Acquisition No. 2: Suit
Second installment in the series I started last year about this same time. A bit overdue, particularly as this relates to 2008 bonus, paid 2009. Obviously there was no bonus paid the following year!
I had one major purchase earmarked should I make my bonus, and that was a "nice suit." You read about a well-cut suit, but don't really get much of a chance to see or experience it, so might as well go to the source: Savile Row. A proper, English cut suit, from the home of men's tailoring. Not some flash thing from Italy, with it's shiny super-150s fabric, cropped jacket, and fashionably tight trousers! After all, this might be the only time I have a chance to do this, so I want something classic and classy; something I can wear to work every week.
Research having obviously been done, I narrowed my choice down to about three tailoring houses on The Row. Most of these places are only open midweek business hours, besides which, these sorts of things are best done with gentlemenly calm rather than amongst the clamour of tourist London, so I decide to make a morning of it. I was meeting some friends at two-Michelin starred La Gavroche for lunch on a Thursday anyway, so I took the whole day off for the full luxury experience.
That morning I got up at the normal time, got the wife fed and out the door, then made it into Mayfair just as the shops were opening. I had a leisurely stroll up and down the street looking through windows, and I popped in to a few of the tailors to ask some questions and check out samples. Finally, I settled on Davies & Son, which was on my shortlist. I liked what I read about them, and I liked what I saw, but the deciding factor was how they treated me when I walked in for the first time to check them out. (Closely related and contrasting to how some of the other shops treated me!)
When I walked in, they welcomed me back and brought out the gentleman to whom I'd previously spoken. Nice touch. I announced that I would like to buy a suit, admitted it was my first time in such a place, and said I had no idea where to begin. Well, with the fabric, of course! Grey, please, year-round weight. Yes, something with a texture, not just plain. Ooh, I can see why that one would be so popular, but can I see a few more shades like that, just to be sure?
In the end I chose his first recommendation, which was quite close to the idea I already had in my head: nailhead fabric in charcoal, pure wool (obviously). Then on to the style - two piece suit with a two button jacket, double vented, notch gorge. They took loads of measurements, accurate to 1/32". Not just inseam, waist, sleeve, and chest, but also thumbs, shoulder blades, elbow, slope of neck to shoulder.... it took maybe 30 minutes. Very professional, and all feeling very manly. Then came questions about the trousers, ones I wasn't expecting at all. What sort of fly do you want? Do you want belt loops? What about the angle of the pockets? Do you want any pockets in the back and how do you want them to fasten? What about pockets on the inside of the jacket? Lastly, have a look at the linings we offer. (Zip fly, belt loops, slanted trouser pockets, one back pocket on the left side with besom pockets fastened with a buttonhole, slight break with turnups, two breast pockets on the jacket with an additional pen pocket on the left and hip pocket on the right skirt, deep red silk lining with a pattern that reflects grey) We settled "the unpleasant business" of payment, shook hands, and off I went to lunch.
A couple weeks later I returned for the first fitting (there's a name for this that I can't remember, but it doesn't even look like a suit at this point), then about a month after that, I came back for the finished article. I asked for a couple more alterations, so I took my suit home a couple weeks later.
The verdict?
Complicated; it's not quite as clear cut as my umbrella. What I asked for is certainly what I got. It's a very traditional cut, and that's just not what people wear these days. Where this is most apparent is the trousers. Mid-range and fashion suits tend to be slim fit all around, but in particular the trousers tend to be tight in the seat and move with the legs. They almost always hang from the hips, have a flat front, and have no break and no cuff. Mine are the exact opposite: they hang from the waist (and they definitely hang or drape), have two pleats (forward pleats no less!), have a cuff and medium break. The jacket, on the other hand, is nothing short of amazing. It's still not what people are wearing -- it's certainly not slim fit -- but it really is a thing of beauty. The wife, though she said it makes me look thin, didn't see what was so special when I first put it on... until a few months later when I tried on another suit jacket. She said nothing else looks quite as good on me. The shoulders have a good amount of padding, are sloped, and extend out somewhat. The body is fully canvassed, has a strong shape, and moves with me. There is a defined waist. Really, I love it, and I love it every single time I put it on. I love wearing it all day; I love walking down the street in it with purpose; I love hanging it up at night.
In retrospect, I would have none of the extra alterations done. The sleeves are just on the verge of being too short, though they are fine with the shirts I buy for that suit. The waist on the jacket would be tighter and the jacket would move better had the skirt not been taken in. The trousers would drape and move better had the seat not been taken in. Actually, the trousers are never going to fit the current fashion, and hanging from the waist looks distinctly old man, but they do have a lovely movement all their own and look great in motion.
Was it worth the money?
Tough one, but no. In one respect, I now know how a suit should fit me, and I know first hand what Savile Row is all about. Not many people can say that. The experience alone is worth some money, since I will remember that day forever. But simply put, I cannot afford to dress at that level. The difference in price between off the rack, made to measure, and bespoke, is great enough, but the difference between MTM and Savile Row bespoke is vast. For my income, the opportunity cost for that step up in quality is too great. I might get another bespoke suit some day, but it may or may not be from Davies & Sons. I also know what I'd do differently.
