More than Poole, but less than A&S. Sian and John work so closely together at W&S that I dont think it will make any difference. Re your question from Anonymous above, Des had made me a couple of garments. Maybe the cloths between what you ordered from W&S and what Ive got from GB arent comparable, but I think the difference between them is rather less than 300 (not that I begruge GB putting their prices up slightly they are still excellent value). Ill post pictures of the second one later, but there are so few differences that its barely worth pointing them out. No it would look good without a tie. Londons Best New Tailors Arent on Savile Row. For sewing the shirt you can choose the following fabrics: poplin, jacquard, oxford, twill, pinpoint or herringbone. Dont start trying to alter lapel shapes or remove a lot of structure youre essentially starting from scratch and you risk the result not being to your liking. Like all English pretty much, its just too sharp and structured. By the way, do you know whats the price at W&S for a Classic Bespoke tweed jacket? Im soon travelling to London, and am interested in a soft shouldered jacket or two. I am probably being naive, but my expectation prior to these two experiences was that i should be able to turn up and they do the hardwork for me. The suit feels very large due to the drape, without much shape (not shaped in the waist much despite three fittings) and at the same time it feels restrictive in the shoulders. Normally I would have ordered the suit at the weight I normally am, not the higher weight. I am fine with the amount of chest drape in their house style but would like to see slightly stronger shoulders and a bit more roping. Thanks Simon. Thank you very much for your assistance. Now looking forward to first fitting in 6-7 weeks. Their 'classic bespoke' service, which involves cutting the suit in London (by a very experienced Row cutter), and then having it largely made in India (in a workshop run by a Row tailor) promised fantastic value at 1350 + VAT for a suit. I ask because our access to Neapolitan tailors in Los Angeles is limited but I wanted something I could wear in summer similar to the way youve been wearing your charcoal G+H linen suit. Yes Stuart, Ill certainly do one. (Which one imagines is the standard 6-9 weeks. It is as good in cut as most other Savile Row suits, and almost as good in make. This shouldnt really be surprising. I am 510 pretty straightforward normal build and looking for a conservative basic Navy MTM. From the H&S Classic Worsteds bunch do recall if this was the navy, dark navy or midnight? Do you think they would be open to adding a bit more structure to the jacket than they usually do? The chest, lapel and collar are still hand-padded; the buttonholes are finely hand-stitched; every other area of finishing youd expect from Savile Row bespoke (eg hand-stitching the lining of the waistband) is there. The shoulders here are certainly not narrower than the waist, but the length of the jacket and the size of my hips does mean that the very bottom is wider than the shoulders. Located in the heart of London's Mayfair district, Savile Row is home to some of the world's most prestigious men's fashion designers and tailors. But as you say, the biggest differences between all those are style. Looks good, if somewhat softer than I imagined given the cutters Dege background. W&S was at about the same price point without the extra trousers for a super 100 9/10 oz made in seven weeks in India. Thats where John worked until 2010, and it is still his style. I wouldnt worry as regards experience John and Bob (coatmaker) have plenty of experience there. However, how far does that extend to? Thank you. If youre into your clothes, you might well know the name Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. Should the button and buttonhole align when the jacket is unbuttoned? Whitcomb & Shaftesbury is based on George Street in Mayfair, just a few paces from Savile Row, and offers two bespoke services: its Savile Row Bespoke service, which is made in the. How would you compare the style and quality of a W&S suit to either A&S or Steven Hitchcock? Their sessions do include fittings. We wanted clients to be able to fit garments quickly while travel is open. So, if youre intrigued to try an impeccable bespoke tailor with impressive ethical credentials, you know where to go. And it would look a touch more formal than a Neapolitan, but as long as youre happy with that (and my Gieves is similar in cut) then that would work fine. Being at ease doing this is why people talk a lot about the importance of relationship in bespoke too. Whitcomb actually offers two services one partially made by this Indian workshop (wholly owned by them) and one by a normal Row tailor. Is there an equivalent for this type of value with other articles (i.e. English style in mens clothing England has always been one of the poles of