First bespoke suit: Firenze via Ōsaka
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 3:33 am
Gents,
It’s been some 13 years that I’ve been a member of this forum, and I am pleased to say that I am at last crossing the final frontier. Herewith, a short(ish) account of the ongoing process of commissioning my first bespoke suit.
The beginning
I’ve spent the last decade wearing Neapolitan suiting interpreted through Japanese eyes – suits from Osaka-based Ring Jacket – and thus, it seems fitting that I found myself back in Osaka last week at the workshop of Coccinella.
Chujo-san (and his assistant Sugimoto-san) cut in a Florentine style, which suits me very well: to my eye it maintains most of the proportions and the pleasing shape of the Neapolitan style, but is just a little firmer and cleaner, at least relative to the more fashionable exponents of Naples. I was particularly intrigued by the darting of the coat, placed not in the front but rather diagonally under the arm.
The plan
I was due to arrive in Osaka on Tuesday evening, ahead of a fitting late Wednesday, which would have allowed most of the day to turn over in my mind every detail of the suit. Although I had a solid idea of what I wanted, and planned to defer to the tailor on questions of fit and proportion, there were nonetheless myriad details that I wanted to think through, as well as spending some more time researching cloth to ensure that I made the best possible choice.
A fine plan, spoiled only by the breaking news that Typhoon Jebi was due to make landfall on Wednesday morning in the Kansai region. Chujo-san emailed to warn me, and graciously suggested that we bring forward my appointment to Tuesday night, and naturally I accepted.
But then panic set in: Mother Nature had robbed me of my planning day, I would have to ‘fly on instruments’. Happily, the last 13 years here have taught me a great deal, but nonetheless I found myself frantically reading over threads on the Shinkansen like a high schooler cramming for a test.
The shop
I needn’t have worried. I felt at home the moment that I stepped into the shop and saw Coccinella’s work close up. Three mannequins in the entrance held Chujo-san’s own well-worn coats, and they were simply spectacular. I knew that, whatever happened, I was in good hands.
A blog post I read described the man himself as looking more like a jazz musician than a tailor, and indeed the scene was set by a jazz soundtrack on the stereo. The shop was just as it should be: not a designer space but messy, chaotic and cosy.
The cloth
Cloth selection was the part of the experience which I found by far the most intimidating. Coccinella has an extensive range of books but keeps little cloth on hand, so I knew that I would be selecting from swatches rather than having the luxury of looking at lengths. At least a few times, I’ve fallen in love with a suit on the rack only to find that it looks awful when I tried it on, so the idea of judging from a few square inches filled me with dread.
I knew that I wanted English cloth, no less than 12oz, but preferably not too much more. It needed to have enough weight to drape properly and stand up to wear, but not so much that it would be unwearable in the hotter Australian months.
I had my heart set on a dark navy with a reasonably broad, soft chalkstripe, to replace an old suit (in Zegna fabric, beautiful but not durable) which had finally bitten the dust this winter. I would err on the side of caution, choosing the most subtle option that fit my bill in the hope it would translate well on a larger scale.
I was presented with a range of options, but none of them were quite right. Some were too blue, some too black. Some had stripes too close together, others had stripes that were too bold. In the end, I got down to one by Holland & Sherry, and another by Martin Sons & Co (with which I was unfamiliar). Erring on the side of caution, I opted for the former, which was the nicer, subtler cloth albeit with stripes too closely placed for my liking and a ground which was even darker than I wanted.
The fitting
The fitting itself went largely as expected. I wore my favourite Ring Jacket suit to give some indication of what I like, and was pained (but not surprised) to be told that it’s getting a bit tight on me.
For the coat, we agreed on a 3-roll-2, with barchetta chest pocket and jetted side pockets. The gorge will be a little higher than Coccinella’s standard cut, and the lapel will sit roughly parallel with my (very) sloped shoulders. There will be minimal padding, and a clean, lightly roped sleevehead. Half-lining should assist in maximising wearability in the warmer months. I had initially contemplated a waistcoat, but it would have increased the cost by about 25%, and I decided to save my pennies for the next commission instead.
The trousers will have braces buttons, and I didn’t think that side-tabs were necessary: I associate them with RTW intended to be worn with neither belt nor braces (though please tell me if I have it wrong here). Chujo-san proposed two pleats, we agreed on one for the baste fitting, but I will attempt to persuade him to use a dart instead (on which, I will post some questions separately in the trousers thread). He recommended straight, rather than angled pockets, and while I’m not quite sure why, I was happy to go with the recommendation. Although I never use my rear pockets, I still felt that trousers would look a bit odd without, so we decided to place one on the right side, jetted with no button.
A happy ending
As the fitting was drawing to a close, I felt good about the process, but still unsatisfied with my cloth selection. I didn’t dislike it, but at bespoke prices (and Coccinella is at the more reasonable end of the scale), having a suit that I didn’t dislike wasn’t quite enough!
And just then, I spotted one book still on there shelf which hadn’t been presented to me. Surely enough, Dugdale Bros had made the cloth of my dreams: 12oz worsted, dark but with a beautiful depth of colour under the light, with soft, grey stripes about an inch apart.
I learned that the reason that the book hadn’t been shown to me is that it was anticipated that it might take longer to get the cloth in, which would have required a change to our schedule and hence my travel plans. But, I had kept my plans loose enough to accomodate some variation, and so happily I am heading in for my fitting tomorrow.
