A&S Coat Length

[Lance]

I’ll be visiting London again this spring and had made up my mind to order an odd coat and trousers from Anderson and Sheppard. However, I’ve noticed that their coats appear shorter than other tailors. I am 6’-1” and have a long torso. Do you think an A&S coat is the wrong choice? While reading other posts on A&S, I gather they are inflexible and not interested in varying their house style. Would asking for a longer coat go against their grain?

[alden]

If you have a long torso, you will want a shorter coat and potentially one with open front quarters. I find that most SR firms default to an overly long and closed coat.

Regarding house style and inflexibility, I would not think AS any more fussy than the others. They all like to do what they think they do best. And remember, they are not the designers of your coat. You are the designer. So, be prepared to give them very clear instructions.

Most of the experienced LL members who are served by AS have no trouble getting what they want done. Experience brings with it the ability to give clear instructions. If a tailor has room to wiggle, he will default to what he knows. If he has a perfectly precise blueprint to work from, he can execute to suit the client’s wishes easily.

M Alden

[Lance]

Thank you, Alden. As always, your reply is to the point and appreciated. What do you mean by open or closed front quarters?

[Concordia]

What do you mean by open or closed front quarters?

Those are the edges extending down from the front buttons. If they almost touch, they are closed. If they are diagonal (mimicking the inward edge of the lapels) they are open.

With respect to A&S, they are very insistent on doing what they know how to do, and will tell you about their house style before you get out the checkbook. In their old shop there were no mannequins about. I therefore had very little idea of what the specifics of their jackets were going to be like, and thought it might be reasonable to ask what their plans were. When I started inquiring about lapel width, my cutter closed his notebook and said that if I were going to micromanage, I'd better stop right now and cancel the order.

They are a little less prickly now, but rather than give firm instructions about details on the first meeting, far better to relay your concerns and perhaps display a jacket that doesn't meet them very well. They will give you some notion about how they will tackle the problem and that should start the dialogue well. In any case, their cut is different enough from standard SR that what looks right with length or lapel width on another firm's output might be all wrong with theirs.

[Lance]

Thanks to you too, Concordia. I will visit A&S and try not to get tossed out on my ear. I have a Huntsman coat and will now proceed to the other end of the spectrum. I very much like the looks of the A&S style.

[tteplitzmd]

You might want to have your answer ready if you want to make it past the linesman...