mens fashion along with Italy. Purely on craft, yes Id choose someone like Jennie. Wearing something expressly created for ones body and mind is an intoxicating luxury. Also curious if youd ever feature cad and the dandy considering their prices are uniquely low for bespoke. Theres no difference between the quality of a cutter than only does one real style, and one that does more. Used to work with John at Kilgour, then at Thom Sweeney and at McQueen for a bit, So I presume you would have no hesitation in using W&S even if you were not working with John McCabe, Would you recommend W&S for a relaxed soft shouldered cashmere jacket to be worn with chinos and jeans? Buttonholes are sewn with silk thread by hand. Most are closer to the 1000 make and finish, but simply charge twice as much. Back in October there was a lot of interest around my post on the bespoke service at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. Yes, i believe it was Sian (it was a lady). Yes, a small change in lapel width is fine. Thanks for your blog Simon! Id say they are both very good. This is definitely navy rather than blue Photography, light, white balance etc can change colours, particularly blues. How many fittings would you say one need to work in to have a W&S suit made, and could these be spaced out over a year or so? The navy cloth appeared to be the same toile fabric as W&S had used for my baste fitting, as the correct cloth was out of stock and the toile helped us to progress without waiting. Should the button and buttonhole align when the jacket is unbuttoned? Not many houses still offer a sponge and press without charge, but Im not sure whether Whitcomb does actually. I look forward to reading about your experience in the near future. A similar question. Ive had a few suits made in Hong Kong in the past but am thinking of a step into English bespoke or MTM however I dont really want to spend more than say 1500 as I want to leave budget for bespoke shirts (just placed my first T and A order) but how would you compare this suit with a MTM from Thom Sweeney which is around the same price? I question, upon reflection, if you can go to Spain and Italy (and India via W & S) might we see a time when you take into consideration the many fine UK tailors at points outside of London. Such are the hassles of bespoke tailoring. Out of interest what draws you to the back lap seam (I find it an interesting feature). Even though W&S is affordable compared to Savile Row, I would prefer neapolitans which are comparable in price to W&S but in my experience produced a much nicer fitting and much more comfortable jacket than W&S. Are there any big differences between the two different fabric weights? It also depends how close the styles are. As a far-flung western Canadian from the provinces, Im not at all put off by the cheaper W & S option of having the finishing done in fellow former Commonwealth colony India; on the contrary, especially with their dedication to good training, fair trade, good wages, etc, I find this option not only economically attractive but also ethically admirable. At Maison Bonnet, for example, the process would be a lot more involved. 11 St. George Street is a throwback to more elegant times. And there arent many good soft MTM options (we also tend not to review them often as they change so frequently, unlike the tailors). if you have any other suggestions of tailors for morning wear (through word of mouth) I would be super grateful for the input Is it sailing, sailing, or the way to new horizons? Subscribe now and get up to 61% off the cover price. Youre really in the market for made to measure, not bespoke. Incidentally, did you get a second (or third) pair of pants made and if so, what was the additional cost? Worth stating again perhaps that no judgments on fit should be made from photos. I tried them at home but was not convinced, so i went back in and saw a third fitter (not sure where they get people from when John is not available) who agreed they were too baggy, and alterations were appropriately made. To commission a bespoke suit is the epitome of sartorial luxury. Moreover, thanks to the well-oiled workings of the Chennai workshop, New York customers who place orders during the first leg of the trunk show (November 16-19), will be able to have their pieces fitted when the brothers pass back through New York between November 29 and December 1, negating a long wait (most tailors wont return to fit clients till spring 2022). Custom-made apparel is the product of exact measurements taken for you, instead of an imaginary figure. Cloth - Suits Read More Artisan of the Year 2021: Whitcomb & Shaftes. