Why are my pockets sewn shut?

How unfortunate for you.

I thought about what my response could be to this predicament. Why have a pocket if it’s sewn? Why tease me in such a way?

Let us go deeper.

Back in the olden days when all clothes were made by hand and custom, basting was left on the shoulder, vents and pockets to ensure clean lines and proper shape upon delivery to the customer. Basting is a loose stitch that is used to put together a custom suit. Even today, you will see this left on high end suits. Occasionally you will also see an unsuspecting customer wearing the basting – how embarrassing!!! Basting is not to be worn but to be taken out – unless you are contesting a fashion statement I was unaware of…

My response to why the pockets are closed (and sometimes the vents as well) are to ensure clean lines and smooth form. Most of the time, there is only hand stitching that keeps the pockets together, so it can be carefully removed.

If you are the type to stuff your pockets with heavy objects then perhaps you should keep them closed as this will ruin the shape of the jacket and make you appear bulky.

 

It’s my day too – Part III: Proposal Outfit

Every Monday – Jessie will be taking over the blog to discuss his personal wedding planning struggles and successes from a male prospective.

The proposal outfit should be carefully considered. This could be your first outfit as a fiance.

For my proposal I wore dark denim jeans, black Hugo Boss Chelsea boots coupled with a black belt, blue checkered collared shirt with a navy blue vest. It is a special day and will be one of the single most memorable events in your significant other and your life; so please don’t be proposing in your underwear like those cheesy chick flicks. Do it right with classic romance. I proposed a few days before New Years in Sydney, Australia on the banks of the Sydney Harbour in a place called Lady Macquarie’s chair.

There is no need to over do it with tricks and fireworks, best to keep it simple. Dark jeans or khakis with a crisp collar is the best option. There will be plenty of time for formality at the wedding.

Women Wednesday: Flared vs. Wide Leg Trousers

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that my female clientele prefer the flared trouser over straight or wide. The main argument has been that due to the extra width at the bottom, the hips become proportionate. After speaking with an image consultant – Tamara Glick, she affirmed this belief but added that it depended on the curvature of the lady. Very curvy would require some sort of chunky or proportionate distraction at the bottom of the pant.

I, however, stand by my belief that a flared pant has no business within a professional environment. Even if you are a creative professional – at this current time – a flared pant is utterly out of style.

Thankfully, unlike a skinny or straight pant – a wide leg is great for the majority of us who have  hips that don’t lie. The pant will fit your hips that go straight to the floor – no hugs, snugs or bulges about it. Furthermore, it is a classic peice that will never go out of style.

It’s my day too – Part II: Alterations

Every Monday – Jessie will be taking over the blog to discuss his personal wedding planning struggles and successes from a male prospective.

So you may be wondering what I got altered last week at Studio Kim. Here is my tally:

• 10 custom pants
• 10 custom shirts
• 5 custom suit jackets

As I stood at the mirror, and allowed John to pin me up, I was relieved that the thousands of dollars that were spent on my custom wardrobe was able to be altered to fit my current “happy” new size. Then, shockingly John announced that 3 inches had to be let out of the waist and miraculously – the allowance was there… This would never happen in an off the rack suit as there is never any seam allowance available since they want you to buy another suit and want you to suffer from your happiness weight.

Surprisingly, my suit jackets were snug yet still buttoned at the middle so I just got them dry cleaned. Most of my weight was gained around my mid section from fine dining activities which mostly involved drinking. The affected wardrobe items were mainly pants and shirts.

Shirts appeared to be a different animal altogether. It appeared that my buttons required slight movement to counteract the protruding bulges. Furthermore, I discovered a secret to custom shirts that I will now implement into Savillian shirts:

• The chest size should be a maximum 1 inch larger than measured, and then darts created at the upper back that will counteract the 1 inch. In this way, you will be able to easily take out the darts at the back and allow for an extra inch of happy comfort. It won’t be a perfect fit but it is a nice safe guard for future happiness that may ensue.

Total Cost: $300 Ability to keep happy fat: Priceless

Guide to Wedding Suits: Part VII – Accessorizing Part I

There is always much talk and confusion over accessorizing a suit so that the colours match the bride down to the pantone number. (Gag me with a spoon!)

A level of matching is acceptable but there is no need to match exactly as this task is close to impossible. Furthermore, there is a certain risk and creativity level that is required to match outside the realms of basic primary colours. Yet, how do you express yourself while remaining classic, and tasteful? By experimenting and try different combinations along with your wedding suit and shirt. Here are a few beginner combinations that may help:

For the Risk-Adverse Groom who is slightly “Emo” yet wants to be slightly funky

- this combination will go well with a bride’s outfit that has silver accents

For the Groom who is okay with wearing pink

- this combination will go great with a bride’s silver/pink/white outfit

Women Wednesday: How to Wear Suspenders

I am not entirely sure where to find suspenders. I find that when fashion decides something is not in style for women, it is absolutely extinct from the world. That’s why vintage stores are so great. I was lucky enough to find my suspenders in a male relatives’ closet. Other than vintage or relatives, any classic men’s store may have them hidden away in the back room.

