, I could commission four suits:
--A tropical weight/fresco/brisa (presuming the other two don't need to be unlined, which I wouldn't like in a "core" suit)
--Two mid-weight (perhaps one 10 oz and one 13 oz, if this is a good idea. I'm still unsure about how my body will wear these two weights)
--One warmer flannel (I do love the idea of a chalk stripe flannel, although I'd like to be careful and choose a flannel known as much for its durability as for its looks, since I'd like this suit to last)
Then, budget allowing (and it may), I will be able to look into a tweed jacket. My concerns on this front being that I'm not sure I have many pairs of trousers that would match a bolder tweed, and that I don't always look my best in the earthy greens and browns that I see in a lot of tweed coats and suits.
I think this plan incorporates both seasonal wear and some degree of versatility--as much as can be expected from an initial foray into the bespoke world, at any rate. However, I most humbly submit these ideas to your inspection since, after all, I'm here to learn. Once it gets a little closer, I will ask about the smaller details like pockets and cuffs, but I'm inclined to keep things fairly simple. Simple, conservative, urbane: the way I'd like to dress, even if those adjectives don't characterize every aspect of my life!
As to which tailors I'll be investigating, I may give a long look at Graham Browne since I've heard good things about them and the value they offer for money. I've also thought about Chris Kerr, although I worry his work might be overly flashy, given his relationship to the film industry. There's some chance I may be able to go to the Row for one of the suits, but I'll have to see how my finances shake out of the next few weeks. Should I be lucky enough to afford a suit from the Row, I'd like to visit a couple places to see how I feel about them. I don't know how tailors on the Row feel about that kind of shopping around, however.
I have taken to heart couch's recommendations regarding urbanity, and I think his proposition is intriguing. Provided I have enough time during my stay, I could commission four suits:
--A tropical weight/fresco/brisa (presuming the other two don't need to be unlined, which I wouldn't like in a "core" suit)
--Two mid-weight (perhaps one 10 oz and one 13 oz, if this is a good idea. I'm still unsure about how my body will wear these two weights)
--One warmer flannel (I do love the idea of a chalk stripe flannel, although I'd like to be careful and choose a flannel known as much for its durability as for its looks, since I'd like this suit to last)
Then, budget allowing (and it may), I will be able to look into a tweed jacket. My concerns on this front being that I'm not sure I have many pairs of trousers that would match a bolder tweed, and that I don't always look my best in the earthy greens and browns that I see in a lot of tweed coats and suits.
I think this plan incorporates both seasonal wear and some degree of versatility--as much as can be expected from an initial foray into the bespoke world, at any rate. However, I most humbly submit these ideas to your inspection since, after all, I'm here to learn. Once it gets a little closer, I will ask about the smaller details like pockets and cuffs, but I'm inclined to keep things fairly simple. Simple, conservative, urbane: the way I'd like to dress, even if those adjectives don't characterize every aspect of my life!
As to which tailors I'll be investigating, I may give a long look at Graham Browne since I've heard good things about them and the value they offer for money. I've also thought about Chris Kerr, although I worry his work might be overly flashy, given his relationship to the film industry. There's some chance I may be able to go to the Row for one of the suits, but I'll have to see how my finances shake out of the next few weeks. Should I be lucky enough to afford a suit from the Row, I'd like to visit a couple places to see how I feel about them. I don't know how tailors on the Row feel about that kind of shopping around, however.
Just a few ideas:
- I believe the fresco/brisa is best unlined, to take advantage of the cloth's breathability (chest self-lined, back unlined, shoulder blades and sleeves lined, trousers unlined)
- How warm a cloth wears is not too much a function of weight, as it is of porosity (breathability). Therefore you may find a 10 oz worsted wears hotter than a 13 oz fresco in warm weather. Personally I would avoid the 10 oz altogether (airtight for summer, insubstantial for winter, bad drape).
- while a pinstripe flannel looks very nice, perhaps a solid medium gray is more versatile for a "core" suit. You may have two pairs of trousers made so that one may be worn with an odd (tweed) coat - which needn't be brown/green, it can very well be a B&W herringbone or PoW.
