Good shirtmaker in UK

[davidhuh]

I do not understand the idea of travelling to another country just to buy clothes. Perhaps in the UK I do not need to but it just seems to be taking the dandy thing a step too far. That does not mean I would not buy clothes on holiday or when working but unless I had a reason to return to a city regularly I would not consider bespoke abroad.

Dear Culverwood,

I very much agree with you. Working with craftsmen in a city one is not visiting on a regular basis is too much pain. Getting the sometimes little fixes done quickly is impossible.

cheers, david

[Kayak81]

Another photographed by Sean. I assumed the photograph was more for client identification than fit.

I do not understand the idea of travelling to another country just to buy clothes. Perhaps in the UK I do not need to but it just seems to be taking the dandy thing a step too far. That does not mean I would not buy clothes on holiday or when working but unless I had a reason to return to a city regularly I would not consider bespoke abroad.

Sean photographed me as well. He took shots from a few different angles, so I assume it was related to fit.

I'd actually like to moderate my earlier criticisms of Sean a bit. Although he didn't respond to my emails, when I called, he said that he could easily fix the problems, and suggested I drop the shirts off on my next visit to London. I do like his shirts very much and there are just two minor fit issues at this point. It's been enough of a headache though, that I may try Paris or Ascot Chang in NY before deciding whether or not to use Sean again.

I agree somewhat with your comments about travelling to buy clothes. For me it's a question of getting the style and fit I want at a reasonable cost. Getting a drape style suit from a NY area tailor can be very expensive, but there are many A&S alums who travel here at least twice a year, and whose prices are more reasonable. London is one of the few locations to which I can usually get a flight using my air miles and I also have a cheap place to stay there. So it's entirely possible for me to spend an occasional long weekend in London without too much cost or inconvenience. On the other hand, using a tailor or shirtmaker based in Paris, Rome or Naples just wouldn't be practical for me, unless they travelled to NY frequently.

So far I've had pretty good luck using a UK-based tailor and shoemaker, but shirts have been more problematic. My assumption has been that once the fit is perfected, then most of my business can be conducted remotely with visits once or twice a year to iron out any issues that develop. If there's no consistency from order to order though, then obviously I'll need to find someone closer to home.

[kolecho]

Those with experience from some of the better known shirtmakers could probably do comparison of cut, fit and construction of these makers. From my casual observations, it seems like the London shirtmakers favour a roomier cut while the Parisians ones like a closer fit. Shirts are definitely one of the least discussed bespoke topics and yet they are the ones that arguably demand the most precise fit and where we can directly feel the difference in materials.

[alden]

If clients and tailors suddenly decided not to travel any longer for bespoke, Savile Row would be wiped off the map. And so would be all the internet forum based franchises.

I don't know about the rest of you but I always have found interesting things to do on my trips to Rome, Naples and London. I suppose I am just lucky.

Cheers

[alden]

Shirts are definitely one of the least discussed bespoke topics and yet they are the ones that arguably demand the most precise fit and where we can directly feel the difference in materials.

I have written it before many times, but one more time...the shirt is THE most important article of clothing in our wardrobes! And amazingly, it is the least discussed,and considered of them all. Shirts are acquired in a haphazard way while suits are anguised over for years.

And another difference between UK and the good FR makers, is that nearly all of the former are made in one single factory outside London. One of the most highly regarded "bespoke" makers once made a bit of an indiscrete comment when she said it was as easy as pie for London shirtmakers to jot down a few measures on a form and send them in. "You can have your offering in shirting fabric kept at the factory so it makes things really fast and easy. Its a great business."

Yeah, great for who....?

Cheers

[Berwick]

Of course, Russell and Hodge in London do not work that way. You can see the seamstresses sewing the shirts in the back room when you visit. I am not suggesting that this makes R&H shirts better finished, or suggesting that the sowing is done by hand - just that not all London shirtmakers send the cut fabric to a factory to do the sowing.

[lgcintra]

Michael,

Sorry to bother, but why is the shirt more important than the suit?

