The London Lounge

I would like to introduce my self to the Londonlounge.net community. I am currently living in Vancouver BC and working as a bespoke tailor. I did four years at Dalhousie University in Halifax studding costume history. To be totally honest, the only reason I endured the full four years was so I could take the tailoring component of the degree. Had the tailoring been the first year I would have taken the knowledge and dropped out to begin work straight away, but as fate would have it the university saved the tailoring until last. I will not post photos of things I have made for clients as this would be an “un-tailorly” act. I have photos of my favorite suit I will post later. This is some of my work so far.


The “Liberty” is one of my favorite pieces. It is a linen canvas printed with a liberty print. The lining is a cotton lawn also from liberty. It was made as a show piece. I wore it to a Hermes party here in Vancouver for the launch of a new bag, it was a hit.








The “Union” is a winter coat I made for a trip to the east coast. It is a simple woolen with vintage silver uniform buttons. The lining is custom printed silk and the under collar is pieced fabric.

I like the use of the Union Jack, very interesting.

That first jacket is quite astonishing.

I like it.

Thanks Concordia, very kind. It was an exercise in keeping balance when dealing with a large print. The print matches up on the center back seam but not at the armholes as it usually would with a window pane or a plaid. This was done so that the bold center of the print could be place in the middle of the sleeve cap. You must know the rules so you know when to break them.

what are your more traditional suits like?

I'll echo Ed's request - let's see some of your more mainstream suits, if you don't mind. You'll find that you'll have a few western Canadians interested if you can carry off something a bit more sedate.

My more traditional suits are basically what ever my customer wants. For my personal “Basic” suit I always have a plaid, stripe, or texture. I usually use colour but sometimes I go for dark. I have never made a plain black or grey suit for my self and to that point I don’t even own one.

The bulk of my fabric is vintage. I source my fabrics from a tailor shop here in Vancouver that is owned by my friends, two 86 year old tailors. Their father bought most of the fabric in the store when he owned it. The fabric sat around until now, most of it is pant length but ever so often I find a bolt way in the back that is a suit length. When I travel I go to old tailor shops and beg to buy a few lengths of vintage cloth, sometimes I stumble across an old fabric store that has some great old stuff.

The suit in the photos was made for a wedding in Australia. I used a vintage (late 1950’s) wool, silk, and linen blend. The airline munched it in transit and I did as good a job as I could with the hotel iron because I don’t trust drycleaners. I would die if it came back with a crease in the lapel.

Construction is crucial to me. Plaid MUST must must match….It often surprises me how often some tailors get it wrong especially when it comes lapels and plaids/stripes. My tailor mentor beat rules into my head. I cut my lapel facing total straight, no shape what so ever. The lapel facing placement is based on the topcollar plaid/strip and the plaid/stripe on the body. The lapel plaid matches the top collar. The lapel facing is then stretched and shrunk so that the plaid/stripe is parallel to the edge of the lapel. See the pic….I can’t stand a pinstripe or plaid that runs off the edge of the lapel. Same with the sleeves the plaid is matched both horizontally and vertically. It takes a bit more cloth but it is totally worth it. I have also worked out the repeat that works best for each size so the plaid placement is attractive. I will direct a client away from certain plaid or stripe is the repeat is not suitable for the client size based on the rules above.

I will post photos of the inside of the pants when I get the suit back from the cleaners. I used the same fabric as the tie, in cotton not silk. One last thing…NO FUSING. The full canvas is hand stitched. NO fusing ever!

tattersall007 wrote:I'll echo Ed's request - let's see some of your more mainstream suits, if you don't mind. You'll find that you'll have a few western Canadians interested if you can carry off something a bit more sedate.

I always took the view that sedate is a matter of taste; a client has taste (good, bad, or indifferent in my view) but not the skills to make the suit. You tell me what to do and I can make it. I have several different swatch books full of beautiful plain fabric, that is not the issue. If you can master plaids then a dark or more sedate cloth is a snap. Plaid is likely the hardest cloth to work with as it takes some planning and layout skills. If the client is looking for some guidance to add some “flair” to their suits I can offer some ideas and it is up to the client to decide. A good tailor is many things but above all he is a good communicator and a better listener.

David,

Welcome to this great and hard learned craft, I wish you all the best.

David,
Whereabouts in Vancouver are you? At the end of the summer
I'll be looking to test some tailors in Vancouver.

I know you say you'll do anything a customer asks. But in any craft their are areas the craftsman is particularly skilled at.
What sort of styles (besides the obvious attention getting fabrics) do you prefer?

I did like the french cut suit you were working on in the gallery section of your website.

Love the Liberty pattern in fact we have that on our dining chairs.

great tailoring. beautiful pattern matching.

spitfire2 wrote:David,
Whereabouts in Vancouver are you? At the end of the summer
I'll be looking to test some tailors in Vancouver.

I know you say you'll do anything a customer asks. But in any craft their are areas the craftsman is particularly skilled at.
What sort of styles (besides the obvious attention getting fabrics) do you prefer?

I did like the french cut suit you were working on in the gallery section of your website.

I am down town Vancouver BC, Davie st at Thurlow st. I work on an appointment only basis; it is simpler that way as I am a one man show. People tell me I should hire and get bigger but I don’t want to give up any of the quality and as of now I have not found someone I trust to do the work. Quite simply I love to tailor, and I love my time in my work shop.

I am working on a suit for a client who is about to graduate from high school and his father decided to splash out for a well made suit as a gift. I will get permission to post photos; it is black tone on tone stripe with a faint lavender stripe. It is quite a sober suit with a just a dash of flair.