CHOOSING THE RIGHT CLOT

Bespoke Tailoring’s 3c’s – cloth, cut and construction – gives cloth an equal share in the outcome…

Buy less. Choose well. Make it last” - Vivienne Westwood

This is the part I absolutely love; helping clients choose the perfect cloth.

It’s fun to see their eyes light up when introduced to our beautiful range from top mills in England and Italy. These mills produce limited amounts of the most exquisite designs.

Bespoke tailoring’s 3c’s – cloth, cut and construction – gives cloth an equal share in the outcome. In other words, the context plays a big part in deciding the cloth. For example, a Bond-inspired dinner suit worn occasionally would work best with fine luxurious cloth, whereas a tactical business suit open to a bit of ‘tough love’ would require something hard wearing. Choosing the wrong cloth can be an expensive mistake. If you go with a fine delicate cloth that’s designed for occasional wear and try to ‘thrash’ it, you’ll be sorry. It would be like taking a Ferrari off-road. It won’t be long before it’shitched to the back of a tow truck.

This is the crazy thing – if you walk into a store to purchase a suit, you will be given a choice of colours and sizes but no real conversation about the cloth and its qualities. There’s a lot to be said about weave, composition etc but that’s for another day.

When it comes to cloth, there are a couple of simple rules I have developed.

If you are just starting your suit collection and there is no depth to your wardrobe, then choose a black suit – or go with a very dark gray or charcoal. You can wear a dark suit every day and nobody will really notice.

If you are a bigger guy (a man of substance), then it would be best to choose a slightly heavier cloth as your suit would do best with that extra bit of structure and shape. There is also more stress on the cloth and seams so more chance of a blowout!

To find out more, contact us and we can have a chat.

— Payne Tailors