All the best,
LG

[Kayak81]

I don't know about the rest of you but I always have found interesting things to do on my trips to Rome, Naples and London. I suppose I am just lucky.

I agree. For me though, London can be a quick and inexpensive trip, while most other sartorially desirable locations would take more time and cost more money. I can manage 2 meetings a year with my tailor/shirtmaker/shoemaker in NY and another 2 in London. I couldn’t manage 4 meetings a year in Paris or Rome though, unless I had another reason to be there. Hopefully that will change sometime in the future.

[andreyb]

And another difference between UK and the good FR makers, is that nearly all of the former are made in one single factory outside London. One of the most highly regarded "bespoke" makers once made a bit of an indiscrete comment when she said it was as easy as pie for London shirtmakers to jot down a few measures on a form and send them in. "You can have your offering in shirting fabric kept at the factory so it makes things really fast and easy. Its a great business."

Michael, why I agree with most of your criticism on UK shirts, in this particular case you received a grossly inaccurate information.



These two lovely ladies and a young man make shirts for New & Lingwood, Huntsman and Sean O'Flynn himself. They are located on Sackville Street, London.

Budd makes in its own workshop in Andover, Hampshire: http://www.buddshirts.co.uk/workshop/



T&A uses its own factory in Glocester.

Emma Willis has her own workshop, also in Glocester: http://www.emmawillis.com/the-factory

Russell & Hodge has a workshop in London, on Windmill Street: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... fkmtm-pQW0

Harvie & Hudson say that "[the shirts] are cut by hand in the store and finished in our workroom nearby in the West End of London": http://www.harvieandhudson.com/content/ ... oke_Shirts

Stephen Lachter told me he uses a workshop somewhere in East London.

Granted, there is a limited number of factories / workshops, with some of them (Russel & Hodge, Rayner & Sturges) making for *a lot* of names. But definitely much more than one factory.

Andrey

[Frans]

... I always have found interesting things to do on my trips to Rome, Naples and London. I suppose I am just lucky.

There is no tailor in the town where I live and since designer wear is the most expensive solution, I am forced to travel abroad. One can combine the useful with the pleasant, though, as Mr. Alden suggests.

... that nearly all of the former are made in one single factory outside London.

Then why is an individual pattern made by the London shirtmaker? Is this just translated into some main measurements for the factory? Also, when I got one of my shirts, the shirtmaker was about to finish it and asked me to come back one hour later. When I re-entered, one of the seamstresses (seen in the above picture by andrey) came with the shirt from behind. That made me believe the shirts are made on the spot.

[vinveritas]

Michael,

Sorry to bother, but why is the shirt more important than the suit?

All the best,
LG

LG,
If I may, Mr. Alden's article "The first serious step in bespoke" (in http://dresswithstyle.com/) explains why.

[alden]

Andrey

Two owners on your list told me about the factory outside London.

Maybe some firms have factories, maybe not...you're the investigative reporter charged with the mission. Fish out the fact from the fiction. Anything can be purported on a web site advertisement. Right? Oh and we want pictures!

Cheers

[culverwood]

I think Andrey's post already includes more evidence and pictures than you have given. Time to back up your allegation.

[alden]

No allegation, just reporting what was told me by one of the persons cited on Andrey's list.

The allegations, if there are any, seem to be coming from disgruntled clients. And the source of the miscontentment seems to point to MTM techniques at use and gone wrong. They also point to shirts being made off premises, far from the shirtmaker/cutter/fitter.
If Sean Fynn says he can't get the length of his shirt sleeves right, as reported by Manself, how are we to believe that the lovely ladies in the photo, who are there with him, can't get them right. Maybe the lady is his mother.

I am not a shirtmaker, but I can easily get my sleeves the right length.

Combine these facts with comments from the mouths of the very shirtmakers in question, and it starts to add up. And that leads me to issue and reissue a buyers beware warning on UK shirtmakers.

Then again if one is happy with Waitrose Red, there is no sense suggesting a Grand Cru.

Cheers

[culverwood]

Then again if one is happy with Waitrose Red, there is no sense suggesting a Grand Cru.

Cheers

Love them both