first journey into bespoke

[graysonhenryrussell]

Hey guys, I am going to London the end of February & have decided I want some suits & a overcoat. The houses I am looking at are Davies & son, Poole & Anderson Sheppard. Are there any of the houses on the Row to avoid at all cost. Any advice for a newcomer on the process. I am only familiar with high end MTM. I decided I want some bespoke clothes before I die. I will be grateful for any advice you gentleman have to offer. Grayson

[Frederic Leighton]

Welcome to the London Lounge, Grayson!

My only advice is that you don't place a bulk order. Better go with one item at the time. I understand this is not so easy when you travel to your tailor from far, but you really want to avoid a copy&paste of the same problems into multiple garments, especially when you are at the first commission with a new tailor (and at the start of your journey into bespoke altogether). It will be fun!

Best wishes,
f

[davidhuh]

Dear Greyson,

welcome to the LL.

Frederic is very right: Commission one suit as first order, and nothing else. You have to establish a relation with your tailor first.

One could add many things now. I'm trying to keep things to the essential:
- You are listing different tailoring houses. They are well known establishments with a different house style. Inform yourself about the differences, and get an idea what you want for yourself and what works for you. Invest enough time, make appointments, go to see them, talk to them.
- Think about using an independent tailor or a smaller house instead of the big shots. It will be easier to establish a relationship because you are dealing with one person, not with different staff in a big house. And it will be cheaper. If you like the Anderson Sheppard style, consider Steven Hitchcock, Steed, Thomas Mahon or Karl Matthews. Also consider Byrne & Burge, Benson & Clegg, Chittleborough and Morgan. Invest a day or two, then take a decision.
- Your first commission should be something really useful and versatile (that blue suit, that grey suit). Boring but useful, nothing flashy you get bored of.
- Make sure you are using nice traditional cloth on the heavier side (13-16 oz)
- Read "Dressing the man" by Flusser; "Elegance" by Bruce Boyer
- Have bespoke shirts made at the same time. I can recommend Budd shirts.
- Use the search function here. You will find lots of useful information.
- Use the cloth club in the future to get access to cloth qualities you don't find in trade.
- Avoid Huntsman but go to Richard Anderson if you like this style.

So much for now. Have fun and tell us about it

Cheers David

[Melcombe]

Dear Greyson,

welcome to the LL.

Frederic is very right: Commission one suit as first order, and nothing else. You have to establish a relation with your tailor first.

One could add many things now. I'm trying to keep things to the essential:
- You are listing different tailoring houses. They are well known establishments with a different house style. Inform yourself about the differences, and get an idea what you want for yourself and what works for you. Invest enough time, make appointments, go to see them, talk to them.
- Think about using an independent tailor or a smaller house instead of the big shots. It will be easier to establish a relationship because you are dealing with one person, not with different staff in a big house. And it will be cheaper. If you like the Anderson Sheppard style, consider Steven Hitchcock, Steed, Thomas Mahon or Karl Matthews. Also consider Byrne & Burge, Benson & Clegg, Chittleborough and Morgan. Invest a day or two, then take a decision.
- Your first commission should be something really useful and versatile (that blue suit, that grey suit). Boring but useful, nothing flashy you get bored of.
- Make sure you are using nice traditional cloth on the heavier side (13-16 oz)
- Read "Dressing the man" by Flusser; "Elegance" by Bruce Boyer
- Have bespoke shirts made at the same time. I can recommend Budd shirts.
- Use the search function here. You will find lots of useful information.
- Use the cloth club in the future to get access to cloth qualities you don't find in trade.
- Avoid Huntsman but go to Richard Anderson if you like this style.

So much for now. Have fun and tell us about it

Cheers David

^^^^^

This This THIS !

Also bear in mind that if you develop a personal relationship with a tailor - especially one who travels as many of the smaller houses mentioned do - you will be able to place orders, albeit in slow motion, whenever the fancy takes you. And it will.

