Using a different sleeve lining is just an "extra touch." It is another operation in manufacture which means added cost.Julian wrote:Are you referring to a signature stripe being the "little touch that sets apart bespoke from RTW" or simply the act of using a different lining? If you are referring simply to the use of different lining for the sleeves then, unless RTW has changed its approach in the last 5 to 10 years, the evidence of my wardrobe suggests that simply a different (cream/white) sleeve lining is not a particularly reliable differentiator from RTW. Of the 14 RTW suit and odd jackets that I still have in my wardrobe a total of 6 have unmatched sleeve lining.Mark Seitelman wrote:Generally, each tailor each has a "signature" stripe. E.g., Davies uses a Bengal stripe in either dark blue or grey depending upon the coat's color. It is a little touch of individuality and "advertising". It also is a little touch that sets apart bespoke from RTW.
- Julian
Is the lining a "make or break" element of a fine garment? No. E.g., Oxxford generally does not use separate linings unless ordered by the customer. It's just an added touch and throwback to earlier times when they served a practical purpose.
It is likely that most tailors do not know the origin of separate sleeve linings. They just carry it forward as a convention and tradition. Most would probably say that they do it because they have always done it this way.