The London Lounge

As I contemplate finding a tailor who can make me a bespoke garment, I wonder if any of you can comment on the logistics needed to develop this relationship remotely?

I can arrange trips to Chicago or New York to meet up with one of the travelling SR houses or another capable tailor. If the tailor visits quarterly and I need two fittings, taking delivery at the last one, then that's at best about 6 months from the first visit. If the garment were ready sooner after the first fitting, I suppose it could be mailed earlier. For a first garment, one fitting might not be sufficient. Obviously, more fittings could lengthen the time to first wearing considerably. And then there would likely be some tweaking after I'd worn it a several times.

Now I understand why it can take so much time to build a bespoke wardrobe. I value patience, but has anyone come up with ways to shorten the process when working remotely? Possibly the tailors would want the process to move along a bit faster, too. It can't be easy on cash flow to have in-process garments of all the out-of-town clients hanging around waiting for the next fitting.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to learn from the collective experience of the group.

Regards,
Dellen

Dear Dellen,

I dont think there is an easy or perfect solution to this problem. What I am thinking about for you are the firms that have a proven ability to dial in the fit of a new customer as quickly as possible. Given some of the fitting sequences I have seen recently from members, I would say that contacting Anderson & Sheppard would be an excellent idea. I have seen first fittings from John Hitchcock that are more or less finished jackets requiring only a few alterations. Its not the ideal way of doing things, but the company has an uncanny way of fitting customers quickly and well. I believe they travel to Chicago and NY.

Tailors that travel to SF include Tom Mahon (www.englishcut.com), I suspect he could fit you quickly as well.

Please keep us up to date on your project.

Best regards

M Alden

Remember also that the first project or two will (if all goes well) take longer than subsequent ones, when the tailor has your basic pattern and figuration "on board," so to speak. (I assume here you're working with a tailor who does not cut freehand from scratch for each suit.) After a couple of suits you should be able to go straight to a forward fitting unless it's a new garment type or a cloth of dramatically different characteristics.