Of grocers and tailors...

[Melcombe]

A trip to the grocers with my elderly mother today put me in the mind of a singular aspect of tailoring ...

One element of bespoke that had puzzled me for a while was the purported need to get garments fitting precisely by micro adjustment at repeated fittings. I know that I change shape over relatively short periods so by that process could undo all the 'benefit' of having clothing fit to the nearest millimetre.

I now appreciate (I think) that 'fit' in the eye of a good tailor is more complex than that : indeed, it's perhaps what distinguishes bespoke from MTM. A good tailor will have in mind how a client stands, moves, relaxes. In building that design element into a garment, the effect is transformative - a well fitting coat will look good when the wearer is seated, and will settle to an appropriate drape when he stands up, without too much help. Contrast this with even a well-designed RTW coat which really needs unbuttoning before sitting and rebuttoning when standing up (at least it keeps your hands busy...)

What - you might rightly ask - has the grocers got to do with anything? Well, in my case, I get the chance some weekends to take the Aged M to do her shopping. Her preferred food retailer is very popular in her neighbourhood with a large number of (some very) elderly folk - who see the Saturday morning outing as a social event as much as anything. Among the regulars had been a most distinguished looking gentleman quite possibly well into his 80's, over 6 feet tall, with a neatly trimmed beard and, in every season, immaculate suits and sports jackets all bearing the hallmarks of excellent tailoring. Despite his advanced years, he was not particularly stooped, but one matter was quite evident, namely, that he carried less weight than he had done in younger days when, I would guess, his clothes were acquired.

Despite the change in size, the garments retained a remarkable shape - in fact they seemed in some respect to suit him very well indeed despite his shrinkage : the creases of a characterful face seemed matched by the folds of the fabric and his stature seemed well complimented by the timeless cut of his suits.

Why today? Not having seen him for a while I asked the shop manager if he'd seen the gentleman. I din't know his name, but the manager knew immediately who I meant - It seems he's not been in for several months. I do hope he's still with us, not the least as a sartorial exemplar of the (very) long term benefits of decent tailoring. If you can make a suit last 40 years, you'll surely get your money's worth.

[davidhuh]

Dear Melcombe,

this is a very nice story, thank you for sharing!

Cheers, David

[Frans]

Neat little story, thank you for sharing. You have made some interesting observations. This gentleman's clothing tells a lot about his life. Perhaps he is on holiday? Hopefully,he will show up again. Then I'd be curious to know more about his sense for good tailoring.

[Bethlehemtown]

What a poignantly wonderful story. The sort of thing one would hope to find in the front pages of The New Yorker. Thank you so much for sharing this. And I too hope that the gentleman in question is merely on holiday.

[Miles Messervy]

Beautiful tale, Melcombe! Like our fellow members before, I also wish well for the gentleman in question. And here's how, in acknowledgement of our determination in carrying forth his example!

[hectorm]

One element of bespoke that had puzzled me for a while was the purported need to get garments fitting precisely by micro adjustment at repeated fittings. ....I now appreciate (I think) that 'fit' in the eye of a good tailor is more complex than that : indeed, it's perhaps what distinguishes bespoke from MTM. A good tailor will have in mind how a client stands, moves, relaxes. In building that design element into a garment, the effect is transformative .

Very nice story, Melcombe. I enjoyed it very much.
And I agree that the micro adjustments through repeated fittings do not do much for a garment if the tailor doesn´t have in mind (or you haven´t conveyed to him) the real image you want to project and plays well for you. I strongly believe that a suit should not "fit like a glove". Fit is a much more complex concept.
But I´m not so sure I agree with you that the eye of a good tailor for fitting you is what distinguishes bespoke from MTM. The only difference between bespoke and MTM is in the cutting of the pattern. Discounting extreme cases, it´s not crucial for fitting. It´s true that by cutting your own pattern a tailor will have more flexibility for expressing the right fit, if he knows which one is the one for you (since many rely on "house style" or the style they learnt when apprentices). But once the cloth is cut, the fitting process for bespoke or MTM is (or should be) exactly the same. The good eye IMO does not distinguish bespoke from MTM, it separates the good tailors from the not so good ones.