I shall be sure to take some pictures this time. Wish me luck!
It’s been some 13 years that I’ve been a member of this forum, and I am pleased to say that I am at last crossing the final frontier. Herewith, a short(ish) account of the ongoing process of commissioning my first bespoke suit.
The beginning
I’ve spent the last decade wearing Neapolitan suiting interpreted through Japanese eyes – suits from Osaka-based Ring Jacket – and thus, it seems fitting that I found myself back in Osaka last week at the workshop of Coccinella.
Chujo-san (and his assistant Sugimoto-san) cut in a Florentine style, which suits me very well: to my eye it maintains most of the proportions and the pleasing shape of the Neapolitan style, but is just a little firmer and cleaner, at least relative to the more fashionable exponents of Naples. I was particularly intrigued by the darting of the coat, placed not in the front but rather diagonally under the arm.
The plan
I was due to arrive in Osaka on Tuesday evening, ahead of a fitting late Wednesday, which would have allowed most of the day to turn over in my mind every detail of the suit. Although I had a solid idea of what I wanted, and planned to defer to the tailor on questions of fit and proportion, there were nonetheless myriad details that I wanted to think through, as well as spending some more time researching cloth to ensure that I made the best possible choice.
A fine plan, spoiled only by the breaking news that Typhoon Jebi was due to make landfall on Wednesday morning in the Kansai region. Chujo-san emailed to warn me, and graciously suggested that we bring forward my appointment to Tuesday night, and naturally I accepted.
But then panic set in: Mother Nature had robbed me of my planning day, I would have to ‘fly on instruments’. Happily, the last 13 years here have taught me a great deal, but nonetheless I found myself frantically reading over threads on the Shinkansen like a high schooler cramming for a test.
The shop
I needn’t have worried. I felt at home the moment that I stepped into the shop and saw Coccinella’s work close up. Three mannequins in the entrance held Chujo-san’s own well-worn coats, and they were simply spectacular. I knew that, whatever happened, I was in good hands.
A blog post I read described the man himself as looking more like a jazz musician than a tailor, and indeed the scene was set by a jazz soundtrack on the stereo. The shop was just as it should be: not a designer space but messy, chaotic and cosy.
The cloth
Cloth selection was the part of the experience which I found by far the most intimidating. Coccinella has an extensive range of books but keeps little cloth on hand, so I knew that I would be selecting from swatches rather than having the luxury of looking at lengths. At least a few times, I’ve fallen in love with a suit on the rack only to find that it looks awful when I tried it on, so the idea of judging from a few square inches filled me with dread.
I knew that I wanted English cloth, no less than 12oz, but preferably not too much more. It needed to have enough weight to drape properly and stand up to wear, but not so much that it would be unwearable in the hotter Australian months.
I had my heart set on a dark navy with a reasonably broad, soft chalkstripe, to replace an old suit (in Zegna fabric, beautiful but not durable) which had finally bitten the dust this winter. I would err on the side of caution, choosing the most subtle option that fit my bill in the hope it would translate well on a larger scale.
I was presented with a range of options, but none of them were quite right. Some were too blue, some too black. Some had stripes too close together, others had stripes that were too bold. In the end, I got down to one by Holland & Sherry, and another by Martin Sons & Co (with which I was unfamiliar). Erring on the side of caution, I opted for the former, which was the nicer, subtler cloth albeit with stripes too closely placed for my liking and a ground which was even darker than I wanted.
The fitting
The fitting itself went largely as expected. I wore my favourite Ring Jacket suit to give some indication of what I like, and was pained (but not surprised) to be told that it’s getting a bit tight on me.
For the coat, we agreed on a 3-roll-2, with barchetta chest pocket and jetted side pockets. The gorge will be a little higher than Coccinella’s standard cut, and the lapel will sit roughly parallel with my (very) sloped shoulders. There will be minimal padding, and a clean, lightly roped sleevehead. Half-lining should assist in maximising wearability in the warmer months. I had initially contemplated a waistcoat, but it would have increased the cost by about 25%, and I decided to save my pennies for the next commission instead.
The trousers will have braces buttons, and I didn’t think that side-tabs were necessary: I associate them with RTW intended to be worn with neither belt nor braces (though please tell me if I have it wrong here). Chujo-san proposed two pleats, we agreed on one for the baste fitting, but I will attempt to persuade him to use a dart instead (on which, I will post some questions separately in the trousers thread). He recommended straight, rather than angled pockets, and while I’m not quite sure why, I was happy to go with the recommendation. Although I never use my rear pockets, I still felt that trousers would look a bit odd without, so we decided to place one on the right side, jetted with no button.
A happy ending
As the fitting was drawing to a close, I felt good about the process, but still unsatisfied with my cloth selection. I didn’t dislike it, but at bespoke prices (and Coccinella is at the more reasonable end of the scale), having a suit that I didn’t dislike wasn’t quite enough!
And just then, I spotted one book still on there shelf which hadn’t been presented to me. Surely enough, Dugdale Bros had made the cloth of my dreams: 12oz worsted, dark but with a beautiful depth of colour under the light, with soft, grey stripes about an inch apart.
I learned that the reason that the book hadn’t been shown to me is that it was anticipated that it might take longer to get the cloth in, which would have required a change to our schedule and hence my travel plans. But, I had kept my plans loose enough to accomodate some variation, and so happily I am heading in for my fitting tomorrow.
I shall be sure to take some pictures this time. Wish me luck!
