Nothing sets a man apart like a custom made bespoke suit. And once you try on a top-quality suit that has been made specifically for you out from the materials you have specified and with the attention to detail that only a professional tailor can provide, you will never go back to the alternative – which may be cheaper but which will also feel cheaper to you.
Here are six steps to the finest tailor-made suit:
1. Find your tailor. A specialized tailoring area of town like London’s Savile Row has a reputation to maintain, so a tailor located there will be a good bet. But you’ll find that the location itself carries a premium, so it makes sense to look around. Good tailors are found in some of the major department stores and high-end shopping districts.
Word of mouth is always a good starting point; use the internet chat forums and specialized web sites to identify candidates.
Online-only tailors like Knot Standard are the other alternative, and we don’t mind if you Google us for our clients’ opinions – we’re happy to confirm that we deliver top quality work at a competitive price.
2. Choose your fabric. Once you’ve selected a tailor for your suit and started the initial discussion, the decision is to settle on a fabric. The finer the material, the more costly the suit; what you’re paying for is the softness and the hang of the fabric, plus its ability to mould itself to you and to keep that shape. The downside (apart from the price) is that the finer fabrics are more prone to wear.
Anything above a grade of 110 is guaranteed to make a respectable-looking and durable suit. Many popular designers use fabrics with a grade of 100 to 110; you may not even notice the higher quality of fabric in grades above 120, but because you’re not paying for the designer brand name you can opt for a higher quality grade and still pay the same price or less.
3. Measure for fitting. While your tailor is taking all the required measurements to make your suit fit perfectly, it makes sense to ask questions and provide feedback. Your tailor has made hundreds of suits and knows exactly what he’s doing; but he shouldn’t mind hearing you clarify exactly what you want in terms of details and fit.
In particular, be sure to confirm how you’d like the shoulders, how the suit should look at the waist, and how long the trousers should be – how much break you want at the top of the shoes. After all, the essence of a tailor-made suit is that it’s designed and made specifically for you, and you wont need to have it altered several times before it fits perfectly.
4. Make the basic style decisions. What kind of jacket – how many buttons? Double-breasted or single? Jetted or patch pockets? How about the trousers – cuffs or not? Pleated or flat front? Discuss your options with the tailor; he will have seen just about every possible style, he will know what looks best on which body type, and he will be able to help you decide what kind of style will best suit your aims. At the worst, just bring in some magazine cuttings with the kind of look you want.
5. Add some customization (or none). Because it’s your suit, you can add details that will personalize it. An extra pocket on the inside? Special buttons? A secret monogram somewhere? Your ATM PIN code stitched on to the inside of the jacket? Your tailor can advise on those personal touches that make your suit unique.
6. Final fitting. When you go back for your final fitting, take time to check every detail – especially those extras that you demanded. Don’t be afraid to ask for adjustments; you shouldn’t get any argument (though you may get some discussion and advice). After all, you’re paying for the suit, and you should be able to make sure that everything fits to your liking.