The buttonholes need improvement. I think the problem is with either the gimp or the seamstress.

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Added on April 27, 2010, 11:46 pmHave you inspected your MBT du jour's buttonholes?

BTW, neither silencer nor walnek understand this obsession with buttonholes one bit. They think you're loony.

This post has been edited by kotmj: Apr 27 2010, 11:46 PM

AL needs to fire his seamstress. Unfortunately she is his younger sister...

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Added on April 27, 2010, 11:55 pmWere you serious about those quarters? You cannot be. They form a nice symmetrical X shape with the lapel opening.

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Added on April 27, 2010, 11:56 pm

This post has been edited by kotmj: Apr 27 2010, 11:56 PM

Good, then fark off and go back to wearing your black polyester RTW.

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Added on April 28, 2010, 12:27 pmI think we all pursue excellence here. Otherwise we wouldn't spend so much time discussing clothes. Beautiful buttonholes are quite a thing to behold. They're like hand-blued watch hands. When done right they are incredible.

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Added on April 28, 2010, 1:29 pm

This post has been edited by kotmj: Apr 28 2010, 01:29 PM

Damn you. Stole my thunder.

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Added on April 28, 2010, 6:25 pm

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Added on April 28, 2010, 8:14 pm

This post has been edited by kotmj: Apr 28 2010, 08:14 PM

So far, nobody has surpassed GDT's buttonholes...

Those pants are the grey ones AL made for me.

Shoes are a pair of vintage Cheaney's I bought off ebay.

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Added on April 30, 2010, 12:08 amMichael Alden's linen DB. Notice that he likes his sleeves relatively long (he even said why once).





This post has been edited by kotmj: Apr 30 2010, 12:08 AM

Xecton, let me guess at what you told the tailor:

More waist suppression
Shorter jacket
Narrower lapels

According to my suit ideals (since I don’t know yours), your tailor got two of them right. The lapels are beautiful the way he made them the first time: generous and nicely bellied. I wish AL made mine this way. I would give him a call to revert them to the original. The modification you asked for makes the lapels look out of whack: too thin on too big a body and head.

The jacket length started off plausible but ended up comically short. You need to understand that for a suit to remain classic, you do not have much latitude in the measurements. We’re talking 0.5” more or less here and there, not the 2.5 inches you got your tailor to take up the jacket. I’m not able to judge the jacket length because there is no full body shot (which includes the shoes) of you wearing the jacket. It is related to your height. I would ask the tailor to adjust the length to his liking, then reevaluate at the second fitting. Have it shorted by 0.5” then if you wish. The way it appears in the final pic, it is several inches too short.

You will notice that your cuffs peek out more on one arm than the other. Ask him to adjust each sleeve individually. Assure him it is OK for the jacket sleeves to be of slightly different lengths. Ah Loke cringed when I told him that.

You’ve instructed him to suppress the waist, so we shall see how he does it. I would take in the waist by at least 1.5” then reevaluate at the second fitting.

I would also redo the quarters. I would ask him to make them so open that the lower button cannot actually be buttoned. Notice that the tailor assumes you would button the lower of the two buttons. Tell him nobody does that nowadays, that he should go out more and read more GQ like Jind86 and that he should make them part like Moses the Red Sea. The quarters should begin to part at the first button. By the time they reach the lower button, they are 0.5” or more apart. This will be difficult for your tailor to grasp, so be compassionate.

There is also a fit issue with the upper back. There is too much cloth there, causing the drape you see. Ask him to take it in at the center back seam to make the upper back (around your spine) smooth. It should be more than 0.5” from what I can see. Any excess cloth should be limited to the armscye region, not the spine region. Don’t overdo it though. Raise your arms forwards, like reaching for a steering wheel and see if it is too tight.

The shoulders are very heavily padded and look unnatural but are not too objectionable. I don’t know how (or if) you want to deal with this because it is difficult to communicate and execute properly. I had a huge argument with my tailor about shoulder padding. He now makes them for me by hand instead of using pre-made ones. Maybe you can suggest this to your tailor. Thin bits of wadding, hand padded. Just enough to smooth over your shoulder without raising it too much.

There is also no horsehair that I can see. At the very least ask him to put horsehair canvas in the lapels for the padded lapel construction. If he is Cantonese, tell him you want a “sang” [lively] lapel and not “thong sei” [ironed to death]. For me, it makes a big difference.

Once he suppresses the waist, I expect more fit issues to turn up. Waist suppression makes fit more critical. The reason why many tailors get by with no or one fitting is because they make these stupid sack cuts (like your tailor) which drape down loosely and vertically from the shoulders. It’s like a baju melayu with shoulder and chest padding. But the moment you want a shapely jacket, multiple and very careful fittings become necessary because then you are sculpting cloth.

