The more you know...

[schneidergott]

[schneidergott]

[zeitgeist]

...since virtually no Singaporean tailor produces a suit with a floating canvas.

That is pure nonsense. I know of at least 3, 1 of which I use personally.

It is sad to see that such sweeping statements born of ignorance are present here in the LL.

[The_Sartorialist]

...since virtually no Singaporean tailor produces a suit with a floating canvas.

That is pure nonsense. I know of at least 3, 1 of which I use personally.

It is sad to see that such sweeping statements born of ignorance are present here in the LL.

Zeitgeist,

From your strongly worded response, I presume you are based in Singapore and/or have allegedly better knowledge of Singapore tailors than I do. On that basis, would you kindly share who these 3 tailors are, and who you personally use?

I would be most interested to know, seeing as how the last time I checked, only 1 tailor (Mac Ho, Raffles tailor) claimed to offer a floating canvas, and even then, I was slightly doubtful about his canvassing, since his jackets looked rather flat.

I have also sent you a PM in this regard, which should hopefully deserve your greater attention, since a fortiori, it wouldn't be a sweeping statement born of ignorance.

[zeitgeist]

Off the top of my head - Anson Tailor, Mohan's and Iris Tailors all offer fully canvassed suits. I am not based in Singapore, but have used Iris Tailor with more than satisfactory results. I have felt and handled the canvas Iris Tailor uses, and I have seen my jacket in its infancy with the canvas basted on. I have been told that Joe Tailor offers fully canvassed construction as well.

There are multiple grades of canvas interlining - some are stiffer than others. The tailors I have mentioned all tend to use softer grades of canvas, which may explain the 'flat' appearance you noted. This makes perfect sense, as I have been told that a softer canvas is better suited to lightweight cloths - most customers request lighter more breathable fabrics given the 25-35C climate with nearly 90% humidity. All other things kept equal, I would not expect a 6-8oz cloth with a soft interlining to 'roll' as much as a 12-15oz cloth with a stiffer interlining. If the softer canvas was paired with a heavier cloth, naturally the roll would be... well, somewhat neutered.

Some tailors also have an unfortunate tendency to iron their suits, pressing creases into lapels and destroying the beautiful 'roll' that we enjoy.

Sure, there are many 'fly by night' operations and dubious 'tailors' touting their '24 hour suits' in the far east. They are easily identifiable though, and we do the few true craftsmen who remain amongst them a disservice by tarring them all with the same brush.

[The_Sartorialist]

Some tailors also have an unfortunate tendency to iron their suits, pressing creases into lapels and destroying the beautiful 'roll' that we enjoy.

Sure, there are many 'fly by night' operations and dubious 'tailors' touting their '24 hour suits' in the far east. They are easily identifiable though, and we do the few true craftsmen who remain amongst them a disservice by tarring them all with the same brush.

Zeitgeist,

Thank you - I stand corrected.

I shall pay the aforementioned tailors a visit when I return to Singapore over the next fortnight, and see what they are offering, though one might wonder whether their tendency to destroy the lapel roll by pressing them flat might be indicative of their lack of experience / incongruent sartorial inclinations, which would worry me.

[zeitgeist]

You are most welcome.

If you do decide to get something made up, do remember that to ensure a positive outcome you will need to specify everything! And I mean everything!

[schneidergott]

[zeitgeist]

scheidergott, thank you for your efforts.

Just letting you know that they are much appreciated, and that people (well, me at least) actually do watch the videos.

[marcelo]

...there is a simple way of testing whether fused interlining has been used on any part of a coat: try to pinch between your fingers the topmost layer of cloth and compare to how it feels when you do the same to the sleeve or back (where there is never any interlining): if it feels the same, and you can tell that there is a distinct layer of thicker "cloth" beneath it, then it's made with a floating canvas. If it feels thicker and stiffer, fighting back when you try to roll it between your fingers, then it's fused.

Do you think this also apply as a general test to spot fusibles on shirt collar? I remember there was a discussion on the construction of shirt collars in another thread, but I haven't been able to find it?

[Costi]

Marcelo, yes, the method is the same:


Also, fused collars don't pucker along the seams - if you can see small puckers along the machine stitching on a freshly washed and not yet pressed collar, it's not fused.

[schneidergott]

[whnay.]

This thread makes me understand why bespoke has become such a dinosaur. Techocrats combine one off pictures and wild assumptions to develop a hypothesis that is a far stretch from reality.

[zeitgeist]

This thread makes me understand why bespoke has become such a dinosaur. Techocrats combine one off pictures and wild assumptions to develop a hypothesis that is a far stretch from reality.

Not to mention the epic snobbery (hubris) we see displayed here sometimes.

Folk here sometimes forget that 'eternal style' and 'elegance' are just subjective terms we apply to what they like, and that everything clothing is really... fashion, or at least once was.

[Gruto]

Folk here sometimes forget that 'eternal style' and 'elegance' are just subjective terms we apply to what they like, and that everything clothing is really... fashion, or at least once was.

We know by experience that some people dress more elegantly than others, and that some people somehow are able to create a picture that keep looking good across historic eras. Should we leave that for an Americans-read-German-philosophy position that everything is just the Zeitgeist?