[gegarrenton]

Hey guys, I am going to London the end of February & have decided I want some suits & a overcoat. The houses I am looking at are Davies & son, Poole & Anderson Sheppard. Are there any of the houses on the Row to avoid at all cost. Any advice for a newcomer on the process. I am only familiar with high end MTM. I decided I want some bespoke clothes before I die. I will be grateful for any advice you gentleman have to offer. Grayson

Hey Grayson, good to see you here. These guys will give you plenty of good advice.

Cheers,
Graham

[culverwood]

All good advice. Where are you from? If it is the UK the Savile row and all of London is your oyster and I would add Chris Kerr to the list. If from further afield perhaps one of the heavyweight firms who travel more extensively would be best though among the smaller tailors Steed, Benson and Clegg and Thomas Mahon visit the USA regularly.

[Gilles Deleuze]

All excellent advice. I would echo the need to develop patience when building a bespoke wardrobe (as hard as that seems sometimes!). I've had excellent experiences with Steed (a smaller firm) and A+S (a heavyweight), and continue to use both.

[Concordia]

Start with solid colors. The last thing you want is to have your new guy rearrange the shoulders on your first fitting, to the point that the back and collar have nothing to do with each other.

Find someone whose notion of an elegant person is what you'd like to be, or can imagine being. There are a lot of good shops who are thrilled to put stuff in their window that you'd look awful in. There's no point in educating an expert when you don't know exactly what you want, so don't waste your time trying to bend them into shape.

[couch]

Terrific advice. I'd just add that my relationships at Poole have been quite personal (of course I've taken an interest) and rewarding. As has been said, if you're not in England the travel schedule will matter, so Poole and the other larger firms should not be ruled out if that's an issue. I use both Steed and Poole (so far) with excellent results, and a New York MTM trouser maker. As Michael has said, if you can find someone good who is reasonably local, it's the best of all worlds. Costi and Frederic Leighton have given us many examples of the advantages of working with someone you can stop in and chat with often--and explore out-of-the-ordinary ideas without so much riding on the outcome (in terms of lost time).

[graysonhenryrussell]

Thanks guys, I would like to commission two suits & a overcoat while I am there as I live in Charlotte n.c. I am thinking a dark gray & deep navy for colours in a 16 oz weight. I want to go with a chesterfield on the overcoat. Any advice on a 22 oz or above cloth? Thanks. Grayson P.S. Graham, how did your last coat turn out?

[graysonhenryrussell]

One question I forgot to ask. How big a deal is it for all the work to be done in house as opposed to sending the garment out for sewing? Thanks. Grayson

[Concordia]

One question I forgot to ask. How big a deal is it for all the work to be done in house as opposed to sending the garment out for sewing? Thanks. Grayson

That's a pretty arbitrary distinction, as much as some internet denizens would like to think otherwise. Most individual tailors in London are technically freelancers, even if they do most of their work under one firm's roof. In fact, they'll even bring work from other shops into their main studio, and hope that nobody else notices or cares. A&S used to send my coats out to an older guy 60 miles from London-- he was the same tailor who did Chuck's stuff. Sadly, he retired when John Hitchcock did. One of the main guys now used by Steven Hitchcock is someone who also works for Huntsman. Making friends and not annoying people counts for a fair bit in that industry.

[gegarrenton]

Thanks guys, I would like to commission two suits & a overcoat while I am there as I live in Charlotte n.c. I am thinking a dark gray & deep navy for colours in a 16 oz weight. I want to go with a chesterfield on the overcoat. Any advice on a 22 oz or above cloth? Thanks. Grayson P.S. Graham, how did your last coat turn out?

Absolutely bang on. Got a few things going for when I'm there in March and was pleased to find some fabric samples in the mail today. Going to be a fun year!

Amateur picture of the House Check jacket.

[gegarrenton]

One question I forgot to ask. How big a deal is it for all the work to be done in house as opposed to sending the garment out for sewing? Thanks. Grayson

If you go for Poole, chances are it will be in house. I can't speak for certainty as I haven't asked if all orders are, but I have met the people that sew my stuff, so I know that they are there.

[davidhuh]

One question I forgot to ask. How big a deal is it for all the work to be done in house as opposed to sending the garment out for sewing? Thanks. Grayson

Dear Grayson,

I worry about what I'm getting served on the plate and a lot less about what happens behind the curtain...

Cheers, David