The London Lounge

My full review of Richard Lim and his shop, High Society, is still in the works. However, I was there today for the first fitting on my new navy Brisa jacket and decided to snap some pics.


The jacket will be two button, with three functional buttons on the sleeve. It'll be half lined with cotton / silk shirting, hopefully making it a bit more breathable. It's fully canvassed and unpadded, except for a tiny amount inserted during the fitting today. The lapels are a wider version of what I experimented with on my last blazer. It's somewhere around a "cran necker" / fishmouth / open peak.


Two Questions that are nagging at me:
First, the length right now is considered "full length" by Richard, and he suggested as an option a slightly more contemporary length (which I opted for) that would be about 1/2" shorter. How does the length look to you guys?

Second, the jacket actually draped quite well without any lining. I'm considering asking Richard to only line the front and shoulders while leaving the back and arms unlined. Any thoughts?


I'll be touring the workshop in back on my next visit, so if you guys have any picture requests, let me know.


Richard was kind enough to snap some pics. Please forgive the poor posture and picture quality; it was very candid and impromptu.

Front Open:


Front Closed:


Side:


Back:


Lapel / Collar template I delivered to them with "Barchetta" breast pocket template:

Nice coat in the making, coolal! I'd say the coat CAN be 1/2" shorter, but no more than that. You'll take advantage of the Brisa qualities best with the back unlined - just have some lining over the shoulder blades and inside the sleeves (which must be lined, in my view, so the coat slides in and out easily over the shirt). Make sure the cotton/silk shirting you want to use as a lining slides well over cotton and does breathe. I had one linen suit lined in very smooth cotton once (there was no silk in it, though) and after a couple of wears had to re-line it completely in Bemberg because it clung to my shirt and was hot. You might be better off with a Bemberg lining from the outset. I also had my Brisa coats' chest self-lined for extra drape and even more breathability.

Very interesting, thanks: I look forward to future reports.

Your decision to go shorter is regrettable. Whilst it may be this week's fashion, the garment will hopefully long outlive this rather silly fad.

'Classic' is frankly the better approach to any bespoke instruction unless you are buying a short life garment rather than something longer lived.

My favourite short coat fasionista!



If anything, DFR, I deplore the fact that most "classically" cut coats I see around are too long - and it's not a matter of classicism, but of proportion.
Of course, the extra short exaggerations are just as terrible...

But we are not there with this coat, even with 1/2" off the skirt!

Coolal, it doesn't show in these pictures, but I recall you are tall enough. Take another look at a head-to-toe photograph and see what length looks better on you. I wrote the coat CAN be 1/2" shorter judging mostly by the back shot (buttocks covered), but I admit that's not enough...

DFR wrote:Very interesting, thanks: I look forward to future reports.

Your decision to go shorter is regrettable. Whilst it may be this week's fashion, the garment will hopefully long outlive this rather silly fad.

'Classic' is frankly the better approach to any bespoke instruction unless you are buying a short life garment rather than something longer lived.

Costi wrote:My favourite short coat fasionista!



If anything, DFR, I deplore the fact that most "classically" cut coats I see around are too long - and it's not a matter of classicism, but of proportion.
Of course, the extra short exaggerations are just as terrible...

But we are not there with this coat, even with 1/2" off the skirt!

Coolal, it doesn't show in these pictures, but I recall you are tall enough. Take another look at a head-to-toe photograph and see what length looks better on you. I wrote the coat CAN be 1/2" shorter judging mostly by the back shot (buttocks covered), but I admit that's not enough...

DFR and Costi, thanks again for the comments. I've taken them to heart and visited Richard again today.

I ended up retaining the original "full length". I'm almost 6'1", so I'm a bit wary of going too-short.

However, the button stance was the major adjustment. It has been moved about 1" lower, now right about at my navel. The lapel was given just a tad more belly in order to accommodate the lowered stance. In my opinion, the lowered stance evened out the whole jacket.

As for lining, I followed your advice Costi, and got the chest self lined. The cotton / silk shirting was replaced with bemberg to pipe the chest, tape the seams in back, and to line the sleeves.

I can't wait to present the finished product