How to wear Suspenders:

1. The ideal and classic way to wear suspenders is with button holes, yet this would require investing in a pair of suspender-able pants which may not be practical for a work wardrobe. The next best thing is clip-ons and although this can look slightly tacky, I will forgive the lack of sartorial edge since well, I am not wearing it myself.
2. The whole point of wearing suspenders is a replacement for a belt; a way to keep you pants up. In this case, wear the suspenders with a loose and wide leg pair of classic wool trousers.
3. As for the top, wear a tight fitting collared shirt to show the femininity of the outfit. Here I have on a tuxedo inspired shirt, but any shirt will work.
4. Finally, spice it up with pearls, large earrings, stilettos, or bright lipstick for an androgenised look.

It’s my day too – Part I: Seam Allowance

Every Monday – Jessie will be taking over the blog to discuss his personal wedding planning struggles and successes from a male prospective.

I’m engaged…and my suits don’t fit me anymore

Life goes, responsibilites compound and personal time becomes less and less. In this fast paced world, where we are all striving to succeed, we forget about our health. Not to mention any free time we do have is spent on maintaining the life/wife balance. Months and months of physcial neglect, comfort and joy with my significant other have lead to an entire wardrobe that needs to be altered.

I do have other options: lose weight. But, I don’t think I can ever maintain a body like that of my twenties and I don’t have the time to work out 5-6 days a week. So after much thought and struggles, I have decided to alter all my suits. Luckily, my Savillian suits all have roughly 1 inch seem allowance, which will allow me to alter the trousers and the jackets for a fraction of the cost it would cost me to buy new suits.

Seam allowance is extra fabric in the seams of the suit. Men gain all of their weight around their lower stomach, therefore while jacket shoulders may fit fine, trousers will become utterly useless. Furthermore, the jacket may not button up either.

Once you are in your late 20’s and living a busy moderately active and happy life with your wifey, its time to face the facts – you will gain weight. While the trend is to wear tight fitted suits right now – I would suggest getting slightly looser suits so that your “happiness” fills out your suits over time. Trust me, this will save you alot of heartache and money.

Stay tuned for what what to wear when proposing.

Jessie Banwait

What I Wore – my new suit

Here it is, my new suit! I know I preach about getting a black suit first. (I do have one but not made by me – gasp!) It’s a little more trendier than my usual style – shorter jacket, shorter arms, 1 button, and popp-able collar. Yet, the jacket remains fairly classic - it has a sit-breath-comfort worthy fit.

Black cropped blazer with high waisted skirt – Savillian
Aqua blouse – Banana Republic
Black and white pearls – Aldo Accessories
Aqua tights – Nine West
Heels – Divna Shoes

Location: TFI

Photographer: John Medalla

Wedding Guide to Suits: Part VI – Cummerbunds

I was not going to include the “Cummerbund” in this guide since it’s purely a rent only item (although you could buy it, but why?) Furthermore, it reminds me of my grade school choir where we were made to wear bright royal blue cummerbunds for performances.

But then, I discovered that it originated from India and was adopted by the British. How it was able to transfer from ultilitarian usage to formal attire is beyond me and my simple theories. The indians used it as a way to carry small items around their waist. The British decided it could be used as a way to catch bread crumbs at a formal dinner function, perhaps a snack for later?

The cummerbund makes up a formal tuxedo outfit and is included in the rental package. It should be worn pleats facing up (too catch the breadcrumbs) with a single breasted jacket, bowtie and no vest.

I would suggest sticking to a vest. If you must, stick to black, grey or as crazy as red, based on the theme with a matching bowtie.

 

 

Made to Measure vs. Bespoke vs. Custom Made

Often times, words are misused to describe custom made suits. It never fails to make me flinch. Here is rundown of often misused terms:

Bespoke

It means a suit that has “been spoken for”. Bespoke is when one tailor creates a suit from scratch for one person. This usually takes multiple fittings as the pattern is drafted directly on the person. This art arises from Savile Row (UK) and is the most traditional way a suit is made.

Made to Measure

This is a completely different process than bespoke as it does not involve one on one tailors fitting you personally. Made to measure is based on pre-set patterns. The pre-set pattern is scaled up or down based on your measurements. This process is machine operated so mass orders are taken.

Main differences between each method:

• full bespoke starts at $2000, made to measure usually starts at $800
• nothing will fit you better than bespoke – everything is accounted for, made to measure is based on pre-set patterns and the cutting is automated, so it may still fit like an off the rack suit
• bespoke is mostly hand sewn using high quality construction, made to measure is a machine made garment

Nowadays there is much overlap as technology, and globalization have evened the playing field so obtaining suits that are bespoke quality at a lower price is possible. Much to the dismay of Savile Row tailors who have lost much business to this new way of suiting.

Custom Made is a very forgiving term that can be used to describe anything that has been tweaked to fit you based on your measurements and style options. When this term is used, it can mean a variety of things or a combination of methods.

What is a Savillian suit?

Our process is based on the Savile Row tradition as third generation tailors who studied in Savile Row create the suits from scratch. It is a hand crafted garment made of high quality construction. It is not drafted directly on the intended person and multiple experienced hands pass over the garment in two countries. Therefore it is not bespoke, yet since it is handcrafted and individually made, it is not made to measure. We simply refer to our suits as custom made.