I would also have the trousers shortened by 2”.

I was looking for it too, lol!

Can't tell the difference man.

Pics are too big, can you pls size them down a bit? Thx.

It's OK for a first attempt.

You've asked for the jacket to be lengthened, yet it still looks short, for reasons I can just vaguely guess at. Maybe it is the lack of skirt flaring? Maybe because your trousers have a very low fork? Maybe it needs another 0.5"? I wouldn't know.

The quarters remain unchanged from last time. Well, A&S does them that way too, and some like the aesthetic.

The sleeves are cut badly, very badly. The worst I've seen so far. Look at the incredible bunching of cloth at the back of your sleeves. I've never seen cloth look this unhappy.

The trousers are still too long. Look at how my trousers touch the shoe. No bunching at the bottom.



No matter how you look at it, there is too much drape at the upper back, and there are balance issues at the lower back. It is too "crooked".

Look at this guy's back and compare it with yours

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=90990

His is smooth and clean and taut. That's what you want. Yes, it is tough to achieve this. Which is why a clean back is a hallmark of really good tailoring. (I believe he had 5 fittings to achieve this.)

The good news is, it will look much better once made up. Once the fusing and ironwork goes in, you'll look great in the mirror. And you'll look just great to most people. Few people worry about the last couple of percent of perfection like I do.

Looks very good overall, especially for a noobie and a first suit at that. Very clear pictures too.

The back needs a little bit of work. I doubt though that they will do anything. I think it will be left as it is. Which is a pity because it is very little work and would make the jacket among the best from a Malaysian tailor.

I would like the sleeves longer -- too much cuff showing now.

Great jacket, really. Maybe you can show Jerrick a pic of my back. He will understand instantly and he will give it to you.

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Added on May 8, 2010, 11:45 amThese guys have a thoroughly modern cut. Enough drape behind the armscye to allow for movement. Sleeves done well. Collar grips the neck. Lapels not too narrow. Trousers not ridiculously long.

Compare them to other tailors and you realise just how much more sophisticated Bespokkt is.

kotmj
Marketing and Communications
Bespoked Group of Companies
comprising Bespoked
and ALT

This post has been edited by kotmj: May 8 2010, 11:45 AM

Only Ah Loke uses horsehair. And that only by special request.

pow must be another polyester number

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Added on May 10, 2010, 8:21 pmbut sure, if you insist i can seed it.

This post has been edited by kotmj: May 10 2010, 08:21 PM

I received a wedding invitation from a friend yesterday. He says to dress "formally" in the colours of the wedding invitation card.

The card is beige.

You don't have to inform me of poly trousers. I have one from G2000 and I wear it often. Just ribbing you.

Wah that haberdasher thong sei lei. RM1 a pair at Malaysia's largest button shop.

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Added on May 11, 2010, 9:47 pmI think you meant lou yan KHAU. Kau would be glue.

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Added on May 11, 2010, 9:59 pmThe largest button shop has these STAR buckles in chrome, brass and blue steel. I bought chrome and brass.

This post has been edited by kotmj: May 11 2010, 09:59 PM

Please just ignore this super low IQ "alfredfx" guy. Pestered me with some very low quality questions and showed no ability to understand simple things. I think his IQ is 60 or 70.

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Added on May 12, 2010, 9:12 pmThat's because you're a small timer.

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Added on May 12, 2010, 9:23 pmI'll be breaking in the linen jacket this Sunday at an afternoon wedding banquet.

I misstated things earlier: The wedding card had elements of pink and light green. So I'll wear a light pink shirt I collected from MBT3 the past weekend, and a green tie and pocket square both from Daiso.

I'm now living in Anggerikville, so plan to drive to a particular port town this Sat to sniff out exceptional tehlers.

This post has been edited by kotmj: May 12 2010, 09:27 PM

Light green with small mustard paisleys.

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Added on May 13, 2010, 9:29 pmAnd what are you going to do with the info? How does it help you? Does it even help you? Is anything capable of helping you?

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Added on May 13, 2010, 9:31 pmIf I'm not mistaken, both houses only do MTM, not bespoke. And if SF reports are anything to go by, there is no "successful" MTM. They are all technically unsatisfactory.

This post has been edited by kotmj: May 13 2010, 09:31 PM

Do you guys actually go into these severely expensive boutiques? I feel hesitant to do so because I know there's no way I'll be buying anything there.

I mostly just look at their window displays.