All
Having only recently ventured into the world of bespoke tailoring i'm about to commission a second suit and this is my first post.
My first suit was made earlier this year and I stuck to the general advice of keeping things simple and classical: charcoal gray mid weight cloth from Holland & Sherry, 2 button single breasted made for me by Osman & Sons of Shortlands, nr Bromley (i shall aim to post some photo's asap) - i haven't seen any mentions of them on this board. I chose them primarily as i wanted to support a local business and the service and quality seemed comparable with all other off the row tailors i spoke with.
While i am more than happy with the end result, the fit is as i wanted - i have a heavy build esp in the legs and shoulders from years of rugby and rowing and have had great difficulties in the past with the fit from off the rack and MTM and the cloth and finish is the simple and timeless look i was aiming at it does however i feel lack 'character' - i suspect mainly as a result of my uncertainty as to what i was looking for other than a 'classical fit'.
However with a second commission i wanted to try and inject something of my self into the piece and am looking for advice where this could be achieved. I will more than likely choose a Navy mid weight cloth - possibly a herringbone to add more texture, and it would be a three piece.
Many thanks
James
Second Suit Commision
In what way are you thinking of "inject(ing) something of my self into the piece"?
Let is know so we can suggest things: What did you get in the first?
Let is know so we can suggest things: What did you get in the first?
I agree with DFR's advice. Asking us how you could inject some of your own personality into a garment is counter-intuitive as it presupposes we know you.
Nonetheless, some suggestions for aspects that might make a garment a little more individual / stand out a little more. Some of these are in questionable taste, but if they appeal who am I to judge?
- Contrast coloured lining (plus maybe on the underside of the pocket flaps)
- Contrast coloured melton (fabric on the underside of the collar)
- More tension in the pick stitching on the garment edges to make it stand out more
- A waistcoat (and the choice of lapels - shawl, peak, notch or none)
- Slight contrast buttons (i.e. brown horn buttons on a blue suit)
- Contrast colour for buttonhole stitching (most common to have the last cuff button in a different colour)
- Peak lapel SB (though maybe not for your build)
- Ticket pocket
- Hacking pockets
- Flapped breast pocket
- Frogs-mouth pockets on the trousers
- Flapped rear trouser pockets
Nonetheless, some suggestions for aspects that might make a garment a little more individual / stand out a little more. Some of these are in questionable taste, but if they appeal who am I to judge?
- Contrast coloured lining (plus maybe on the underside of the pocket flaps)
- Contrast coloured melton (fabric on the underside of the collar)
- More tension in the pick stitching on the garment edges to make it stand out more
- A waistcoat (and the choice of lapels - shawl, peak, notch or none)
- Slight contrast buttons (i.e. brown horn buttons on a blue suit)
- Contrast colour for buttonhole stitching (most common to have the last cuff button in a different colour)
- Peak lapel SB (though maybe not for your build)
- Ticket pocket
- Hacking pockets
- Flapped breast pocket
- Frogs-mouth pockets on the trousers
- Flapped rear trouser pockets
Dear James,
Your underlying issue, as I understand it, is how to look more interesting in a plain suit, but your identifying the problem as being the suit itself has led fellow loungers to a series of suggestions which, I feel, would lead you astray, at least at this stage, from dealing with the real issue. And the real issue here is DRESS. You don't need to inject anything of yourself into your suit, you need to infuse your DRESS with your personality: the shirt you choose (the colour, the pattern, the collar), your tie, the way they work together, perhaps a pocket square (may be simple white linen if you don't fancy colourful silks) can radically change the way you look in your suit, assuming it fits well as you write.
Imagine owning a 300 HP sports car that looks unassuming - what do you do if you want to get more pleasure from driving it, paint it red and add fancy spoilers (great word!) and ailerons, or improve your driving skills?
Your simple dark gray suit is probably perfect in its simplicity, you can dress many ways with such a versatile piece, express yourself every morning when you choose how to wear it - it will look different every day, people around you will think you have maybe 5 dark gray suits. If you "personalize" it too much when you make it, you are stuck with a predetermined "look" that will impose itself to the eye before anything else, no matter how you wear it. The secret of interesting dress lies in the relationships between the items you wear (tie, shirt, suit - generally in this order of importance), not in the items themselves. You did well to order a versatile suit that you can wear in many ways - now use it immaginatively.
