Ok, let me try to say something useful about my own experience of working with a Savile Row and a provincial tailor. I have been working with both for roughly the same length of time - about six years. When I decided to ake the plunge and go to a Savile Row tailor I did my research as thoroughly as I could and, in the end, chose one of the smaller but very well established firms based on the reputation of the cutter. I'm very happy with the choice I made; I was instantly made to feel welcome and valued. I subsequently discovered that both head cutters knew the business inside out. My first suit was the best fitting suit I had ever put on and I was hooked. There is much talk in threads about number of fittings, service and quality on the Row, etc, so I will say a little of my experience of these things.hectorm wrote:Laird it is indeed and not Lair.
Is there any of that fun that you may share with us (without hurting anybody´s feelings, of course)? This is a topic in which all LL members are very interested.Scot wrote: It's been fun to compare her way of working and the end product with that of my SR tailor!
The rule for me seemed to be one basted fitting and then straight to fit. This was about 95% successful; as I became more experienced and, thanks to the LL, a little more knowledgable, I became slightly more critical and could see minor faults that needed attention. This meant taking garments back to be adjusted after a period of wear. I know this is probably quite a common way of working but it seemed to me that a little more care at the fitting stage could have avoided the need for it. At the very least I would have expected the adjustment to find its way back to the pattern, but this didn't always seem to happen. After the retirement of my cutter I have moved on to his previous partner, who has actually taken much more care in the fitting of my first suit with him, and made some adjustments to the pattern already that are distinct improvements. It would seem that this new cutter is also a little more open to customer suggestions than the previous one. SR is a place of tradition and, if you go to a tailor with a military tradition you know what to expect. No point going there and asking for soft shoulders. When I previously asked for a coat with 3 buttons rolled to 2.5 I was given a hard stare and told that was an American affectation. It was with some difficulty that I managed to get a coat made with flat sleeveheads as opposed to roped. This kind of thing may irritate some customers or potential customers but looking back on it now it makes me smile because I think I agree with the cutter!
I travel to London 7 or 8 times a year and the intervals are just about right for the bespoke process! I have always simply said to them: "this is when I will be back, can you have it ready?" I can't recall the answer ever having been no and I can't recall them ever failing to have the next stage ready on time. The making is done out of house but to my eyes the quality is fantastic. Yes, some of the work that purists would like to see done by hand is done by machine, but this does not detract from the end result from my perspective.
The SR house is a highly professional outfit. There are some very very talented people working for it and the results are of a high standard. You would expect all of this on Savile Row, surely. But they are a business with huge overheads and, I guess, the only way for them to get by is to keep costs to a minimum, which might involve cutting the odd corner where it does not impact on the quality of the product.
AB is originally from Germany, where she may have begun her training; she certainly completed it at a City of London tailor. She is the genuine article, producing bespoke clothing in the sense that all LL members would understand it, and she cuts and makes everything herself. I began using her because she has a shop 10 minutes walk from my house. Ideal you might think, but the relationship hasn't been without its difficulties. For a start it is rather difficult to predict when she will actually be in her shop, so that 10 min walk has frequently been in vain! Again, as I have become more knowledgable I have noticed problems with the coat pattern - but rather more severe ones than with the SR coats. Recently I took a couple of coats back for some major reconstruction and we discussed the problems, pulled them apart and put them back together until they were mostly fixed. This took a while but I think both AB and I learned a lot from the process. In the end she decided for the next commission, the saxony you see in this thread, she would go back to the beginning and draft a completely new pattern. You have some idea of the outcome but even this involved four or five (I lost count) fittings. Here is the difference; if you have ready access to your tailor and they are willing to strive, with you, to achieve the best possible outcome the process itself becomes "fun", and educational!
As I say, there are frustrations: AB has no concept of time, so deadlines are never met. I now know this and have learned to shrug my shoulders and go back two weeks later. She seems to be very busy, not especially well organised and probably no great businesswoman. But I can call in unexpected, sit on the one wooden chair and thumb through bunches and chew over future projects. The quality of the finishing is generally good, but nowhere near that achieved at my SR house. I have continued to use AB because I feel that if you have a genuine bespoke tailor around the corner you should patronise them; there are so few left. But I can also now see the fruits of perseverance. Quite how she makes a living I have no idea. Which brings me to the final comparison: cost.
SR single breasted suit - £3500, AB single breasted suit £1100, another reason for me to persevere with AB! It would be interesting to know, however, what the real difference in costs was once overheads are removed.
Keep up the good work !..Rowly.
