Tailoring

[casem]

I couldn't find another topic like this so I thought I'd start a new one. I have a specific question, but I thought we could also disuss our thoughts on tailoring in general (I'm sure Zamb's knowledge will be invaluable on this).

First my specific question: Does anyone have experience with making the legs thinner on dress pants? I bought some tweed pants from uniqlo the other day (to make up for the cloak f/w 06 ones I missed out on). The material is exactly what I want, but the legs are a bit wider than I prefer. Can this be successfully done, or will the proportions still be off? I'm considering leaving them alone and embracing a looser silhouette this one time, but I also know that if something doesn't fit "just so" I tend not to wear it.

More generally what are your thoughts on tailoring? I think it's a nice way to customize clothes, but at the same time if I'm paying a lot for something I expect it to fit just right as is since fit is a major reason to buy pricier brands. Also, many on here embrace more interesting/complicated silhouettes, it seems like with these clothes tailoring would not be an option as it could change completely the intention of the designer and ruin what is special about the garment. I also suppose I have a bit of a control issue with tailors, I'm always nervous they will ruin it or it won't turn out just right. Some tailors have a very traditional approach to the way things should fit, I've actually been turned away by a tailor who refused to make a shirt slimmer because he said it fit fine. Are you more likely to tailor something that was really inexpensive than something pricey? Do you see clothes that you buy as "unfinished" or should they be perfect off the rack?

[zamb]

Re: Tailoring



time will not allow me, to address everything here, but to answer your question

Casem,

yes you can slim it down, and its not hard (depending sometimes on the cut)

Matter of fact, since i am on a Sabbatical from doing collections, i thought i would offer a tailoring/ alterations service for people who need it, (for a fee of course) but didnt really have the time to post the info,

NDF,

you made some good points (and some not so good ones too) about how to do it, but basically it comes down to the skill level and creativity of the person doing the work, there are a lot of people who knows how to do different things but lacks the skill level to do it at a superb level.

I will say more on this later,

have to finish sewing a pair of pants tonite

[matthewhk]

Re: Tailoring



good thread, hopefully it can expand to a broader discussion and i look forward to hearing opinions from zamb and others...

i think it's very hard to get a precise fit by buying clothes off the rack, especially due to so many varying body types and with the standard range of sizes being limited, i think what one usually gets in an off the rack piece in their size is mostly an approximation that will always be lacking in one area no matter how minute the detail may be. Unless they are of a perfect body type for that piece in that size and happen to luck out. I don't think I've ever purchased anything off the rack that was able to fit perfectly. So in that sense, i think you can see them as 'unfinished' as the OP mentioned.

In my experience with bespoke/made to measure suits, I've done three so far, one suit by a tailor here in Hong Kong (Cheong Tai), and the other two by another one (Bosco). The first suit is a slim cut, 2 button charcoal grey suit, i basically drew out measurements from an existing Dior Homme suit I own and asked the tailor to approximate it as close as possible, of course taking into accounts my own body measurement. The result is a suit that doesn't have any problems in the fit, but it was not until I got the other two suits done by Bosco that I realized the world of difference. This disparity is one of the most interesting things I've come across since getting into fashion, and is why I want to learn more about tailoring. I came to see that while the first suit is very "honestly" made, meaning that it was done according to the specified numbers, but still comes out looking stiff and cheaply made compared to the other two. The suits I had done by Bosco are not as rigidly slim as the first, but they stand out by giving a boost to areas of my own body that are flawed (e.g. my shoulders are lacking but Bosco's suits make me stand taller and appear more proportionate). In terms of movement, Bosco's suits also allow more fluidity. Material has to do with it, but ultimately the way Bosco's suits were cut are flattering in the sense that based on what he did with it (which i can't speak on in detail as I simply don't know the technical aspect of tailoring), this exact suit fits me to the point I can't see it fitting anyone else in the world that well. And I think that's where bespoke tailoring separates itself from a suit bought off the peg, or any off the rack clothing for that matter, that extra millimeter in detail that I can't quite put my finger on.

[laika]

Re: Tailoring



Here is a really good article on the experience of getting a bespoke suit made....It has echoes of what matthewk is saying above.

I find this topic very fascinating. [:$]

[Seventh]

Re: Tailoring



Great article Laika,

I think the Sartorialist took a picture of Daniel Lewis, from Duncan Quinn (September 4th) who is mentioned in the article.

I know very little about bespoke so this might be a slightly naive question, but what are the styles available for bespoke suits (for instance it mentions in the article the difference between English style suits and Italian ("power") suits)? Are there other traditional cuts of suit and I assume tailors that specialize in particular styles?

[Faust]

Re: Tailoring

[quote user="Seventh"]

Great article Laika,

I think the Sartorialist took a picture of Daniel Lewis, from Duncan Quinn (September 4th) who is mentioned in the article.

I know very little about bespoke so this might be a slightly naive question, but what are the styles available for bespoke suits (for instance it mentions in the article the difference between English style suits and Italian ("power") suits)? Are there other traditional cuts of suit and I assume tailors that specialize in particular styles?

[/quote]

The beauty of bespoke, I think, is that they'll make for you whatever you want! Of course tailors come from different schools, and some might be a bit stubborn, but ultimately it's your call.

[Seventh]

Re: Tailoring



If this in not too much of a vague question, but what are some of the options? (for instance are there other schools are there other than English and Italian?)
Learning about bespoke is like entering an ocean, the culture of that world is so vast.

[Faust]

Re: Tailoring

[quote user="laika"]

Here is a really good article on the experience of getting a bespoke suit made....It has echoes of what matthewk is saying above.

I find this topic very fascinating. [:$]

[/quote]

Hilarious article! I like how it's written from an "average" person's view.

[Faust]

Re: Tailoring

[quote user="Seventh"]

If this in not too much of a vague question, but what are some of the options? (for instance are there other schools are there other than English and Italian?)
Learning about bespoke is like entering an ocean, the culture of that world is so vast.

[/quote]

There was a great article on bespoke in the first issue of the late Vitals (the fact that it went under is incomprehensible - the first issue of that mag was stellar. actually, i have no faith in the american male after seeing this mag fold.) I think the two major schools are English and Italian, the Italians having learned from the English after WWII and then going on their own. I definitely don't know much about it, but the "freaks" on StyleForum are extremely knowledgeable in that matter (not that I'm trying to discourage the discussion here, I'm all for it!). Where is Incroyable? He sounds like a guy who knows his bespoke stuff.

Supposedly the options of what you want in a suit are infinite, the fabric type and color (obviously), the height of the waist, the type of the front of the pants, single/double breasted, types of lapels, number of pockets, type/color of lining, and so on. One thing that I miss form the mass market, btw, is the lining on the pants - which used to be a standard feature back in the day. That's why I love Poell - he's one of the VERY few designers that still does it.

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