Spencer Hart, Timothy Everest, MtM and Bespoke

[marks]

Spencer Hart and Timothy Everest

This is me chipping in with my made-to-measure experiences at Timothy Everest and Spencer Hart. Not really names that you see on this forum but it's always nice to widen a community's knowledgebase. I also have a few comments on made-to-measure vs bespoke at the end.

SH
I became interested in Spencer Hart after stopping by their store on Savile Row a few months ago. I picked up a one buttone suit in birdseye grey and am very happy with it. I'm a fairly slim chap and I like my clothes quite fitted, so the Spencer Hart look appealed to me.

Fast forward a few months and I went in to have a MtM made. It was a suit for work so the design is a little more conservative, but the cut is quite similar. I ordered a two button double vented birdseye blue-navy with a notch lapel. It is a fairly slim silhouette with high, small armholes and a pinched waist, true to its British heritage. A few further alterations had to be made at the waist and there is a small pucker in the shoulder seam which they will be fixing once I have some time to bring it in. So far I'm very happy with the quality of both suits and the service. The salespeople are nice and they are very willing to make the suit perfect. The only downside is the choice of linings and accents on the inside of the suit is quite limited.

TE
I had the Timothy Everest suit made while waiting for my Spencer Hart. TE claimed a turnaround of 2 weeks which unfortunately dragged into 4 weeks because August is when all the tailors go on holiday. The suit on order was a blue-grey peak lapel three piece suit. TE had an excellent selection of linings, stitching colours and buttons. So it is quite personalized as you would expect from something MtM. The alterations to be made on the TE are a bit more extensive than on the SH. Perhaps my biggest concern is with the armholes, something I did not consider until today, when I went in for a fitting. While the silhouette is very nice when my arms are down, the armholes are much bigger than they need to be and affect the body of the suit too much during movement. I pointed this out and they will try and work on the problem, but I imagine that once the armhole is cut, it is difficult to reduce it in size. They will most likely take out fabric from the sides of the jacket, under the arms instead. The experience itself was fine. The salespeople are courteous though the shop is a bit hot.

Wrapping Up & Bespoke vs MtM
This issue with the armholes highlighted an important disctinction between MtM and bespoke. Had I chosen bespoke, I probably could have had those armholes on the Timothy Everest sized correctly. It was simply dumb luck that the Spencer Hart block upon which their MtM is based on was exactly what I was looking for. I don't think that the SH suit could be further improved had I gone for bespoke over MtM. Furthermore, each brand does has its own distinct "look" so when it comes to MtM, it's a case of Buyer Be Aware (rather than Buyer Beware. I'm still pleased with the overall experience of both shops).

Anyway, there will be pictures and further updates on how well Timothy Everest does. I will add that the Timothy Everest was £1200 for a three piece and the Spencer Hart was quite a bit dearer for two piece with two pairs of trousers.

[Kallun]

Hello,

I am a longtime lurker now typing my first post. Thank You for a informative and nice forum.

To the OP and others, I am very interested in aquiring a few suits from SH. All observations on the service, value and quality(perhaps compared to "similar range marks") would be appreciated.

Kind regards,

/Kallun

[marks]

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[Kallun]

Thank You for the pics!

A very nice fit and nice cloth as well. I am a big watchfan but to my embaressement I am unable to discern the make of Your watch. It almost looks as and old King Seiko. What is it?

/Kallun

[marks]

It's an obscure Omega model called the Chronostop, I think. It has a stopwatch function that doubles as the second hand. It was produced for a short period in the 70s.

My Timothy Everest suit should be ready on Saturday, I'll try and add some more pictures then.

[DMacey]

Marks,

A great post. I'm thrilled to see an example of the true modern English suit. I belive this is the future of Saville Row, not tourist friendly pastiche... As a Kilgour customer, I would encourage a visit to the talent slightly nearer Picadilly Circus, but hope to discuss with you further. Viva modern English style!

Regards,

[marks]

I am a fan of Kilgour though I'm not sure I could wear it myself. When I went in, I couldn't get it off the rack in a 36 and 38 definitely felt too big. Great look though, that one button.

[edhayes]

very nicely done-and looks perfect on you. the tie, shirt and hankerchief are excellent.

I, personally, would wear dark brown shoes with that during the day or suede-

[DFR]

Very impressive indeed. really looks excellent on you.

Can you post pictures back and front without the coat - it would be interesting to see the fit of the trousers in two suits made concurrently as well. Similarly the effect of the linings in the coat

[Chris Rimby]

Where did you get those cufflinks? Very simple and elegant.

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[jklu]

The buttoning point on the Timothy Everest jacket is a bit high, and there are a couple small issues with the trousers, but overall the suits looks very nice on you.

[Leon]

I would unbutton that last button on your waistcoat.

Leon

[marks]

Leon: This is my first waistcoat and like you, I was always under the impression that you leave the bottom one undone. However, the cutter at the store said you can and probably should button the bottom one as well. The "bottom button unbuttoned" rule on waistcoats only applies to if there is a show button that follows the edge of the waistcoat almost all the way to very bottom. That wouldn't really be practical to button. Right now, I have no particular view on it. I'll see how I feel after a few wears.

Chris Rimby: A gift from a girlfriend. She got it at Beams in Tokyo.

jklu: Your point about the buttoning point is noted. I feel the same way. I was actually hoping for a slightly longer lapel which probably would involve a slightly lower buttoning point, though I wonder if it would work on me. What do you think are the issues with the trousers?

I don't normally take dozens of photos of myself and put them up on the internet, however I wanted to share and discuss these two brands as well as see what the more experienced members had to say. If anyone feels like the clothes are poor, in bad taste and so on, by all means lay into them. I welcome that sort of criticism.

Right now, I'm happy with the Spencer Hart jacket but the trousers definitely need some work. The Timothy Everest is good, but I don't feel as comfortable in it as the Spencer Hart. Furthermore, I'm not crazy about the waistcoat, partly because of the colour of the back. I think I may try and have the legs on both trousers slimmed a little more. I'm not too keen on how it just comes straight down from my waist. Also, the pocket square pocket seems a bit low on the Timothy Everest. Anyone else notice that?

Anyway, as has been observed on this forum many, many times, getting the perfect suit is a task and a journey.

[DFR]

These are two fine suits.

The TE with waistcoat looks excellent without the coat b- a perfect combination. From the rear view there seems a tad too much cloth in the thigh of the trouser. One major plus is that the double jetted back pockets with button and hole look far better than the clumsily flapped ones on the SH. They quite ruin the appearance. TE also makes an adequate allowance in the seat for their use - left one appears to be - not too much but just right.

The SH coat has the edge - I would agree both the button stance and the breast pocket are lower than I would like on the TE.

How willing was TE to personalise - you mentioned that specifically so one suspects there was more freedom - pockets lining colours or what?


As you say it is a journey but this is an excellent start - keep us up to date with your experiences - we share too little here unfortunately.