[justinlw26]

I was recently fitted for a suit by a tailor that a user recommended. I tried the suit on for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised. The construction quality and fit seemed really good. The only "problem" was that the jacket was a bit boxy on the sides, whereas I had asked for something a little more tapered. This particular tailor did not do a mock-up in cheaper fabric before cutting the fabric, a process that would likely have avoided this problem. When I brought the problem to the tailor's attention, he just pinned it and said he would make the alteration and that I could pick the suit up the following Monday. My question is this: does it defeat the purpose to have a custom made suit if the tailor is just going to alter it once the jacket is finished? Is the akin to buying a jacket OTR and having it taken in to make it more tapered/less boxy? Or, since this is my first time having a custom suit made, maybe it is not a big deal and totally to be expected. Thanks for reading.

 

[Bespoke Trout]

Any decent tailor will make adjustments with each fitting, sometimes all the way to the end. The problem isn't that it needed adjustment, but that the tailor didn't seem to recognize that it needed it. How many fittings did you go to before he felt it was finished? There's no magic number--you go to as many fittings for adjustments as necessary. Sometimes it's three, sometimes it's six. As long as you're satisfied with the finished product. If I may ask, what city was this tailor located in?

BT

 

[PedanticTurkey]

I guess you'll find out in a couple days. I think with custom suits the first one is always a bit of gamble.

 

[kevine310]

Sounds like a MTM suit. Did you just get measured once and then received the final product in a few weeks?

Not a huge problem to take in the sides but yes, I'd say this is frustrating having a MTM or bespoke suit made and then having to alter it.

 

[justinlw26]

kevin310 - i was measured and then I went back to try the pants when they were finished. When I tried the jacket on, it was not yet completed, but the tailor needed to make some adjustments. Today was the third time i went back. As I stated, my expectations were surpassed, given how much he charged me. I would have been satisfied with the jacket the way it was (as I was expecting much worse), but it seemed like such a simple thing to do to make it perfect. I just hope the alterations do not compromise the integrity of the jacket. I might post photos when I get it back for suggestions.

bespoke trout
Los angeles. But when you go back for the fittings (whether 2, or 3+), with suits, is it better for the tailor to alter a mock-up version (with true bespoke) of the jacket rather than make adjustments/alterations to the actual jacket. Because it seems to me like the latter is akin to buying OTR and then just having a tailor alter it. Thanks for reading:icon_smile:

 

[paul winston]

There is absolutely nothing unexpected or wrong with adjustments being made along the road to finishing a garment. Tailoring is an art, not a science. It is. a sophisticated form of trial and error. Different cloths make up differently and customers are looking for different things. A fitter can voice his opinion- " I think you need a little more shape" - but the individual customer is the only expert in what he wants. We have been in business for more than 60 years. Our customers have included some of the most important people in the United States ( President John Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, Thomas and Arthur Watson, Cyrus Vance- all, sadly for me and for the world, no longer living. We do not reveal the names of our living customers). In all those years, it was the rare suit or jacket that did not have adjustments made -often up to the end.
Paul Winston
Winston Tailors
www.chipp2.com

 

[shirtguy]

when you aorder a suit from the great martin greenfield at his factory the suit jacket will be ready by the first fitting except for the button holes as well as adjustments to the length of the sleeves

 

[The Louche]

I can see your point but echo others in saying that it isn't a huge deal. It does sound like the tailor that your using, while I'm sure excellent, is offering a "sophisticated MTM" if you will rather than bespoke. Ideally the only adjustment that would need to be done on any custom jacket is the sleeve length, but suppressing the sides is a common and easy alteration. It shouldn't compromise other aspects of the jacket's fit that were fine-tuned by the custom process. Plus - like someone else said, the first one is almost always a bit of a gamble. Your next order from this guy should come out spot-on right off.

 

[Chris Haskell]

I have always found Asian tailors (as a loose rule of course) never really hone in their pattern and cut from a block that is by nature full of straight lines. I recently spent a week or so with a major asian (one well known to this forum and highly regarded) tailor to work on their pattern to make it more suitable to european customers.. I was amazed at the requirements from some of his clients for suits that look like boxes with straight lines down every seem and leave the suit looking boxy as you say.
I worked with them to develop a new pattern which is much more fluid and european and seems to be going down very well... but to the US and Germany continue to sell the original square design.... M2M suits seem to have huge side panels in comparison to their bespoke counterparts never quite understood why....

tweaking a M2M suit is expected so no problems with that but if a makers jacket/coat is boxy its probably best to try a different maker who uses a more refined pattern to your taste

 

[justinlw26]

Thank you all for your responses. I am using another tailor that is actually doing a mock-up from a cheaper fabric that he is having me try on Friday. It will be interesting to compare the suit from this tailor and the one from the first tailor. I was thinking about posting pictures to get member feedback...

 

[son of brummell]

I was recently fitted for a suit by a tailor that a user recommended. I tried the suit on for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised. The construction quality and fit seemed really good. The only "problem" was that the jacket was a bit boxy on the sides, whereas I had asked for something a little more tapered. This particular tailor did not do a mock-up in cheaper fabric before cutting the fabric, a process that would likely have avoided this problem. When I brought the problem to the tailor's attention, he just pinned it and said he would make the alteration and that I could pick the suit up the following Monday. My question is this: does it defeat the purpose to have a custom made suit if the tailor is just going to alter it once the jacket is finished? Is the akin to buying a jacket OTR and having it taken in to make it more tapered/less boxy? Or, since this is my first time having a custom suit made, maybe it is not a big deal and totally to be expected. Thanks for reading.

