Tailors - Why Every Tall Girl needs one (Part 1)

It seems despite the credit crunch, there’s one group of businesses that are seeing a boom in business – tailors.  Many of us are adopting a ‘Make do & Mend’ attitude rather than splurging on new purchases and with a good tailor isn’t just a case of investing in a bespoke creation or getting some repairing and hemming done – they can take an old dress or jacket and create an entirely new product with new additions or re-shaping.

Apsley Tailors in Pall Mall has also noticed a marked increase in demand for what they call ‘homage tailoring’ – having a favourite garment remade in alternative fabrics or sizes rather than investing in new designer pieces.  Having said that, it’s not cheap – jackets and skirts start from £400 and wool coats from £680.

For any woman or girl who is extraordinary in her proportions, whichever dimension, a good tailor is something you should have access to throughout your life.  For tall women, a tailor can be a lifeline.

I may have had a predisposition to liking tailors since my favourite shirt, and the one that I have worn until it now hangs off me in threads, is actually one of my grandfather’s bespoke  shirts from Turnbull and Asser which was made for him as a young teenager.

When I was around 15, my mother agreed that I should have a long dress made for me as we couldn’t find anything to fit on the high street.  I had a dress made by a  local dressmaker  and all I remember saying was that I didn’t want an empire line dress. What did they make me? Yes, an empire line creation worthy of a BBC period drama.  This experience put me off the whole dressmaking/tailoring business for a long time!

It wasn’t until 5 years ago when I started travelling to Hong Kong regularly that I even thought of using a tailor. The UK tailors were always way out of my price range so it had been ten years since my last foray into bespoke.

The first time I was in HK I stumbled upon Raja Fashions in a side street off Nathan Road. This is quite a well known tailor as they have a slick PR machine and travel to large cities around the world, including London, taking orders.  I ordered two pairs of trousers, three shirts and a coat (think long, sophisticated trench coat in a very Chanel-esque, cashmere dogtooth check.  I wore the shirts to death (they were copied from the original Turnbull & Asser I loved so much)  and the coat is briliant for dressing up some dark trousers for evening. The trousers were another matter and I have only really worn them a handful of times. I’m not sure whether it was the cut or my shape but they  just don’t sit right around the waist. However, it was my first time.  The prices (including fabric) were around £35 for the shirts and £250 for the coat.

I went back to Raja a few more times and get even more shirts. I also used their London service which, despite costing me almost double per shirt what it had in HK, still produced great results.  I’ve also introduced several friends and housemates to the London service and they were very happy with the suits they’ve ordered.

Two years ago I decided to change tailors and went to Sam’s. This has to be the most famous tailor in HK ( it’s where all the politicans and celebrities go) although you wouldn’t know it from the shop – a tiny room in the scruffy Burlington Arcade on Nathan Road (just round the corner from Raja’s). After my first visit (more shirts and another jacket/coat!) I was absolutely converted to a Sam’s devotee. They were cheaper than Raja and I found the service better – more friendly and less pushy sales tactics. However, on subsequent visits the service wasn’t nearly so good and after I had a problem with some items, it took forever to get email or telephone responses from them (I’m still waiting from them to return a load of fabric!).  As to whether I would use them again? If my current problem is resolved shortly then I would use them again.

Last year I invested in my first piece of British bespoke couture.  Claire Mischevani is a Welsh designer working from Shropshire who my mother introduced me to. I went to Claire with some ideas but unsure of what would suit me and she was incredible. I ended up with the most phenomenal trouser suit in the style of 1950’s Grace Kelly that was the talk of the wedding I had to attend.  Financially, it really was an investment but worth every penny.

Next read Part 2 of ‘Tailors - Why Every Tall Girl needs one’ including top tips to avoid disasters like mine.

Raja Fashions - www.rajafashions.com

Sam’s Tailor - www.samstailor.biz

Claire Mischevani - www.clairemischevani.com