Bespoke tailoring. It is an aspirational, intimidating and highly rewarding experience. It leads from a conversation between the customer and tailor that converts ideas into paper patterns into cloth bundles into a suit. A bespoke suit is a miracle of structure, design, and handicraft. It is the collective intelligence and tradition of centuries of tailoring that translates conversation, observation and measurement into a flattering, comfortable garment.
Where to begin? How to engage with a tailor for the without making a fool of oneself and making disastrous decisions on what is a very expensive investment, costing upwards of £5,000? Which tailor is right for me? What style? What material? The permutations are endless and can be un-nerving for the non-initiated. To assist the curious, I sought advice from my tailor Malcolm Plews, a Savile Row master tailor with more than 50 years of experience in and around the Row.
Malcom is highly respected among the Savile Row tailoring community, often cited as the finest cutter on the Row. He now works from home on select commissions, meeting his clients in St James’ and Mayfair. His career began at Gieves & Hawkes in the early 1960. From Gieves, Nortons, and a brief spell running his own tailoring shop. Following this, he was invited to join Dege & Skinner. From Dege to Welsh & Jefferies. It was at Welsh & Jefferies where he was awarded the Royal Warrant as Military Tailor to HRH Prince Charles, a warrant he maintains for HM King Charles III. Malcolm is affable, & humble, yet this demeanour belies a perfectionist’s eye for line and detail combined with a fine intuition for colour, fabric and style. The Royal Household picked him for a reason.
Malcolm identifies three elements: selecting a tailor; material and style; and the tailoring process itself. The tailors of Savile Row have their antecedents as military tailors, that placed emphasis on fit, structure and drama. The tailors along Savile Row can be expressed with house style running from firm to soft. Huntsman’s structured, closely fitted look epitomises the hard style, while Anderson and Sheppard’s soft style places more emphasis on drape and movement. Regardless of house style, each tailor is responsible for ensuring that the suit commission agreed with the client fulfils two main objectives. It flatters the client’s silhouette, and it is comfortable for the client to wear. Matters of style (hard or soft) will not substitute structure for comfort. As Malcolm puts it simply, ‘the cutter is there to make sure that you look good, and that you feel good’.
Spend some time researching the tailoring houses of Savile Row. Review their websites, observe their handiwork in their shop windows, talk to their clients, read the blogs. Which styles do you like? Why do you like them? Once you have a little more confidence, visit the shops themselves. Speak with the salesmen who will be front of house. Collect more information. Which cutters would they recommend and why? You need to find the cutter that understand your requirements, have a first-class reputation within the tailoring house and across the Row more generally. This individual will be your primary point of contact through the tailoring process. He is the one cutting the paper patterns that constitute the blueprint of your suit. The more he learns about you the better the patterns will be. If you are invested in this process, consider this the initiation of a long-term relationship. Take your time and choose your cutter wisely.
You have now identified the tailoring house, and you have a cutter in mind. Next comes style and material. Malcom’s tip for your first suit is ‘keep it simple’. Meaning what? Start with a suggest a single breasted, notch lapel suit in navy. It belongs in every man’s wardrobe. What you want is one suit that can serve multiple purposes. It is correct for the office, club, restaurant. It serves perfectly for weddings or parties. Sober during the day, always correct in the evening. A navy single-breasted suit is elegant and unobtrusive. Moreover, it is the perfect template for your cutter to show you at your best.
Which material? Hot climates call for a light fabric. Cold climates call for a heavy fabric. Light fabrics can be easy to wear, breathable. Heavy can provide structure and shape. The weave of the cloth can also add texture, pattern, and interest. Mills provide many permutations to address these needs. Try not to be too distracted by these options and consider a mid-weight wool serge. Serge emerged in the mediaeval period, and following the industrial revolution, the availability of worsted serge twill exploded. It was traditionally used in making military uniforms, extended to civilian wear, and remains a standard for suits and greatcoats. Its smooth texture and ability to retain structure make it a favourite of Savile Row tailors.
You’ve picked the tailor and cutter. You’ve identified the style and material. What next then? Relax and enjoy the process. The tailoring team’s job is to make the client experience as enjoyable as possible. Over 60 hours of work goes into the construction of each suit, and these can be broadly expressed in 3 phases: measuring, baste fitting, forward fitting.
Measuring: The cutter will take about 20 measurements across your body to create the foundations for your suit. Relax, try not to stiffen up, it’s helpful for the cutter to understand your most characteristic posture. There is nuance here. The cutter must both record your physical measurements and consider your figuration. Are your shoulders flat or sloped, how do you walk, do you stoop, is one hip more pronounced and so on. The cutter observes, absorbs and records all this information to determine the pattern that best reflects and flatters your individual figuration. The cutter then prepares a set of paper patterns or blocks based on these measurements. The paper patterns are marked on the fabric in chalk. The fabric is then physically cut by the striker into the component pieces for assembly.
Baste Fitting: The next step will be the assembly of the fabric to formulate a three dimensional draft of the paper pattern in physical form. There will be no pockets, possibly a single sleeve at this stage. The client puts on this initial fabric shell for the baste fitting. The cutter will review, mark out changes (volume via padding, reductions and tweaks marked in chalk). Once this review is completed, the fabric components are stripped down. The paper patterns are modified as before and fabric recut as required, before being reassembled in line with the original pattern. This baste fitting will iterate until the cutter is satisfied with the pattern.
Phase 3: Forward Fitting: At this stage, the suit is largely assembled and will be largely recognisable as a jacket. Final changes may be required but these will be details such as the length of sleeves, trousers etc. Once the cutter and the client are satisfied with the fit, the final steps (linings, buttonholes, buttons) are completed. The suit is then pressed ahead of a final check and collection.
Start here. Wear the suit and reflect. Let the suit meld to your body. Did you enjoy the process? Do you feel comfortable and good in the suit? Resist the urge to immediately order a second garment. Don’t rush, there’s plenty of time.