I never had a tailor do a mock-up in cheap cloth although one of my tailors did that for another customer.

There are almost always alterations once the suit leaves the workroom.

On one occasion a London bespoke tailor made a sportscoat for me without a basted try-on. The balance was off. On the next visit he had to take it back to London to fix it.

 

[Pipps]

It all depends on the tailor that you visit. It's always good to research these things before you pull the trigger.

I would recommend that you take the suit to the tailor and ask him to taper the waist. He should be able to undertake such a popular alteration in a matter of days. Such a modification should be provided free of charge.

 

[16412]

Not much reason to do a mock-up in cheap cloth unless it is a difficult customer for making a pattern. I think most bespoke tailors leave enough outlays and inlays for any adjustments that need to be. Many are adjusting your pattern into the third coat. Mock-ups in cheap cloth can be misleading, anyway.

It seems odd that he didn't rip the side seams apart and pin it until you are satisfied. Some tailors leave the side seams baggy enough so all they have to do is pin it.

 

[johnjack11]

"As I stated, my expectations were surpassed, given how much he charged me"

Sounds like a winner to me, he will tweak it and make it even better for you. The forum tends to raise expectations a little, sometime too much so. If you are happy don't second guess yourself. Good tailors can make simple alterations without compromising the suit.

Next time he should get it perfect first time around!

Good luck!

Jack

 

[Bespoke Trout]

kevin310 - i was measured and then I went back to try the pants when they were finished. When I tried the jacket on, it was not yet completed, but the tailor needed to make some adjustments. Today was the third time i went back. As I stated, my expectations were surpassed, given how much he charged me. I would have been satisfied with the jacket the way it was (as I was expecting much worse), but it seemed like such a simple thing to do to make it perfect. I just hope the alterations do not compromise the integrity of the jacket. I might post photos when I get it back for suggestions.

bespoke trout
Los angeles. But when you go back for the fittings (whether 2, or 3+), with suits, is it better for the tailor to alter a mock-up version (with true bespoke) of the jacket rather than make adjustments/alterations to the actual jacket. Because it seems to me like the latter is akin to buying OTR and then just having a tailor alter it. Thanks for reading:icon_smile:

I've never had a tailor use a mock up; different fabrics hang differently, depending on weight. As a result, adjusting a heavy flannel, for example, might produce different results from a gaberdine or worsted. Adjusting the one you're actually going to wear shouldn't be a problem. In any case, I hope the responses here reassure you that these return visits are expected and normal. If I may ask, how much did you end up paying for the suit?

BT

 

[Aluan]

My question is this: does it defeat the purpose to have a custom made suit if the tailor is just going to alter it once the jacket is finished? Is the akin to buying a jacket OTR and having it taken in to make it more tapered/less boxy? Or, since this is my first time having a custom suit made, maybe it is not a big deal and totally to be expected. Thanks for reading.

It's not a big deal and totally to be expected, and as long as you bring it back to the same tailor, the integrity shouldn't be compromised.

I've never heard of a tailor making a mock-up. Shirtmakers may make mock-ups to establish a pattern because there's little room for error, but tailors have inlays that allow for alterations.

 

[GBR]

This particular tailor did not do a mock-up in cheaper fabric before cutting the fabric, a process that would likely have avoided this problem. .

it is not normal to do a mock up as you suggest - indeed whilst I never say that no one has no decent tailor would.

A baste fitting is all that is required. if it was MTM then at the lower end you might just have had something RTW altered so far as this particular establishment was concerned.

Go elsewhere next time.

 

[jrex]

I figure he is talking about Richard Lim @ high society as I pointed him there. Then he went to yet another tailor who is the one making him this "mock up".

1) Richard's shop is not MTM.

2) Given that different cloths even those of the same construction will behave differently, it makes little sense to do a mock up/toile/muslin/whatever. A basted fitting is much more helpful, but even in this case it's not possible to get EXACTLY what you want the first time with a tailor. It's just not. To get EXACTLY what you want, you'd have to learn to make patterns and sew and even then you'd probably have a few iterations before you get what you want.

 

[justinlw26]

Thanks for the responses

Thank you all for the responses. I feel much more educated on the subject now. I do not expect perfection with this suit, as long as I can wear it and I don't experience the popping on the lapel that I experience with most RTW suits.

WA - I think he did leave it baggy enought because that is what he did when I mentioned that I wanted it a bit more tapered - he pinned the sides

Jrex - actually, I think I mispoke; I am not sure if the other tailor is doing a basted fitting or a mock-up. As i am not sure what the difference is between the two. All I know is that when I went back for the second fitting the "garment" he had me try on was not the material for the actual suit. It looked like some kind of a pattern.

Bespoke Trout - will send you a private response to your question (if I can figure out how).

I will definitely have another suit made by the tailor in the near future (assuming the alterations come back to my specifications). The great thing is that he is local and easy to get to. I plan on having some shirts made as well. I have to say, the construction/attention to detail is great with the tailor. Again, this was my first custom suit, but relative to RTW that I have seen and Nordstoms/BB and the like, I would never consider buying a suit RTW again. Thanks again for the responses.

 

[Will]

when you aorder a suit from the great martin greenfield at his factory the suit jacket will be ready by the first fitting except for the button holes as well as adjustments to the length of the sleeves

I get several from him every year and to my eye most need something minor. I'll get two jackets and one will need a little more shape and the other a collar adjustment, for example. Nothing wrong with that, it's just part of the process.