So again, what's the final verdict?
I had the money at the time, and I feel like a million bucks every time I put it on.
I had one major purchase earmarked should I make my bonus, and that was a "nice suit." You read about a well-cut suit, but don't really get much of a chance to see or experience it, so might as well go to the source: Savile Row. A proper, English cut suit, from the home of men's tailoring. Not some flash thing from Italy, with it's shiny super-150s fabric, cropped jacket, and fashionably tight trousers! After all, this might be the only time I have a chance to do this, so I want something classic and classy; something I can wear to work every week.
Research having obviously been done, I narrowed my choice down to about three tailoring houses on The Row. Most of these places are only open midweek business hours, besides which, these sorts of things are best done with gentlemenly calm rather than amongst the clamour of tourist London, so I decide to make a morning of it. I was meeting some friends at two-Michelin starred La Gavroche for lunch on a Thursday anyway, so I took the whole day off for the full luxury experience.
That morning I got up at the normal time, got the wife fed and out the door, then made it into Mayfair just as the shops were opening. I had a leisurely stroll up and down the street looking through windows, and I popped in to a few of the tailors to ask some questions and check out samples. Finally, I settled on Davies & Son, which was on my shortlist. I liked what I read about them, and I liked what I saw, but the deciding factor was how they treated me when I walked in for the first time to check them out. (Closely related and contrasting to how some of the other shops treated me!)
When I walked in, they welcomed me back and brought out the gentleman to whom I'd previously spoken. Nice touch. I announced that I would like to buy a suit, admitted it was my first time in such a place, and said I had no idea where to begin. Well, with the fabric, of course! Grey, please, year-round weight. Yes, something with a texture, not just plain. Ooh, I can see why that one would be so popular, but can I see a few more shades like that, just to be sure?
In the end I chose his first recommendation, which was quite close to the idea I already had in my head: nailhead fabric in charcoal, pure wool (obviously). Then on to the style - two piece suit with a two button jacket, double vented, notch gorge. They took loads of measurements, accurate to 1/32". Not just inseam, waist, sleeve, and chest, but also thumbs, shoulder blades, elbow, slope of neck to shoulder.... it took maybe 30 minutes. Very professional, and all feeling very manly. Then came questions about the trousers, ones I wasn't expecting at all. What sort of fly do you want? Do you want belt loops? What about the angle of the pockets? Do you want any pockets in the back and how do you want them to fasten? What about pockets on the inside of the jacket? Lastly, have a look at the linings we offer. (Zip fly, belt loops, slanted trouser pockets, one back pocket on the left side with besom pockets fastened with a buttonhole, slight break with turnups, two breast pockets on the jacket with an additional pen pocket on the left and hip pocket on the right skirt, deep red silk lining with a pattern that reflects grey) We settled "the unpleasant business" of payment, shook hands, and off I went to lunch.
A couple weeks later I returned for the first fitting (there's a name for this that I can't remember, but it doesn't even look like a suit at this point), then about a month after that, I came back for the finished article. I asked for a couple more alterations, so I took my suit home a couple weeks later.
The verdict?
Complicated; it's not quite as clear cut as my umbrella. What I asked for is certainly what I got. It's a very traditional cut, and that's just not what people wear these days. Where this is most apparent is the trousers. Mid-range and fashion suits tend to be slim fit all around, but in particular the trousers tend to be tight in the seat and move with the legs. They almost always hang from the hips, have a flat front, and have no break and no cuff. Mine are the exact opposite: they hang from the waist (and they definitely hang or drape), have two pleats (forward pleats no less!), have a cuff and medium break. The jacket, on the other hand, is nothing short of amazing. It's still not what people are wearing -- it's certainly not slim fit -- but it really is a thing of beauty. The wife, though she said it makes me look thin, didn't see what was so special when I first put it on... until a few months later when I tried on another suit jacket. She said nothing else looks quite as good on me. The shoulders have a good amount of padding, are sloped, and extend out somewhat. The body is fully canvassed, has a strong shape, and moves with me. There is a defined waist. Really, I love it, and I love it every single time I put it on. I love wearing it all day; I love walking down the street in it with purpose; I love hanging it up at night.
In retrospect, I would have none of the extra alterations done. The sleeves are just on the verge of being too short, though they are fine with the shirts I buy for that suit. The waist on the jacket would be tighter and the jacket would move better had the skirt not been taken in. The trousers would drape and move better had the seat not been taken in. Actually, the trousers are never going to fit the current fashion, and hanging from the waist looks distinctly old man, but they do have a lovely movement all their own and look great in motion.
Was it worth the money?
Tough one, but no. In one respect, I now know how a suit should fit me, and I know first hand what Savile Row is all about. Not many people can say that. The experience alone is worth some money, since I will remember that day forever. But simply put, I cannot afford to dress at that level. The difference in price between off the rack, made to measure, and bespoke, is great enough, but the difference between MTM and Savile Row bespoke is vast. For my income, the opportunity cost for that step up in quality is too great. I might get another bespoke suit some day, but it may or may not be from Davies & Sons. I also know what I'd do differently.
So again, what's the final verdict?
I had the money at the time, and I feel like a million bucks every time I put it on.