- while I appreciate the methodical approach (after all a suit starts with the cloth, right?), I believe you shouldn't focus on this exclusively. It makes just as much sense to approach the subject of building a core wardrobe from a style perspective. To this end, it can be useful to start with a vision of plenty rather than one of limited possibilities. Envision yourself as already having everything that you desire in your wardrobe: a full dressing room replete with worsted suits, tweed jackets, linen coats, flannel trousers, Glenn checks, stripes, herringbones - everything your heart desires. What would you wear most often? What is the suit you would most often stretch your hand out for? What kind of image would you rather project - the worsted professor or the tweedy professor, as couch puts it? From my experience, we often have clothes made out of curiosity, because we THINK we like what we don't already have, but we soon realize that, once over the initial enthusiasm, some of the pieces become closet decoration, while others get worn out from frequent use. If you go shopping for food when you're hungry, you're likely to end up with a basket full of stuff that will make you wonder the next day what you were thinking. While you CAN go food shopping with a full stomach, you cannot always go suit shopping with a full closet
Therefore, you may try this little trick: imagine you already have everything and you are choosing five suits from your complete wardrobe for a one-year trip to London, Paris or wherever you think you'll be going. What would you take and what would you leave on the hanger?
- I believe the fresco/brisa is best unlined, to take advantage of the cloth's breathability (chest self-lined, back unlined, shoulder blades and sleeves lined, trousers unlined)
- How warm a cloth wears is not too much a function of weight, as it is of porosity (breathability). Therefore you may find a 10 oz worsted wears hotter than a 13 oz fresco in warm weather. Personally I would avoid the 10 oz altogether (airtight for summer, insubstantial for winter, bad drape).
- while a pinstripe flannel looks very nice, perhaps a solid medium gray is more versatile for a "core" suit. You may have two pairs of trousers made so that one may be worn with an odd (tweed) coat - which needn't be brown/green, it can very well be a B&W herringbone or PoW.
- while I appreciate the methodical approach (after all a suit starts with the cloth, right?), I believe you shouldn't focus on this exclusively. It makes just as much sense to approach the subject of building a core wardrobe from a style perspective. To this end, it can be useful to start with a vision of plenty rather than one of limited possibilities. Envision yourself as already having everything that you desire in your wardrobe: a full dressing room replete with worsted suits, tweed jackets, linen coats, flannel trousers, Glenn checks, stripes, herringbones - everything your heart desires. What would you wear most often? What is the suit you would most often stretch your hand out for? What kind of image would you rather project - the worsted professor or the tweedy professor, as couch puts it? From my experience, we often have clothes made out of curiosity, because we THINK we like what we don't already have, but we soon realize that, once over the initial enthusiasm, some of the pieces become closet decoration, while others get worn out from frequent use. If you go shopping for food when you're hungry, you're likely to end up with a basket full of stuff that will make you wonder the next day what you were thinking. While you CAN go food shopping with a full stomach, you cannot always go suit shopping with a full closet
Therefore, you may try this little trick: imagine you already have everything and you are choosing five suits from your complete wardrobe for a one-year trip to London, Paris or wherever you think you'll be going. What would you take and what would you leave on the hanger?A post that should be read and re-read by all new or prospective bespoke clients.while I appreciate the methodical approach (after all a suit starts with the cloth, right?), I believe you shouldn't focus on this exclusively. It makes just as much sense to approach the subject of building a core wardrobe from a style perspective. To this end, it can be useful to start with a vision of plenty rather than one of limited possibilities. Envision yourself as already having everything that you desire in your wardrobe: a full dressing room replete with worsted suits, tweed jackets, linen coats, flannel trousers, Glenn checks, stripes, herringbones - everything your heart desires. What would you wear most often? What is the suit you would most often stretch your hand out for? What kind of image would you rather project - the worsted professor or the tweedy professor, as couch puts it? From my experience, we often have clothes made out of curiosity, because we THINK we like what we don't already have, but we soon realize that, once over the initial enthusiasm, some of the pieces become closet decoration, while others get worn out from frequent use. If you go shopping for food when you're hungry, you're likely to end up with a basket full of stuff that will make you wonder the next day what you were thinking. While you CAN go food shopping with a full stomach, you cannot always go suit shopping with a full closet
We all have a couple of suits, that hang forever in the closet and gather dust, whose conception seemed promising but whose practical application was less so. These words of Costi are excellent advice.
Cheers
Michael Alden
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Mike Over Metal
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Well said Costi, your words are one of the best advices an apprentice in bespoke could have received from a long standing bespoke customer. Yours is the true voice of bespoke experience. I'm printing it to keep it always in mind as I think is going to be very helpful with my next commisions.
Many thanks all for your contributions.
Best regards,
Miguel
Many thanks all for your contributions.
Best regards,
Miguel
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