Buying cloth

[YoungLawyer]

This is another post primarily for the 'budget' end of bespoke tailoring. Several tailors in London seem to do a good service if you take in your own cloth. I have been very tempted to try this, but know nothing about how to go about buying a length of cloth for a suit. Can any of you provide a short guide for buying cloth in London?

[_DR]

This may not be entirely the right answer, but the weavers behind J&J Minnis quite often have a limited number of cloths on sale. Their delivery Charges are very reasonable:

http://www.hfwltd.com/bobb.php?b=dsc&c=1&p=1

Presumably their London office would hold Swatch Books?

[Simon A]

What you are referring to is CMT; "Cut, Make and Trim".

Some of the larger merchants sell direct to the public through the web, like:


Minnis/Hardys: http://www.hfwltd.com

Other merchants and mills will do direct sales.

However, if your tailor already stocks these fabrics or has an account with these merchants, you will probably just annoy him by bringing your own fabric; for the sake of saving a few pounds you end up with an irritated tailor cursing your stinginess. Great works of art are rarely accomplished in such a state of mind.

CMT is certainly appropriate with limited edition fabrics (LL), vintage or rare materials that the tailor doesn't usually have access to. If your tailor doesn't stock books from a merchant you like, then it is acceptable to source your own cloth.

[Man at C&A]

I rarely use CMT for suits and coats as I tend towards Dugdales as first preference and my tailor of course stocks these. I've a couple of jacket lengths of tweed I'll be taking to him; one Butt of Lewis Harris where the weavers reputation seemed solid on this and other web forums, and the other from the Isay Mill where the cutter pulled, bent and sniffed a swatch and he gave his approval.

Trousers are another matter, I get my casual ones run up by a local West London tailor and source material from Joel & Sons in Church Street (worth a trip on its own combined with a visit to Alfies Antiques!) and the Crescent outlet.

http://www.joelandsonfabrics.com/fabrics.php

http://www.crescenttrading.com/

[Badden]

I have never found a bespoke tailor to be irritated if I bring in my own cloth. With most tailors I rarely bother, but I know one that offers a 1,000 euro discount for CMT. In that case, I save $1,000+ by simply clicking a few times on the Dugdales site.

[old henry]

The only reason a tailor would not want you to bring your own cloth is because he is marking it up.
He should not do that. If you bring him inferior goods, that is a different story. But any tailor will love your Dougdale. F

[Simon A]

I have encountered 150% markups on cloth supplied by the tailor, which is a bit steep. I don't object if the tailor puts a modest markup on his own stock to cover his costs; everybody has to eat.

[ismailalmurtadza]

Tailors and cloth merchant may differ in their opinion of cloth length required.For example,some tailors may ask 4 meters (2 pc suit in solid color) and the merchant says 3.8 would be sufficient.When it comes to patterned cloth the tailor will ask for 4.5/4.75m cause of pattern matching,but.LLcc recommended 4.25m is adequate,with 4.5m its 3 pc.

How is that?.When ordering cloth overseas,I have this dilemma.

murtadza

[DFR]

Tailors and cloth merchant may differ in their opinion of cloth length required.For example,some tailors may ask 4 meters (2 pc suit in solid color) and the merchant says 3.8 would be sufficient.When it comes to patterned cloth the tailor will ask for 4.5/4.75m cause of pattern matching,but.LLcc recommended 4.25m is adequate,with 4.5m its 3 pc.

How is that?.When ordering cloth overseas,I have this dilemma.

murtadza

It will surely depend upon the 'lay' the cutter uses, his comfort zone in his task and, to an extent, the size of his customer.

[Badden]

4.50 / 4.75m of cloth is quite a bit regardless of pattern complexity. I don't mind tailors being cautious, but that sounds excessive.

I'm 6'1, 190 lbs (i.e. not a little guy) and have found no tailor to complain at 3.25m for SB, and 3.75m for DB.

[DFR]

4.50 / 4.75m of cloth is quite a bit regardless of pattern complexity. I don't mind tailors being cautious, but that sounds excessive.

I'm 6'1, 190 lbs (i.e. not a little guy) and have found no tailor to complain at 3.25m for SB, and 3.75m for DB.

Whilst that is so, do some cutters not cover themselves with a little extra lest some part is cut wrongly? If they procure the cloth they can likely get more if needed or do so in the first place, if it is the customer's cloth then that may not be possible.

[Badden]

Yes, getting a little extra is fair, but asking for ~40% more than what is normally required is a disservice to the customer.

[ismailalmurtadza]

4.50 / 4.75m of cloth is quite a bit regardless of pattern complexity. I don't mind tailors being cautious, but that sounds excessive.

I'm 6'1, 190 lbs (i.e. not a little guy) and have found no tailor to complain at 3.25m for SB, and 3.75m for DB.

Badden,
I am 5'11 and about your weight(quite big,I suppose).For RTW(Italian brand) I wear 56/58.I guess
my tailor is a cautious ,I dont mind though.He will work with a peace of mind.

murtadza

[YoungLawyer]

Thank you very much for your replies.

[DFR]

Yes, getting a little extra is fair, but asking for ~40% more than what is normally required is a disservice to the customer.

It depends which of the various numbers you compare, we have several views espoused by merchants and tailors. Until the 'correct' number is established and we know more of the detailed reasoning behind the various views I do not think such an extreme interpretation is entirely fair.