Thomas Mahon Bespoke - Part 1

[Chris Rimby]

At the request of alden I've reposted an entry I made detailing my first meeting with Thomas Mahon:

I had my appointment with Thomas Mahon yesterday! It lasted about an hour and a half. Thomas is a gentleman and a very likeable fellow with many stories to tell. I knew I would enjoy this first meeting but I didn't expect to spend time chatting and telling stories as if I was in a pub! It really did add to the experience.

The first thing I did was choose a fabric. I knew I wanted a standard gray worsted. It had been advised to me on this forum to look at 10 oz. fabrics. This was also Thomas' suggestion. There were about five swatch books I was choosing from and I believe the one I settled on was from Smith's (I'll confirm this later).

One thing that Thomas made sure to communicate to me was that his suits are very light. He put some of his other customer's jackets on me to further demonstrate this point. The only other jacket I've worn that felt like Thomas' was an Isaia. Thomas described his suits as feeling like cardigans. This was one of the main reasons I chose Thomas for this garment.

Next came the measuring. Not too much to describe here. Thomas called out the measurements and his assistant (whose name now escapes me…though it wasn’t his regular assistant) repeated them back and wrote them down.

Styling. I put together a fairly conservative, English suit. Single breasted coat, notched lapel, 3-button roll to 2 and flap pockets. Trousers pleated with cuffs, side adjusters and brace buttons. One thing to note about the trousers...I had initially intended to go with flat front trousers. Thomas showed me the trousers he had on and the way the pleats were done (double inward facing) made the pant look quite slimming and elegant. This changed my mind.

I also placed an order for a basic light blue shirt. Thomas had to take a few extra measurements here (neck, sleeve). I want to see what advantages a Rayner and Sturges shirt might have over my local MTM shirts.

I took a few pictures of the experience to share with you. In hindsight I could’ve taken more pictures of the swatches, etc. I was too involved in the experience to accurately document everything though!

Our next meeting and first fitting will take place in March. After that Thomas will finish the suit and send it to me. After that I wear it and enjoy it and visit Thomas again so he can see how the suit is settling in. Any further adjustments are made at this time.

Pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16368551@N00/

[le.gentleman]

Chris, thanks for the report! However, the link does not work.
Can you double check that?

Thanks

[Chris Rimby]

Chris, thanks for the report! However, the link does not work.
Can you double check that?

Thanks

Sure my pleasure!

I fixed the link (I think). Try it again and see if it works.

[Cantabrigian]

Once again, great report, Chris.

Those photos have helped dissuade me from trying high-black trouser on any suit that I may wind up wearing without a jacket (and for right now at least, that's any suit I will be ordering).

[Chris Rimby]

Once again, great report, Chris.

Those photos have helped dissuade me from trying high-black trouser on any suit that I may wind up wearing without a jacket (and for right now at least, that's any suit I will be ordering).

Yep. I know they're the classic way to wear trousers but very few people in the modern world would understand if they saw you with no coat on.

Not everyone has the refined taste of a London Lounge forum member

[kirsch]

Chris--

When is he coming back through Atlanta? (I know you mentioned March, but I was not sure if that was a different city.)

Do you think he'll continue coming herein the following years (ie were there enough customers)?

[Chris Rimby]

Chris--

When is he coming back through Atlanta? (I know you mentioned March, but I was not sure if that was a different city.)

Do you think he'll continue coming herein the following years (ie were there enough customers)?

March. He's not certain of the exact date yet though.

I believe Thomas has been visiting Atlanta for at least a year or so and his client base keeps expanding....so yes, I think he will continue coming to Atlanta. Whatever happens I wouldn't ever be worried about him leaving a customer in an awkward position though. If he ever decided to stop coming here I'm sure he would finish whatever orders were in progress first.

My current project is finding another person in Atlanta who'd like to try a piece from Desmond Merrion. He appears to have quite a bit of talent and his prices are lower than Mahon's.

[kirsch]

I remember you mentioning that in another post...

Heard any positive/negative comments on him?

[Chris Rimby]

I remember you mentioning that in another post...

Heard any positive/negative comments on him?

I like his attitude and the few pics of his work on his blog look to be top notch. Also, I know that a few of the LL members met him when he came to NYC. Another positive mark for Desmond is that is he truly a bespoke artisan...meaning he makes the entire garment himself. No outsourcing at all.

Desmond posts on this forum under either The Tailor or A Tailor (can't remember which one).

[Hesketh]

Heard any positive/negative comments on him?

I met him last weekend and have ordered a suit from him (you can see the skeleton baste on his blog). I liked him. He comes accross as straight, hardworking and down to earth, as I would expect from a fellow Yorkshireman . The work of his I saw I felt was good, although I have to say I don't have much to compare it with.

I would guess that those who met him in New York will want to hold their counsel until they see some completed suits. If you have been following the fora for a while you will understand why.

Regards
Rob

[dopey]

I am one of the New Yorkers who met Demond Merrion and placed an order. For the reason's Hesketh gave, I don't want to be in the position of appearing to endorse someone, who has no proven record for reliability amongst people I know, until I have seen the process of a suit through to the end. On the other hand, there were many things about Mr. Merrion that I did like and I was certainly comfortable enough to place an order myself.

I will try to let people know of my experience as it unfolds, but I am cautious about rushing out in front of myself, especially on a public forum.

[Chris Rimby]

Thanks Hesketh and dopey. I'm looking forward to witnessing the progression of your garments. Please keep us posted!