Dylan Jones: My life in bespoke suits — and why investing in proper tailoring in party season is a good idea

Back successful the Eighties, suits were truthful wide that adjacent the enarthrosis pads had enarthrosis pads. Suits backmost past were boxy, square, and designed to marque you look similar a quarterback, a bouncer oregon a tank. So it was precise hard to deterioration 1 unless you were besides shaped similar a quarterback, a bouncer oregon a tank. If, similar me, you were gangly and skinny, wearing an off-the-peg suit made you look arsenic though idiosyncratic had thrown a expanse implicit a beanpole. Or a javelin. Consequently, astatine the property of 24, I started having suits made for me. Not due to the fact that of immoderate large affectation, but simply due to the fact that I didn’t privation to locomotion astir looking arsenic though I was wearing a Halloween costume.

I started modestly, utilizing a beauteous aged antheral successful Harrow who utilized to marque suits for teddy boys. Jack Geach was his name, and each suit helium made was a fingertip drape with velvet lapels and matching cuffs. He ended up making maine three: 1 successful matt black, 1 successful agleam herringbone, and a gargantuan and garish scarlet 1 which I’m reasonably definite could beryllium seen from space. 

Then I moved connected to Chris Ruocco, a erstwhile boxer who owned Philips tailors successful Kentish Town. He made suits for maine for much than a decade, on with signifier outfits for George Michael, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. He adjacent made the tartan suits Wham! wore erstwhile they played successful China, which were seen each implicit the world. 

Eventually, I migrated to Savile Row, wherever I’ve been having suits made for 25 years, usually astatine Richard James. They ended up making maine truthful galore that whenever I was interviewed and was asked what suit I was wearing I would ever say, “Richard James” due to the fact that without looking I astir apt was. They past made maine a beauteous double-breasted evening suit successful midnight bluish for a publication motorboat successful the summer, and for a fewer fleeting moments it made maine consciousness similar George Clooney. And that’s the constituent of going bespoke: arsenic good arsenic making you look your precise champion (even if you look thing similar George Clooney, adjacent if you look thing similar a George Clooney lookalike), a bespoke suit should springiness you the assurance not to attraction what anyone thinks astir the mode you look. The optics, arsenic they say, are good. 

In London, Savile Row tailors person been taking menswear concern distant from large manner houses for decades, due to the fact that if you person the wherewithal to bargain an costly decorator suit from Bond Street, you’ve besides got the enactment of walking 50 metres astir to Savile Row and commissioning thing which is going to acceptable you perfectly for astir apt the aforesaid magnitude of money. You’ll besides person the accidental to take the fabric, the colour, the cut, and each different item of the suit. You’ll besides astir apt beryllium treated similar royalty alternatively than arsenic idiosyncratic who looked similar they came into the store by mistake. If you patronised the Row backmost successful the Sixties past you were apt to beryllium a banker, a person oregon a barrister — oregon a subordinate of the aristocracy — but arsenic popular stars and tv personalities started to get successful connected the act, the Row began to accommodate to its caller clientele, frankincense tempting adjacent much imaginable customers distant from Bond Street.

Mayfair’s premier buying thoroughfare has learned to combat back, however, on with galore different luxury brands successful town. These days the likes of Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith and Tommy Hilfiger volition either a) spell retired of their mode to change 1 of their off-the-peg suits, oregon b) marque you a wholly new, made-to-measure oregon sometimes bespoke suit according to your precise specifications. They are each having immoderate success, too, arsenic not lone does this let the lawsuit the accidental to make thing genuinely idiosyncratic (and which doesn’t subscribe to seasonal fads) but besides gives you all-important bragging rights. Which, arsenic we know, arsenic acold arsenic manner is acrophobic is beauteous overmuch everything. 

Just a fewer weeks ago, to hole for a engaged autumn docket of launches, archetypal nights and fancy dinners, I went to Dolce & Gabbana to effort retired its made-to-measure service, dropping into its  third-floor workplace astatine the bottommost of Bond Street. And it was a wholly palmy operation. One of the drawbacks of bespoke tailoring is the fig of protracted fittings you request (rarely less than 2 oregon three), and the information you mightiness person to hold months for the finished item. Big luxury brands person learned that their customers don’t person overmuch patience for this, and truthful person adapted to bash each the indispensable enactment successful 1 speedy session. At Dolce & Gabbana I was determination for astir fractional an hour, successful 1 of the astir seamless fittings I’ve ever had. A period aboriginal I had my caller suit, and, adjacent though I experienced what you mightiness telephone an accelerated maturation spurt successful the waist section (having had an aggravated late-summer carb-fest), it fitted perfectly. In fact, it was truthful cleanable that it adjacent appeared to marque accommodation for different parts of my assemblage that mightiness beryllium astir to enactment it nether pressure; a small much springiness successful the enarthrosis successful lawsuit of further gym work, an other quarter-inch successful the overgarment width successful anticipation of Christmas etc. 

And portion I’m a staunch traditionalist, Dolce & Gabbana offers a big of options for those of you who mightiness privation to beryllium somewhat much outlandish this season: you tin take from 400 fabrics, and 95 styles, with 200 idiosyncratic alterations. That’s a batch of options. Of course, arsenic you’re waiting for your libation arsenic you wade done the cloth books, you volition announcement immoderate of the different things they person to offer, similar formal shoes, evening scarves and extravagant ties. Even though I’m arsenic impatient arsenic I americium predictable erstwhile having a suit fitted, I could person spent each time there. You could astir apt too, truthful I look guardant to seeing you connected the apical level of Dolce & Gabbana immoderate infinitesimal now.