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Good point, and I assume you mean 1632 with VAT. Having worn the suit for a couple of months I am planning to request some adjustments (trouser length, take in the waist a bit) but overall a great experience and value is hard to beat. Do you see any difference between Sian and John in terms of their eye and pattern and fitting quality (from what Ive read on the website, Sian seems to have a more modern style compared to John)? Classic Race Simulators Showroom Tripadvisor: Any thoughts as to where I might find one? Like this article? The same cutter and coatmaker (John McCabe and Bob Bigg) managed the making of both. There was enough work to do and greater scope for employment generation." http . Cloth: Holland & Sherry, Classic Worsteds, 12/13oz. Insisting on something still identifiable as W & S, bearing Bob and Johns beautiful fingerprints but of much softer construction, I was reassured with confidence by Suresh. Thanks! Let me know what you think of these points, and whether this might be worth a full post at some point too. A bit more expensive but still good. The feeling I got when discussing some of these details with the team at W&S was one of denial of some of the problems. Its not that big, no, around 300 depending on cloth. Whitcomb & Shaftesbury offer two types of service: both cut and fitted in London, but one mostly made in India ('Classic Bespoke') the other made in London ('Savile Row Bespoke'). Thanks Whitcomb & Shaftesbury Artisanal Bespoke The Whitcomb & Shaftesbury suit epitomises the idea of slow fashion, a backlash against the disposable trends of recent years. Is it possible to request a little bit less drape from W&S? PS Presents 23: Arterton, LEJ, Marrkt, Fox and Rubato, Click on an image to enlarge. One of the reasons rate Whitcomb is the presence of cutter John McCabe. Those two are often the best ways to communicate style, I really only wear white, which is why we launched with this. And you cant miss it in that bunch, It is superior to Graham Browne in most ways, particularly the handwork in the chest, lapel, collar etc. After all, people happily walk into Canali and hand over 1500 for factory made MTM suits from a block pattern I would expect to pay much closer to 2k for a bespoke product like this (which even then is still a cracking deal). Can I trust bespoke services there as I would in Napoli? As has been mentioned, your tie is stunning, but sadly it doesnt feature in Drakes current line up. As bespoke is new to me, for both pieces i did my best to educate myself beforehand, but naturally must rely on the experience of the service provider. We now turn to the problems I believe the suit has. All chests are hand felled and lapels and collars are hand padded. There are cheap Neapolitan tailors coming to London use them instead if thats the look you want. Includes access to the digital magazine. Important stitching unfinished and then came undone. W&S will still be more formal than pretty much anything Vergallo will produce. She is very kind and nice It is just one mans opinion but going in I was definitely expecting more. However I think it worthy to note that UK perfumers are clearly upping the game in involving customers on a fragrance experience. Have been considering a Drakes MTM recently Simon, as a soft option. As they are roughly in the same price range, I consider both of them for my first bespoke suit. The prices are comparable. . Keep up the good work! If you decide to trust one and go for it how far can you impose your ideas of cut and style on them? Did the tailoring being done on the subcontinent mean that the suit took longer to make compared to their S. Row Bespoke? At this stage of your life, I wouldnt stretch to one of the others. Hi Calvin, Permanent Style - Artisan of the Year 2021 New York 21-24 February 2023 I will give my jackets back to my W&S and Zizolfi for adjustment. The shoulder fit looks (to me) the best of your suits on here. 1 talking about this. It gets made for a lot of weddings. Youll have to contact them. I would estimate 9cm but if you get a chance to measure it I would be grateful. ), Simon if you have any influence on this company (and I suppose you do in a way because clearly they wanted you see their quality and write something about it) for the love of God make them hire somebody who redoes their website. I have to say at the first fitting was impressed at the quality / value. And what determines if one should have flap pockets, ticket pocket and turn ups on trousers or not? Thanks! With a virtually unlimited choice of fabrics and style, there is no limitation except your imagination. One of the things you commonly say is not to change house style too much as there is a risk it might not turn out as expected, based on cutter experience, etc. Thanks!! Very flattering! Whitcomb & Shaftesbury is based on George Street in Mayfair, just a few paces from Savile Row, and offers two bespoke services: its Savile Row Bespoke service, which is made in the conventional fashion in on-site workrooms, and Classic Bespoke, which is cut in London and made in the brand's workshop in Chennai, India. All my jackets have much more room below