I'll be sure to dry-clean it.

MBT mentioned that the cost of workmanship differs considerably from different materials. I still don't get it.

Neither do I. They charge the most for wool.

How much does he want from you? How were the suits waiting collection there constructed?

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Added on January 11, 2010, 10:16 pmAnd what's with your new avatar?

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jan 11 2010, 10:16 PM

For polyester, it would be around RM300 above. Anything wool, RM600 above. That is double the price. He mentioned different materials were used in the collar/lapels and so on.

I can't see. They're mostly hidden inside a closet.

What is wrong with my avatar?

This post has been edited by bloke1: Jan 11 2010, 10:24 PM

Definitely inspect multiple specimens for 60 minutes before committing. RM 600 is too much to experiment with.

Eh? I had a light slate suit made from him before. He charges RM500+ two years ago.

OIC. The one with peak lapels. Looks good that suit. Cut pretty roomy in the chest.

I want a roomier chest next time.

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jan 11 2010, 10:32 PM

Here are the deets for my next one.

-Fkin high gorge(I don't care if it sits higher than my neck)
-Fkin light shoulder padding(5mm is the most I can tolerate)
-Notch lapels
-Hacking pockets
-Double vented

Sad to say, MBT doesn't believe in roped shoulders. Just the materials playing optical tricks he said.

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jan 11 2010, 10:46 PM

MBT is a master in double vents. Now that you've mentioned it, my previous suit was cut with an overlap of 2inch.

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Added on January 11, 2010, 11:15 pmI'm thinking of a batik lining. Hmm

This post has been edited by bloke1: Jan 11 2010, 11:33 PM

I find Malaysian batik gaudy and ugly. Indonesian ones are better.

I'll stick with silk haboutai, the world's coolest lining.

What color are you going for your navy fresco suit?

Navy mohair fresco suit.

Navy or some other dark colour (brown, purple, etc.) because the porous weave needs something dark behind it to increase visual density.

I'm quite the contrary.

I'll be checking out MysteryArrogantBespokeTailor(MABT) next week since MBT turned me down yesterday. MABT happens to be the same firm that made my grandfather's suit with great buttonholes umpteen years ago. The shop has the loveliest facade in town : wood trimmings, glass windows, handsome mannequins on display, air-conditioned. The store is operated by few siblings if not mistaken. In fact I was there a year ago and was greeted with bad customer service from one of them. I will try out his brothers this time.

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Added on January 12, 2010, 2:33 pmI've just purchased a bunch of el cheapo grey buttons for less than RM4. It has a very nice shine to it. Nothing flashy. Yes I'm that cheap.



This post has been edited by bloke1: Jan 12 2010, 02:47 PM

So what sort of a colour do you want for the lining?

Pink. Preferably with glitter.

Yeah, right.

I'm not kidding. Unless I can get something like this.

Why would you want that for? A navy suit is a formal suit. I'd leave fancy linings for casual suits / sport coats.

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Added on January 12, 2010, 8:16 pmYou know, I'm tired of waiting for them to publish my translation, so here it is. The original is here: http://www.stilmagazin.com/der-dunkelblaue-anzug/

The Navy Suit

Dario Spadea Pandilfi, a senior executive with the well-known Italian menswear label Cesare Attolini, swears by the following rule: If you are unsure which color of suit to match the day, the occasion or the mood, choose navy. And he is right.

All too often I hear the advice being dispensed for a mid or dark gray as a first suit. This may not be totally unserviceable, nor is it completely contrary to our purpose of building a wardrobe appropriate for as many situations as possible, yet it’s an underwhelming investment. Why so? Simple: Gray may combine well with office attire, but in life outside of business the color is less fitting than navy. The extent to which the Italians love the color is apparent, among others, in the following article by Bernhard Roetzel, “The Blue Wonder”.

But for brevity’s sake I shall limit myself to the suit today. First, the configuration: If you do not own a double breasted suit, be it because you find it too old-fashioned, or because you care for a flattering silhouette, it is time to reconsider your misgiving. Not only does the double-breasted suit look good on almost every stature, it is by far more suited to our purposes than its single-breasted equivalent. When it comes to the number of buttons, their stance and buttoning points, you are well advised to rely on your tailor; he will in the case of doubt find the right form for you. Should you have to decide for an off-the-rack product, your options are naturally quite different. The buttoning stance should only come into consideration after the most important parts – shoulders, seat, chest, armsyce and so forth – either fit well in the first instance or can be made to do so by a competent alterations tailor. Once this big hurdle is overcome, it is up to you if you prefer the two, four, or six-buttoned variant.

Let’s be specific: Just how versatile is the navy double-breasted? To start with, as a business suit it is serviceable in almost every situation and acceptable in combination with every imaginable color of shirt – as always I suggest light blue – and tie. But its usefulness does not end there. Are you invited to a wedding, but find yourself resisting having a cutaway coat with cream-colored vest and patterned trousers – known to cognoscentis as full morning dress -- commissioned especially for the event? Simply wear a pair of striped gray trousers you already own with the jacket of your new suit, and garnish it with more formal accessories like a pocket square in cream or the universally usable white linen and a carnation in the lapel hole. The result will be inoffensive, some will recognize in it a variant of the semi-formal morning dress which, for wedding guests – the groom and best man are naturally excluded – is more appropriate anyway.

You would like to don your new jacket in less formal occasions? Wear it as a marine blazer – for this you may want to swap the horn buttons for metal ones – with trousers of flannel, corduroy, cotton twill, moleskin or even denim. Combined with a sportier shirt of oxford cotton, linen or a mix of wool and cotton and informal shoes without lacing, your orphaned suit jacket will hardly be recognized as such. A single-breasted with patch pockets would lend itself better to such a situation, which is why I tried to exclude this configuration from the beginning: patch pockets are strictly informal.

Finally, I’d like to show you how with your new suit you can master the highest discipline of formal dressing: black tie. Strictly speaking, an occasion that specifies such in the invitation requires what the English call the dinner jacket and what the Americans know as the tuxedo. But if your schedule is not punctuated with such occasions all too often, the acquisition of such a suit specifically for the few evening hours – evening because the smoking dress, according to an English idiom, is not to see the light of day – is not justifiable. But if you were to dress up your navy suit with a white shirt with a midnight blue tie, a white pocket square and black, ideally water polished Oxford captoes, hardly anyone will find fault with your appearance.

You now see that a navy suit can be far more versatile than generally thought. Have fun experimenting with your new acquisition. I look forward to a lively discussion in the comments and forum.


This post has been edited by kotmj: Jan 12 2010, 08:16 PM

No. I also plan to use it as a sportcoat.

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Added on January 12, 2010, 8:46 pmI think I'll just stick to a pink lining. Nothing extra.

This post has been edited by bloke1: Jan 12 2010, 08:46 PM

Might as well get multicoloured striped lining for the sleeves while you're at it.

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Added on January 12, 2010, 10:41 pmI'm going for a DB. But I'm not in a hurry.

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Added on January 12, 2010, 10:43 pmI still think pink is a very bad idea. Have you seen one before?

This post has been edited by kotmj: Jan 12 2010, 10:43 PM