If you’ve read the previous Amazona blog post on Tailors and have decided you’d like to live like one of the women of Lipstick Jungle and go bespoke, then here are some top tips on how to avoid disasters like mine.
Know Someone who Knows Someone?
Whilst there are many good tailors around, there are also some not-so-good ones. The best way to find your tailor is to ask friends, family or colleagues. You may be surprised who might know a great tailor. If you’ve tried that and come up with nothing, then do your research. Check out the web and search for reviews. Once you think you’ve found the tailor for you, don’t be afraid to go in to have a chat in the first instance. This will help you get a feel for whether they understand you and what you want. I’ve only ever gone to tailors who I felt a rapport with on the first meeting.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Without fail, the most successful garments I have had made have taken their origins in an existing item of clothing. Whether it’s a favourite pair of trousers which fit you perfectly, a shirt you love but would love even more in a different colour, or your sister’s coat which they didn’t make in tall proportions but you’ve coveted for months, a tailor can use any of these to recreate the fashion-hit you’ve been dreaming of.
Good tailors will also work from drawings, images and photographs. The secret is to give them as much information as possible so that they can understand exactly what you want.
Fittings, Fittings, Fittings
Your tailor should recommend several fittings. I routinely have three fittings for a shirt or top and more for a suit or coat. Some tailors have insisted that I did not need this many, but the outcome was always not quite as I wanted. Insist on as many fittings as you need to get it right.
Brutal Honesty
Whilst you should take advice from your tailor if they suggest something to improve on your ideas, you must always be honest at your fittings. You are paying for a service and it is imperative that you don’t shy away from telling them when it’s wrong. If you don’t tell them and walk out with a garment that isn’t what you wanted, you’ll only have yourself to blame.
Now that I have some great, bespoke shirts and trousers which fit me like a dream, I periodically go back and have them copied in a different fabric. The best place to go fabric hunting is the legendary Joel & Sons in London (near Baker Street). They not only have one of the largest stock of fabrics in London, they are also great with advice as to which one is suitable for your intended garment.
(If you didn’t catch ‘Tailors: Part I’ first time round, click here)
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