How do you judge a tailor's work?

[josepidal]

There are a lot of discussions about Savile Row and bespoke, but how exactly do you judge the quality of a tailor's work?

Let's start with simple DRESS SHIRTS and leave SUITS out of it first.

I'm also interested because I live in Southeast Asia. I figure there must be good local tailors who don't charge first world London rates, and are more realistic for third world standards of living!

[Serge d Nimes]

probably the fabrics and stitches per inch are the most important after fit. I give a bonus for personal touch.

Carpe Denim!

[sweet orr]

Quote:

There are a lot of discussions about Savile Row and bespoke, but how exactly do you judge the quality of a tailor's work?

Let's start with simple DRESS SHIRTS and leave SUITS out of it first.

I'm also interested because I live in Southeast Asia. I figure there must be good local tailors who don't charge first world London rates, and are more realistic for third world standards of living!

--- Original message by josepidal on Jul 28, 2005 09:14 PM

on suits

besides the obvious body fabric quality/ place of origin,

try on some of his jackets. check the "reach" to see if you can move your arms properly as well as the general sleave shape. sleaves should have some contour, not hang straight down. look at the lapel shapes he has. a bad lapel will ruin the whole suit. bad lapels have the notch pointing down or are too wide, this is very guido-ish. make sure the lapel notches are pointing up and proportioned well.

the first thing to look for in a quality make is the interfacing and shoulder pad materials being used on the inside of the suit jacket. a good suit will have the interior facings and shoulder pads hand /custom made to suit the actual body fabric out of fine materials. this affects how the suit drapes and fits on the shoulder slope. cheap suits have pre-fab interfacing and feel, well, cheap. bad shoulder padding makes your shoulders look big and un natural. a well made suit should have a natural shoulder slope .also check to make sure he is using quality linings for the jacket. stay away from cheap acitate.

on suit jackets, you want to have working buttonholes on the sleeves. this shows fine tailoring, and is a nice visible detail to show off. make sure he uses high quality buttons, like horn. stay away from plastic buttons.

on pants make sure he half lines the inside and uses a metal zipper. vislon zippers are really cheasy.

my expierience with hong kong tailors has been pretty good. i would bring a jacket or suit that you like and have it knocked off, thats the easiest way to articulate what you want, especially if there is a language barier. or better, buy and expensive suit there, have it copied, and return it when you're done a few days later.

on shirts-

i would look at the stitch quality. good shirts have a lot of stitches per inch, above 15 to 16 depending on the fabric. look at the interfacing and collar stand material. this is important.

hope this helps,

sweet-orr