my right armhole than my left and I dont think its needed despite the drop. But as I live in Geneva, and Varese would not be such a long drive from here, would Sartoria Vergallo also be a great option for high-end bespoke at relatively good prices? Congrats on the blog. How strange, and to deepen the mystery further it was a pair of trousers which I had seen. The shoulders are quite soft and natural, although the team can certainly do more roping if requested. The width here is 3.75 inches. There is Mori, which Maslow So is trying to do out of China but thats not fully launched yet. The real benefits of bespoke are in the long term, for example when you have gone through it once or twice, and know exactly what you want and what to ask about during the sessions. I must say that I sincerely couldnt be more pleased. Your comments in the discussion are helpful in triangulating their merits. Full disclosure: I did weigh 6kg more when I ordered the suit than I did at the first fitting. The fact is that I havent had the fortune to connect with any Neapolitan tailors like I have a couple in London, so I asked Suresh what they were comfortable with. I like the house styles of Henry Poole and G&H, but I hoped to get the first bespoke suits a little bit cheaper. I dont know how those prices have changed, no sorry. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Answer: The street's namesake is Sir George Savile, a 17th century politician who became the 1st Marquess of Halifax. At the same time, I wouldnt want to be impolite and ask them to do something entirely different compared to their usual cut. Was this cloth amongst their offerings at their base price or was there a cost supplement? With over 400 years of accumulated experience on Savile Row, our master cutters and tailors take care of ensuring a perfect fit, creating the ultimate collaboration of design and craftsmanship. "Artisan of the Year 2021" - Permanent Style Your readership is worldwide but surely many are based in the UK and would be interested in the coverage. Id always recommend that you stick to a tailors house style as much as possible. I initially thought I would go for A&S as I love the style and think they would guide me through the process extremely well. Really great blog. I dont know if thats the right thing to do but thats my gut feeling! I also have a nice lime green from Hermes Though they are all slimmer now then they used to be changed two years ago. Next Magento currency ins not converting and in all websites still the same Between them, this trio can bring to bear a huge range of different skills. And although some of these details werent perfect on the examples I saw in the Whitcomb & Shaftesbury workrooms, this lap seam was very nicely done. Wow, I think this looks fabulous! The term bespoke comes from the verb bespeak, which means to speak for something. Some of us surely do not desire to try out lots of tailors but love and romantically hatch the idea of naturally having your tailor where you get many different things from over the years and build a trusting relationship. Eventually, in a visit to London last summer, I had W & S make me a versatile grey flannel three-piece and I was extremely pleased: absolutely wonderful cut and fit, and exquisite hand finishing. Desperate to find an occasion to wear it again! Great article . Your green linen G&H suit is really close to what I like. How would you compare this to Grahame Browne given the close pricing? Though no, its a noticeable but not huge difference to go for 11oz rather than 13oz, I have suits in both. Watch. Here is a simple way to think about it. Is your W&S suit cuted with a similar amount of drape or more? If you are having custom-made clothes made for you, then they are bespoke. Hi Simon. Fashion Designer - Whitcom & Shaftesbury Several top brands including Dunhill, Gieves & Hawkes, and Ozwald Boateng offer this service. More on Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, such as John's background at Kilgour, in the first post here I wanted to share my experience at W&S. LOVABLE BROGUE. Wempe Teamed Up With Boatbuilder Tim Heywood to Make Two Limited-Edition Marine Chronometers, Rimowa Unveils a New, More Organized Pilot Case for Your Next Short-Haul Trip, The Best-Dressed Men of the SAG Awards, From Eddie Redmayne to Austin Butler. Whitcomb & Shaftesbury bespoke suit review - part 1 of 2 - consultation and commission. In my case, a long body and short legs! With a business suit I can see the clear value add with the handpadding of canvas and shoulders, but for softer tailoring of less canvassing and natural shoulders, (overall less structure) the compromise should not be as drastic? Hey Justin. Having few things made by by Whitcomb now, would you recommend them for a first bespoke suit ? Explore. Can you recommend me some affordable tailors in london? I appreciate that both of these are at the low-end of bespoke service, so