As for your second suit, a blue herringbone 3 piece sounds like an excellent idea, no need to add bells and whistles, they won't express your personality nearly as much as your choice of shirt and tie and they will detract from the harmony of the ensemble that you create when you dress. Perhaps if you posted pictures of suit no. 1 someone might suggest improvements in cut or fit, if any are needed.
Your underlying issue, as I understand it, is how to look more interesting in a plain suit, but your identifying the problem as being the suit itself has led fellow loungers to a series of suggestions which, I feel, would lead you astray, at least at this stage, from dealing with the real issue. And the real issue here is DRESS. You don't need to inject anything of yourself into your suit, you need to infuse your DRESS with your personality: the shirt you choose (the colour, the pattern, the collar), your tie, the way they work together, perhaps a pocket square (may be simple white linen if you don't fancy colourful silks) can radically change the way you look in your suit, assuming it fits well as you write.
Imagine owning a 300 HP sports car that looks unassuming - what do you do if you want to get more pleasure from driving it, paint it red and add fancy spoilers (great word!) and ailerons, or improve your driving skills?
Your simple dark gray suit is probably perfect in its simplicity, you can dress many ways with such a versatile piece, express yourself every morning when you choose how to wear it - it will look different every day, people around you will think you have maybe 5 dark gray suits. If you "personalize" it too much when you make it, you are stuck with a predetermined "look" that will impose itself to the eye before anything else, no matter how you wear it. The secret of interesting dress lies in the relationships between the items you wear (tie, shirt, suit - generally in this order of importance), not in the items themselves. You did well to order a versatile suit that you can wear in many ways - now use it immaginatively.
As for your second suit, a blue herringbone 3 piece sounds like an excellent idea, no need to add bells and whistles, they won't express your personality nearly as much as your choice of shirt and tie and they will detract from the harmony of the ensemble that you create when you dress. Perhaps if you posted pictures of suit no. 1 someone might suggest improvements in cut or fit, if any are needed.
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~ Monsieur Xu ~
Exquisitely stated, Costi. The automobile analogy is entirely appropriate - a well-aged and well-driven Gullwing or Dino look far better than their modern, flashier counterparts. Likewise an old Daimler vis-a-vis the new gauche "Phantom".Costi wrote: Imagine owning a 300 HP sports car that looks unassuming - what do you do if you want to get more pleasure from driving it, paint it red and add fancy spoilers (great word!) and ailerons, or improve your driving skills?
Elegance does not shout, nor flash.
Cheers,
B
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Yale Cameron
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I love ticket pockets. I think they add a lot while still being relatively unassuming. Though, I like them on me because I am extremely tall, I think they work better on tall guys. Peak lapels can look great also, though I like them more on striped suits than solid.
Thank you for the comments - especially Costi - sound advice.
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carl browne
- Posts: 375
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:05 pm
- Location: Newport Beach, California
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The more flourishes you put on your suit, the greater the liklihood you'll grow to hate some of them.
May I be so crass as to ask you what the prices were like at Osman & Sons?
Priced were around £1100 for the majority of cloths, i paid a little more to include a second pair of trousers. The process was 3 fittings and includes a sponge and press aftercare service.
.
Last edited by mjh on Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
James79
simonc posted a very useful list of alternative choices on the detailing of the coat. Here are some styling and silhouette options that you may wish to consider; some are relatively trivial to execute, others much less so.
- shoulders: lightly padded/structured/concave
- sleevehead: more/less/no roping
- sleeves: more/less slim
- lapels: narrower/wider, more/less/no belly
- gorge: higher/lower height
- waist: more/less suppression
- lower forepart ('quarters'): more/less cutaway
- skirt: more/less flare
It not a case of changing everything above vs. your first suit but seeing if there are one or two aspects that you prefer over your tailor's default model.
- C
simonc posted a very useful list of alternative choices on the detailing of the coat. Here are some styling and silhouette options that you may wish to consider; some are relatively trivial to execute, others much less so.
- shoulders: lightly padded/structured/concave
- sleevehead: more/less/no roping
- sleeves: more/less slim
- lapels: narrower/wider, more/less/no belly
- gorge: higher/lower height
- waist: more/less suppression
- lower forepart ('quarters'): more/less cutaway
- skirt: more/less flare
It not a case of changing everything above vs. your first suit but seeing if there are one or two aspects that you prefer over your tailor's default model.
- C
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