Getting Your First Bespoke Suit: How To Tell Your Tailor Your Exact Needs

Bespoke suits always stand out and can give any man confidence. Wearing a bespoke suit can make you feel like a king, but getting the perfect bespoke suit doesn’t come easy. If you want the perfect bespoke suit that fits your taste, you need to know about suits and the right language to communicate with your tailor.

What is a bespoke suit?

Generally, bespeak means to give an order, but in fashion, the term bespoke suit refers to a suit crafted by a tailor following someone’s vision. A bespoke suit is an original and one-of-a-kind piece made to the wearer’s taste.

For a suit to be bespoke, it means only one man owns it, and it is made just for him. The suit has to be hand-drawn and crafted using the wearer’s exact body specifications.

Types of suit tailoring

• Ready-to-wear suit

This is a mass-produced suit made in a factory. Ready-to-wear suits are available in departmental stores, and you can wear them immediately after purchase. With a ready-to-wear suit, you save the cost of minor tailoring adjustments.

• Made-to-measure suit

This is a standard suit pattern made to fit the wearer’s measurement. A made-to-measure suit comes with an existing design, but it is not factory-made.

• Bespoke suit

The suit is created without an existing design or pattern. It is a uniquely and perfectly made suit, so it can’t be ready within a short time. A bespoke suit requires working with the tailor to achieve your desired result, and this involves more than one visit to the tailor. Understanding tailoring terminology and suiting construction are necessary to convey your exact needs to the tailor.

What kind of suit do you need?

To know the kind of suit you need, you’ll have to ask yourself where you want to wear the suit. Do you want to wear the suit to a funeral, wedding, new job or make a court appearance? Ensure you inform the tailor of the purpose of the suit.

Suit vs tux

A tuxedo is usually for a more formal setting and is considered flashier than suits. The significant difference between a suit and a tux is the satin lapels used for tux and tux are paired with bowties.

Ordering a bespoke tuxedo is possible, but a tux costs more than a suit, plus a tux is suitable for fewer occasions. The cost of a bespoke suit runs into thousands of pounds, and a bespoke tux costs about 30 – 40% more.

You can wear a tux to galas, operas, weddings, award shows and other formal events, but you can’t wear it to business meetings or casual activities. However, suits are suitable for both formal events and informal settings.

Fabric

Different fabrics suitable for suits are available. Considering all these suit fabrics may be overwhelming, but there are some key fabrics, especially those making their first bespoke suit.

Your suit fabric should be suitable for at least three seasons. It needs to be lightweight enough to prevent overheating but tough enough to withstand the cold.

Below are features of fabrics suitable for bespoke suits.

Worsted wool

• Slight sheen
• Perfect for solid-coloured suits
• Highly adaptable to changes in temperature
• Most common wool for suits
• Extremely versatile

Super 120s wool

• Lightweight and luxurious
• Fine wool with a diameter of 17.75 microns
• Perfect for 3-season suits

 Mohair

• Naturally wrinkle-resistant
• Insulating
• Angora goat hair
• Texturised with silk lustre

Flannel

• Similar to herringbone and tweed
• It has a wide range of colours and weight
• Breathable, making it perfect for fall and spring
• Soft and brushed worsted wool

Two-piece or three-piece suit?

Two-piece suits are generally for less formal events, while three-piece suits are ideal for formal events such as dinner parties and weddings. A three-piece suit will likely keep you warmer, and you can wear it as a two-piece when you ditch the vest. However, a two-piece suit cannot serve as a three-piece suit, except you have a matching vest to wear with it.

If you are in a warmer region and don’t need something too formal, a two-piece suit may be the perfect option for you, and they are cheaper. However, a three-piece suit may be a better option because it is more versatile, and you can wear the suit with or without the vest.

Tailor terminology

Tailoring terminologies are vast, and making a suit from scratch involves several details. Here are some basic terms.

• Suit jacket lapel

This is the part of each side of the suit jacket below the collar, folded back on both sides of the suit.

• Lapel styles

There are three types of lapel styles. They include;

Notched lapels – This is the standard lapel

Peaked lapels – They have peaks pointing upward

Shawl lapels – A continuous piece without peaks or notches

• Pant cuff

The cuff on suit pants is optional. The cuff is the part of the suit fabric folded up and pressed. Cuffless pants are common, but you can opt for pants with a 1.5inch cuff.