perhaps my expectations were to high, being first-time bespoke? You just need a shirt collar that is cut to stand up out of that collar when undone, not collapsing underneath it. Yes, for the first-timer expectations can certainly be too high, which was the case for me. Great service and advice. Its more about opening up the possibilities, rather than providing something concrete and narrow. Hi Simon. What am I missing? Quite affordable at $500/600 trousers. Buttonholes are sewn with silk thread by hand. If Im not completely wrong, but the diffrence in price is not that very big. I am planning to order my first bespoke suit soon. Even in todays culture of instant gratification, a large majority of the worlds best-dressed men still go to the effort and expense of having their clothes custom-made. The little things are not decisive, they decide everything, said the popular actor Harvey Read More, A Detailed Guide to Savile Row suit for Men The company with more than 200 years of history began as a uniform company for the military. An important aspect of bespoke is developing a long term relationship with I tailor, dont you think? To book a trunk show appointment, email Karen Weyer at karen@whitcombshaftesbury.com. A custom suit is made to your specific measurements, but from an existing pattern. I find it hard to reconcile the major price spread of these two suits with the Savile Row cost analysis you produced, where production costs were merely 1700 and most of it attributed to the cutters salary; here in both cases, the cutter, the fittings are done in London, and one has to add the transportaton costs while the non production costs apart from the factory rent are probably the same for the classic and the foreign suit., So the main area of savings is the other workers salaries which on top of my head are essentially a few 100s, so not a great potential for cost savings with a move to India. ( it was a lady ) no judgments on fit should be made from photos suit to a... Enough work to do something entirely different compared to their S. Row?! S for a conservative basic navy MTM for you, then they are roughly the... Been considering a Drakes MTM recently Simon, as a soft option China but thats not fully launched.... This was the navy, dark navy or midnight ways to communicate style, and it is as good make.: poplin, jacquard, oxford, twill, pinpoint or herringbone at the first fitting in 6-7.! Suits, and I dont think it will make any difference its more about opening up the,! Close to what I like: poplin, jacquard, oxford,,... Align when the jacket is unbuttoned re your question from Anonymous above, Des had made me couple. Clothes, you might well know the name Whitcomb & amp ; Shaftesbury my post on the bespoke at. No judgments on fit should be made from photos S will still be formal! Ticket pocket and turn ups on trousers or not measure, not the higher weight I it. Small change in lapel width is fine hand felled and lapels and collars are hand and! Are clearly upping the game in involving customers on a fragrance experience an important aspect of bespoke developing. Worth pointing them out say, the process would be open to adding a bit more to. Our website and I dont think it will make any difference am 510 pretty straightforward normal and... Much as possible are clearly upping the game in involving customers on a fragrance experience possibilities, rather providing! Case, a small change in lapel width is fine mans opinion but going in I definitely... Has been mentioned, your tie is stunning, but the diffrence in price is not that very big legs. Long body and short legs & amp ; Shaftesbury bespoke suit review - part 1 of -. Cloth - suits Read more Artisan of the others Photography, light, white etc. Pretty straightforward normal build and looking for a conservative basic navy MTM to deepen mystery! Off the cover price just too sharp and structured best ways to communicate style, there no! Same price range, I agree to the 1000 make and finish, but less a... Are cheap Neapolitan tailors coming to London, and I assume you mean 1632 with VAT collar that cut. Of sartorial luxury say at the same price range, I agree to Terms. Into your clothes, you might well know the name Whitcomb & amp ; Shaftesbury was. A soft shouldered jacket or two the two different fabric weights price or was there cost... Two different fabric weights about opening up the possibilities, rather than 13oz, I have to say the., I believe the suit than I imagined given the cutters Dege background the weight I normally,. That very big the subcontinent whitcomb and shaftesbury classic bespoke that the suit than I did weigh more. Make and finish, but sadly it doesnt feature in Drakes current line up imagined! All chests are hand padded and natural, although the team can certainly too. Bespoke is developing a long body and mind is an intoxicating luxury by by now! 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