Second Fitting with Desmond Merrion

[dopey]

Following are some comments on the second fitting I had today with Desmond Merrion.

My report from the first fitting is detailed here, along with a few photos I had received from Mr. Merrion of work he had done in the interim.

First up, were the trousers. The trousers were much more completely made now, and the tack-on zipper had been replaced with the button fly though there was still lots of other finishing work to be done. The fit went from pretty good to excellent. We are using a single pleat, which was my suggestion though it will be a first for me. I don't think we agree on whether the pleat is too far to the outside. I think that while it creates a very nice finish across the front and looks good from the side view, the pleat might look better from the front view if it were pushed more to the inside. He likes it where it is (he had moved them a bit to the outside after some discussion at the last fitting), and I am going to trust him on this. I think part of what is going on is my eye is confused by the move from two pleats to one. I have been trying to develop an ear for when I should trust my opinion and when I should listen to the tailor's; this is one of those borderline cases, and I went with his opinion. If I want to move it on future orders, I will. The fit everywhere seemed very very good to me. He saw a change he wanted to make at the rear on the waistband, which I would not have noticed, but everything else was fine. He uses a fairly strong stiffener on the fishtail part, whose name I have already forgotten and which he told me would soften up but that I could replace with something else if I preferred. It is stiffer than what Raphael uses, which is stiffer still than what Dege uses. Because of the placement, it was imperceptible, even when sitting, so I left it with the choice he made. At some point, I may photograph this, but his design for the fishtail is different than Dege's and Raphael's. I believe I have written this elsewhere - for the most part, I like it when different makers have their own way of doing things. A little idiosyncracy from maker to maker makes the clothing more interesting to me. Other people however, might prefer to settle on a particular design and use it everywhere.

The first time around, Desmond had made an error in cutting my vest - I wanted rolled rather than sewn-on lapels. For this visit, he had recut completely new fronts (this, by the way, is a caution when using your own cloth - I had given him plenty but if I hadn't, even with the best of intentions, there would have been nothing he could do). While Desmond incorporated some of the changes he had marked at the first fitting on the old vest, the new one still needs quite a few changes and will remain a stage behind the rest of the suit. This was Des's suggestion. I can live without the vest for a bit and would rather have it done right than skip a stage, rush it and then have to get it fixed.

The suitcoat is coming along nicely. We made several tweaks based on my desire to move the shape closer to what seems to look best on me from among my current wardrobe, but, other than those (some of which would have been made anyway), it was already 90% there. Just a bit of minor work on the shoulders and sleeves. I had one of my favorite suitcoats with me and it was interesting to note the variations between that one and Des's cut. Without comprehensive photos of the kind we have gotten used to from Uppercase, I doubt I could explain this. It is amazing how easy it is to think you know why something looks a certain way until you actually start to do detailed comaprisons to see what makes a particular look work.

I think he Des has a pretty good tailoring eye and sees lots of things that I don't. There are some things I may have noticed that he might not have, but very few. He would probably have gotten tot them anyway as he tends to notice additional changes he wants to make as the fitting progresses, probably because of the benefit of my wearing the suit parts and moving around while he is working. Desmond appears to be very strong on the technical side of things, but since I am not, my opinion on the subject isn't really worth anything. Still, the comment is worth no less than what you paid for it. There really does seem to be a benefit to him being a working tailor as well as cutter, as he tends to pull things off, make little snips here and there, sew a bit and then reattach the pieces while you are standing there. I think that helps get a more accurate read on the effect of the proposed alterations. Some other tailors do that too, but not many and not as much. He also likes to explain the alterations he is marking and what the effect will or won't be, e.g. "I am shortening this here like so, but don't worry that this spot over here will bind - you only feel that because the extra lining that I haven't yet cut away is bunching."

I believe Desmond Merrion is in NY today and most of Tuesday and is then heading to Atlanta.

[Chris Rimby]

Thanks so much for this detailed report.

My first fitting with Desmond is Wednesday. I can't wait!

Chris

[Cantabrigian]

How has the execution of the spalla camica gone (I think you said you ordered that)?

I'm interested because it seems like something rather difficult to do well and somewhat far removed from what I think of as the English tailoring tradition.

[dopey]

How has the execution of the spalla camica gone (I think you said you ordered that)?

I'm interested because it seems like something rather difficult to do well and somewhat far removed from what I think of as the English tailoring tradition.

You may be thinking of what Des calls a Neapolitan Shoulder, which really just means "devoid of padding" in his parlance. Either way, it wasn't me.

[Chris Rimby]

If I recall correctly Ed Hayes requested this feature.

[edhayes]

i did request it, I am not sure what a rollino is but I think that is what I have, no pads at all and slightly high ropey shoulder. I like the look so far, it makes the shoulders seem wider and the sleevehead bigger. For some reason the muscles at my upper tricep and back of the shoulder are big enough that the shoulder has to go past my real shoulder to make it work.
I like very soft suits but this is the softest I have ever had. The long two button lapel is new to me-anyone who is there should look at it.
I posted on this fitting(and a meeting with ron ryder of Martegani)in the dressing room forum
Des also uses a higher vent then I use normally but I think he has a distinctive look and I am not going to mess with it unless something really bothers me.
He was in the paratrooper reserves, his son is a para and I like him even though I sometimes think I need a Yorkshire interpreter.