• Suit jacket vent

These are slits at the jacket’s back that allow it a more tailored fit and easy movement. Vents at the centre are the traditional option, but vents at both ends are more modern and make the jacket more fitted.

• Pant break

The pant break is the term used to refer to how much of the pant legs touch your shoes.

Medium/half pant break – This is the industry standard that leaves only a little foldover. It is a safe option if you want to try out a pant break.

Full pant break – It offers at least a full break or folds over the shoes

Quarter pant break – This break grazes over the top of the shoes

No break – The break meets the top of the shoes

Padding or Spalla Camicia?

When designing your custom suit, you’ll have to consider padding on the shoulders of the suit jacket or no padding (Spalla Carmicia). Padded shoulders create a broad appearance, but the latter creates a sot and natural transition from the shoulders to the arm, which is more fashionable.

Taper

This means narrowing or gradually coming in, and for suits, it means making the trousers and jackets slightly fit your body build. Tapered suits are more fashionable and create a more signature appearance for bespoke suits.

Single or double-breasted suits

Single-breasted suit jackets have a column of 2 – 3 buttons at the centre, while double-breasted jackets have one outer column of buttons and an inner column of buttons for decoration.

Besom or flap pockets

Besom pockets are set into the jackets like a slit with a plain opening, while the flap pockets are set into the jackets but do not have a flap covering them.

Working or show buttons

Show buttons are for decoration. The cuff buttons have no function, but working buttons allow you to roll up your sleeves.

Side tabs on pants

You can opt for side tabs with a few buttons on the pants instead of belt loops. The side tabs allow you to adjust the waist of the trousers without using a belt.

Interior buttons

If you want to go old-school, using suspenders for your trousers, you can opt for interior buttons in your suit pants.

Inner pockets

Several inner pocket options are available:

Ticket pockets – These are for tickets, and they come in handy when you go for a show

Left and right inside pockets – These pockets are suitable for different things, from phones to money clips, but if you intend to use the pockets for bigger items, inform the tailor to customise the pocket size.

You can also add a secret inner pocket anywhere in your jacket for different items.

With these terminologies above, you can easily describe the specifics of the suit you need, from tapered to straight pants, flap or besom pockets, and several others.

Finding a good suit tailor

Ensure you start by looking for a tailor that specialises in making bespoke suits. If the tailor makes bespoke suits, it means the person is an expert at making suits perfect for a body type and not changing a pre-made design to suit your size, which is common for made-to-measure suits.

You may want to consider checking on search engines for reviews on your chosen tailor. You can try out the tailor’s skill by requesting that the tailor alter another of your clothing, like a blazer or pair of trousers. If the tailor carries out the alteration correctly, you can consider making your bespoke suit.

Other tips for making a bespoke suit

• Bring pictures to your appointment

Having a visual representation of the kind of suit you want can help communicate your idea to the tailor. If you have a picture close to what you want, you can also take it to your appointment and tell the tailor what you love about the suit.

• Be honest

Try being honest with the tailor. The tailor will not judge you, and he aims to make a suit that fits your need. Inform the tailor where you would wear the suit, how often you want to wear the suit, if you intend to wear the suit to your office, inform the tailor the kind of people you work with and even your office temperature and other vital information. Although it may seem insignificant, every detail you give will help the tailor know what you want.

If suits are not your thing, don’t hesitate to tell the tailor and free up your body during the measurement. Accuracy during the measurement is important.

• Maximise your fitting

When you go for your fitting, consider dressing up. You can wear the shoes you would love to wear than the suit and the dress shirt. Seeing how the trousers break works with your shoes and how your collar and sleeves fit under the jacket.

• Speak up

During the fittings, ensure you speak up. If something doesn’t feel right or doesn’t look the way you want it, tell the tailor to fix it. Don’t be indifferent about the way the suit should feel or look. Since you’re spending a lot of money, it should come out to your taste.

• Be patient

Making a bespoke suit, especially the first one, takes a decent amount of time and requires several fitting, at least two. You can’t rush the process, but you will likely not spend as much time on the next suit because the tailor already has your details and measurements.

With the information above, you should be ready to get your bespoke tailored suits. You can call 020 7183 2372 to schedule an appointment at Bespoke Suits, Leading suits makers in London for your first bespoke suit.