Fittings, Fabrics and Fun

My friend Sean Ward who runs a daily vlog (www.seanward.net) came by my studio to choose a suit for an event that he is hosting. He filmed the whole thing – its quirky and very casual – a good laugh!

Disadvantages to being Built

I have come across many clients who complain of ill fitting suits due to their body building activities.

Although you may be a 38 chest, your back and shoulders may be wider/larger than what an average 38 chest may dictate. You will probably go up a size only to find that the shoulders are too boxy. At this point, you are probably a bit frustrated and decide to swear off suits until your over 40 and a belly may even your sizing out. Sound familiar?

Working out on a regular basis can lead to a larger chest, wide back or larger shoulders. Each build will be different depending on where you gain muscle the easiest. Most men who work out regularly have a “V” type of body shape. The more V shaped your build is – the harder it will be to find something that fits.

This is true for custom as well because  there is a limit to how much the chest t0 waist fabric can be darted (taken in). This is always true for the most extreme cases yet for most regular gym junkies, custom works very well compared to off the rack.

Monogramming.. PS -> you’re not cool

How did your mom separate your underwear and socks from your siblings? Did she write your name on them? Did she monogram your initials?

As an adult, I suppose it is a natural transition to now get custom shirts and jackets initialed prominently so others can recognize it and feel pangs of jealousy at your self-importance.

I have always advised my clients that getting your initals monogrammed on your clothing is just plain tacky not to mention juvenile.

Although, it is one of those custom additions that is practiced in most tailoring shops including Savile Row, I don’t agree with it.

I believe that the custom suit should speak for itself in small details like an opening of a working cuff button, a flash of colour in the lining or an interesting cufflink. Only a true eye would be able to recognize these minute details. To blatantly put it out in bright lights takes away the overall appeal of it being custom.

Having said all that, there are prominent law firms atleast in Toronto that practice monogramming of initials on their shirt cuffs as a part of their workplace culture. 

Overall, I would suggest keeping your cuffs and suits plain of monogramming. You want people to see you first and your suit/shirt second.  

Women Wednesday: Mad Women

Exploring my girl crush on Joan Holloway

Recently, I have become obsessed with Mad Men – obviously the suits are immaculate. All the men are dressed with perfection. I love the styling of Don Draper and Roger Sterling’s 3-piece suits. I am impressed with the stylist of this show and want a personal wardrobe tour. As I have only caught on to this show of late and it is at season 3 – I thought I would not discuss the men suits’ topic to death but moreover discuss my girl crush: Joan Holloway.

This woman is clearly not a size 8 nor is she petite. She is a real woman, a woman with a pear shape and curves. I love her tightly fitted dresses and her demeanor which exudes confidence. This is a woman we can all look up to and try to emulate probably not in her 1960’s style but in the way she carries herself. She has broad shoulders, an ample bosom and wide lower body. All of these are accentuated in her choice of colour and outfit. Usually, it is recommended to not draw attention to body parts you don’t like – clearly she is emphasizing all parts that most of us are trying to hide! What does this tell us? Love yourself for who you are and have confidence – this is all you really need for dressing success.

 

 

 

 

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 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

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.

 

Differentiating Suit Brands – House Cut

I wanted to discuss the “house cut” since I feel it’s the epitome of any suit jacket and what defines a suit brand. Bottom line is, if you are quite literally not “feeling” the house cut, then move on – that brand is not for you.

The “house cut” is the intellectual property if you may of any suit brand – all patterns or off the rack sizes are based on it. It defines a suit as having a slim or baggy waist, tight or loose arm hole, boxy or soft shoulders and long or short jacket length.

The current trend is an overall slim and fitted look and it appears the demands for fit are getting tighter over time. The slim fit includes a slim waist, tight armhole, soft shoulders and a shorter jacket. Many hip/trendy brands and fast fashion brands have based their house cut on this particular look – even the Savillian cut is based on this current trend.

The beauty of men’s trends and hence, house cuts is that fashion is so slow that it takes a few years for anything to change. My suggestion is to not take any trend too literally but always keep it classic.

Defining Personal Style: 3 steps to Audacity

After my sleep was rudely interrupted by a guitar playing/singing house co-inhabitant, I lay wide awake in bed for hours fuming. I questioned her audacity, but then it hit me – she was utterly clueless. She had no idea that her noise was disturbing me down the hall. Then, I thought about personal style and how most people fall into two categories: being completely audacious or completely clueless. I think about Cher in Clueless – how ironic – she was clueless but she was audacious when it came to her style.

I have a friend who claims to have no fashion sense and does not think about what to wear, yet to me, he stands out through interesting fabric choices, well fitted jackets and vintage (looking) aviators. Is he clueless or does his audacious girlfriend dress him? I have another friend who appears to have studied and passed the GQ magazine style exam. From his well placed cuff, to fitted jackets to sweater-collar combinations – his outfits work so well, it’s like he spends an hour styling each day or perhaps coordinates his outfits on Sundays? Is he audacious or playing it too safe? There is also those that point blank refuse to try a bowtie – for absolutely no logical reason – perhaps he feels his neck is too fat?

I feel like my style has evolved from jogging pants and $5 tank tops to now – bespoke tailored suits. I must say, I awkwardly made the transition and lately I have completely veered off course. With my style muscles flexed, one day I had the audacity to steal my brother’s white shirt which was displayed on my studio mannequin and start wearing it in my weekly rotation. Later that week, I became obsessed with fedoras and now wear one almost every day.

How did I get to this place of complete audacity – well it wasn’t easy. You must be a person who has no qualms or care of what others may think of you. Here are my 3 steps to audacity.

1. Find a style mentor that is in your industry. The person should be of the same height and body type and most importantly is someone that you admire in style. You may look to family, friends or someone in your company. Choosing a model in a magazine or celebrity is unrealistic so stay away from that. This is an important step as it will build your confidence.
2. Shop Vintage! Some of my most treasured  (and audacious) items are vintage – such as my leather laptop bag, my brother’s Dior tie, and my beloved pink check tweed blazer. These will very much make you stand out from the crowd.
3. Start small. Don’t go overboard on your first trip to audacity. Things to try are a colourful pocket square, a tie clip, a blazer with jeans and shocking white shoes, or a bowtie with a t-shirt. Of course, these small steps all depend on your industry and your style mentor – the point is to trust your gut and not be afraid – let your inner style instinct guide you.

When someone looks at you with a bit of a raised eyebrow or an incredulous look – than you know they are thinking how can you have the audacity to wear what you are wearing – then you know you are on the right track.

 

fabric in sheep’s clothing

The best suit fabrics come from fabric mills that have been in use for centuries. The wool comes from sheep raised in suitable climates like in Australia. The process is old yet highly perfected; fabrics are made in smaller quantities (rolls). There are numerous mills such as these that are situated in more or less the same areas – some are owned by brand name conglomerates while others are non-exclusive and sell to anyone.

In recent years, new mills have come on to the scene. These newer mills are prone to mistakes, therefore production of fabric is done in large quantities (1000 meters). The price differences between the newer mills versus the old mills is astounding.

It is important to realize that suit prices are largely influenced by where the fabric is made (and the brand name).

Here are some points to consider:

When buying a brand name suit (made from an established fabric mill), think about how much more you are paying for the brand name fabric. Consider a similar fabric made from a non-brand name fabric mill.

When a custom or made to measure suit is offered below $500, then the fabric may be of poor quality made from one of the newer mills that can offer bulk fabrics cheaper.

In the end you get what you pay for, a high quality wool with impeccable design will last you a lifetime (with proper care).