The London Lounge

Hello,

Every time I get a bespoke suit made I am overwhelmed with the number of fabrics available for my choosing. I figure this time I'd do my homework and do some research and be prepared, also I like to keep my ear to the ground and know whats available on the market and see what manufacturers are up to. I recently discovered Dashing Tweeds, a must see if you haven't already done so!

We're all familiar with the top fabric houses such as; Dormeuil, Holland & Sherry, Thomas Fisher and Dugdale & Bros Co and I am sure there are a slough of other perfectly capable fabric houses out there that I may not be aware of.

It would be very much appreciated if the forum could help me collect the names of fabric houses.

Thanks in advance!

-G

The following link is quite comprehensive:
http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/in ... owtopic=26

- C

Gentleman01

There are many books of cloth provided to tailors these days. For the most part the style and quality of the offerings are very similar. You have to look at each book on the basis of its own merits. And if you search this site you will find a good deal of research has been done by the members here. Take advantage of it.

Cheers

M Alden

Gentleman01:

Add Harrisons of Edinburgh, J.J. Minnis, Smith Woollens and H.E. Box to your shortlist of sources for truly gorgeous fabrics. For linings, have a look at Lear, Browne & Dunsford, which you'll find among the headings on the Harrisons site.

JMB

Thank you for the replys - very informative indeed!

All of these fabrics are top notch in both quality and price.

However, as much as I would like to get all of my suits made by the finest fabric houses, I need to be slightly more realistic. Would anyone be able to shed light on fabric houses that are of high quality and slightly more affordable than the previously mentioned?

Thanks in advance!

-G

Thomas Fisher and Dugdale Bros. are very affordable and they seem to have an excellent reputation. I have had good results with this cloth however my one suit from their worsted is only a few years old. Does anyone know if all of their cloth is two ply? In other words will my very proper English suit be around 12 years from now? I sure hope so.

I am having an overcoat made- by George Bespoke of Cleveland Street- with Dugdale 20-21oz navy coating [6301]. It will be double-breasted, and have a ticket pocket.

The cloth looks very nice... the dark grey lining is also from Dugdale/Huddersfield Cloth, and the polished navy horn buttons are from Button Queen of Marylebone Lane.

The coat should be ready at the start of March

Lugano wrote:I am having an overcoat made- by George Bespoke of Cleveland Street- with Dugdale 20-21oz navy coating [6301]. It will be double-breasted, and have a ticket pocket.

The cloth looks very nice... the dark grey lining is also from Dugdale/Huddersfield Cloth, and the polished navy horn buttons are from Button Queen of Marylebone Lane.

The coat should be ready at the start of March

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Dear Lugano:

What a great piece of fabric for your overcoat. Are you going to have working buttonholes on the cuffs? Please share photos of the finished garment. I wish you many good years of use with that new coat.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

I don't know if the overcoat will have working buttons. I don't anticipate that it will.

Of the four jackets I have had made by George Bespoke , two have had working cuff buttons [all four buttons] and two have not [none of the buttons]. I don't know how this works out, it may be that they have more than one jacket-maker.

To start with, I have asked for the coat to be made to below knee level, 12 inches off the ground... It can be changed at the fitting to knee length, we will see.

I have had the baste fitting of the overcoat. I have decided to keep it at calf length. It's going to be big!

Good decision, Lugano! Mid-calf is the way to go with a town DB.

Three pictures- not great, but thank you anyway to the photographer- of the overcoat.

Great looking overcoat Lugano. How does the overall fit feel? Thanks for sharing the photos with us.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

thank you. The overcoat is very comfortable and easy to wear. After/at the fitting, I thought it would turn out large and heavy, but it has turned out to to have a slimming effect, against considerable odds!

I am very pleased with the buttons, for approx £30 I believe they have added considerable aesthetic value to the coat.

George told me he is retiring in July.

the sleeve has sham [non-working] buttons

I would be interested to hear members views on Holland & Sherry in general. I have never comissioned from their offerings. They seem to be the favoured fabric house of the pretend bespoke mob - "Made to Measure suits from the finest English cloth from £500". Interestingly, my own tailor (SR) has never opened an H&S book in fron of me. Is this telling?