Tailoring, suits and bespoke have never been more fashionable. This season the men’s shows saw models coming down the runway in double-breasted suits, ties and pocket handkerchiefs. How long is it since that happened? Suddenly everyone is talking about waistcoats, or bow ties. We are at the apex of the trend.
Matters sartorial have been quietly growing in popularity for four or five years (something that has probably contributed to the success of this blog – it can’t be the quality of the writing). But from the apex the only way is down. Once the high street has caught on, and your friends are buying more suits, the trend is dying. In three years it will all be tracksuits and sportswear.
Fantastic point Simon!
I am a big supporter of artisans. I show them as much patience as I can. I am polite. I pay in cash-sometimes in advance. I respect their work as I respect my own. I suffer clients who don’t pay me as respectfully as I can, but I make sure to pay all my personal contracts.
It is a pity that some are so obstinate. You are correct. This is the moment their craft is the most respected and requested.
Just yesterday, I passed by a tailor of mine. Six months and I’ve almost given up hope. But I offered them coffee and an aperetivo. Let’s hope they get around to finishing the damn suit. They work their asses off but I think a touch of customer service would help all craftsmen in general.
The historical reality of a client and his tailor is a difficult and intimate relationship that is often similar to that of a mistress…when she delivers it’s so satisfying, but you really have to put up with a lot.
I have one word: Tailorstore.com.
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I am a new German Tailor in Houston. I still have 40 years of tailoring in front of me. I am the one who has invested and able to invest more if customer come in.
Simon,
very interesting to read this, thanks. It has been precisely my experience when ordering bespoke in London.
I have tried three of the well known Jermyn Street shirt makers for bespoke shirts. Not a single shirt was delivered on time and often details of the ordered shirts were wrong, further delaying the process. The fitting process was usually highly inefficient as well. At prices above £200 per shirt this is unacceptable in my view. W.W. Chan in Hong Kong made me a shirt in 48 hours with the first shirt ready for fitting in 24; and for a fraction of the price (using similar fabric).
I am also not sure staffing and heavy workloads can fully explain this for shirts (suits are probably different). I understood that at least some of the firms outsource the actual production and it is not clear to me why there would not be enough capacity. My conclusion was that these firms no longer value bespoke customers, perhaps because of the increasing importance of online sales (which will only be affected in the longer run by low quality bespoke services).
Although I genuinely admire the tradition I have now given up on buying shirts here. Given this experience I will also avoid Savile Row.
Regards
Dennis
When I asked Royal Warrant holder and military tailor G.Golding of St. Albans for a price list today,I was very sadly told that this company has gone into liquidation and is no longer trading.
Makes you wonder what went wrong sometimes?
Lindsey
I had both shirts and mess dress from Samuel Brothers. I was very pleased with the service-three fitting for mess dress.
Many thanks indeed Peter.
Very interesting.
I’m not in the military myself but do Samuel Brothers do ordinary bespoke as well as military?
They used to-I had several shirts made and they still have a bespoke enquiry for .
They altered a couple of tweed jackets for me and my mess dress was full bespoke, so I imagine they have the ability. My mess dress took 10 weeks.
I would just add that it was more than a few years ago!
Many thanks
I started and ran the company for 58 years successfully. I sold it two years ago. The person I sold it to, Mr. Mike Stopford, managed to send it in to Likqudation and is owing over £1000000 after owning the business for 2 years. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I have started up again in a small way, making suits and officer uniforms. If you’re interested, I am still in St. Albans, and I have managed to get my old phone number back: 01727841321. Please give me a call. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. Geoffrey Golding, MVO