It is visiting tailor season again, or rather, it will be in ten days. And that means I go on alert whenever the door bell rings, anticipating the delivery of a suit just in time for Mr. Mahon to look at it while he's in town (eleven months is a bit of a wait for any clothing, in my opinion, but such is life).
As each new garment is delivered it is time to commission another, to be fitted either three or six months from now (the wait is less in the case of Mr. Harvey as I see him in London when I visit). This cycle will be clothes for autumn and I am planning two heavier 15 ounce suits for cold weather. That weight is about as heavy as a man can wear comfortably in heated rooms but the warmth is welcome during a twenty block walk in a Manhattan winter.
One of these is likely to be a gray double breasted from a cloth out of Smith Woolens' Whole Fleece book. The other will have a single breasted jacket with a double breasted waistcoat. It will be a rus in urbe (country in the city) suit made from the pictured London Lounge Limited Edition tweed that has been sitting in my office for some time.
Lead time of course is the bane of this travelling tailor business and that applies to Hong Kong's W. W. Chan as well as the English. When a man can regularly visit his tailor in Naples, London, New York or other cities he may be suited in as little as two months.
That said, with visiting season about to begin the waits are forgotten. Hope does indeed spring eternal.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Visiting Season Begins Once Again
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7 comments:
The glen check is perhaps my favorite fabric pattern, and that is one of the most handsome examples I’ve ever seen. Love the richness of this particular brown. What’s the color of the overplaid? On my monitor it comes across as cranberry, though I suspect it may actually be russet. This should make a spectacular suit in the mode you described. I will be grateful if you can show it to us when it’s finished.
The overcheck is indeed cranberry.
Will,
At what point in wardrobe collection would you recommend going with this type of fabric? I'm assuming it wouldn't be the first suit you would recommend one to buy.
My LL cloth was made into my favorite jacket. I wear it almost constantly. It is the one article of clothing I own which keeps my weight in check. I would hate for it not to fit.
Turling, it could be a man's first if he didn't wear suits for work and wanted something to wear on his free days. The rest of us should have at least five suits for the season before considering a cloth like this one.
Will, your LL suit sounds fantastic, coincidentally I have myself just purchased a bolt of lovely glen-plaid to make into a three piece with a double breasted vest! I'm making it myself though?! It'll be the first suit I make and a major part of my training to become a tailor, wish me luck!
I have a couple of photo's on my blog of the London Lounge Best of Both made up.
It's actually a lot richer in colour than appears in the photo's but if you click on the image it will enlarge & show more detail.
Edwin DeBoise
www.steeds-view.blogspot.com
www.steed.co.uk
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