2010 has been an incredible year for me clotheswise. In no other year have I leant more about clothes, and in no other year have I seen such an advancement in the tailoring arts in the Klang Valley.

This year saw the first documented fully canvassed jacket made in Malaysia, by Malaysian craftspeople, in recent decades. This year brought forth the first documented non-fused collar and cuffs. It also saw, for probably the first time, customers buying English shirting fabrics themselves and bringing them to the tailor instead of having to rely on heavily marked-up house fabrics of uncertain origin and dubious quality.

And in no other year has this forum, and especially this thread, seen such rigorous and thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on classic menswear (if you ignore the gay bits). I know for a fact that the exchanges here have influenced the bespeaking behaviour of more people than most of us can imagine. The majority of those who read these pages remain silent. But they act on the information. I know they use the information here because when I visit my tailor I see shirts being made using the same MOP buttons from the haberdasher I recommended. I know because many people now bring their own cloths to the tailor. Their own smoked MOP buttons from Hwa Seng. Even, in two cases, their own buttonhole twists.

This thread started life with people asking about individual tailors. "Has anyone used such-and-such?" Now, total newbies are asking, "I want my blazer to have natural shoulders. Who can make it?" This is a major leap in sophistication for any customer base.

There are, however, much unexplored territory still. The DB is still a rare animal. The single button SB is also rarely asked for. Almost nobody apart from the Tan Sri and I have patch pockets. People are still too clueless to ask for quarter lining. People haven't wisened up to the comforts of tropical weaves, of fresco, of mohair, and of especial loss to them, linen -- the oldest of fibers used by man.

But surely these will come in 2011.

Anyone of you here, have your suits with pick stitching?

From what I've digested, there are mixed views on it. What are the views of users from this thread I wonder?

You mean this? A million bucks?



Well pick stitching is a RM50 option at most tailors (unless it's Bespudded). But they always do it with a thread the same colour as the suit, which makes the RM50 you invested barely visible. Ask them to do it in a bright coloured thread, like orange or red or white to make it more obvious your suit is pick stitched. Also ask them them to make it very visible with sticthes 2-3mm long. I believe Mansoor at Granoff is the expert at such things as well as bright paisley linings, contrast buttonholes and other things that many bespeakers seem to hold dear.

You don't want your suit to look like mine which, though pick stitched, hardly looks as such. Why go to the trouble if it is not visible?



And BTW, you would never be allowed to dine with the Queen in something like that. Dinner jackets were invented for that purpose.

^Looks really bad

Maybe its the colour + the lighting?

Is the fabric very thin? It looks like a very thin fabric. One should generally avoid thin fabrics.

There are many issues. The colour (mid brown? seriously?), the thinness of the fabric, the silhouette (shoulders are convex, lapels are too thin, too little waisting, quarters are closed), the fit (back balance on both jacket and trousers, sleeve rotation), and the way the patch pocket seam coincides with the front dart (they shouldn't).

But the two major problems are the colour and the thinness of the fabric.

Well.... you dont wanna see my first suit made nearly 15 years ago

Anyway, mind sharing which tailor worked on your suit?

How many suits have you made with ah loke? We need to have more fit pics of suits from ah loke!
from the front pasquinel's jacket isn't that bad.

back has some issues. back sleeve bunching (sleeve pitch) and some pulls on the upper back (diagonal, from upper left to lower right) - probably due to his dropped right shoulder (?) and that larger bunching on right-midsection. shoulders are supposed to be straight (or concave...).

maybe kotmj or bloke1 can add, or you could post on SF to get feedback (hopefully from tailors preferably...)
@pasquinel - on your next commission, in addition to all the issues highlighted , tell him you want your dropped shoulder to be compensated not through padding, but through differently cut right and left panels (courtesy of SF):



show him the pic, and tell him its non-negotiable 

by the way, how much did you pay for the suit?

My latest commission, a 3 piece in midnight navy. Cloth acquired from Howard on eBay, tailor is the one who had the FC piece on display. His fittings are a notch above other tailors here (many who do not have the most basic sense of fit), perhaps on par with Ah Loke.

I may get an FC from him next if budget permits..

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deriku mind sharing the tailor you did that suit? i have scrolled through a couple of pages, couldn't find anything. lol

Sorry guys, this tailor is located in Beijing, so unless you're planning a trip here...
I think he does accept mail orders, so if you're really interested please drop me a pm.

A rough calculation shows that you would be able to cover your flight ticket from KL if you're making 4 suits or more

why never black? am curious when I was browsing through the pages