Christmas Comes Late

I'm naturally suspicious of a tailor who is not very well dressed himself. It's far more reassuring to a client when meeting with a prospective tailor that they can see not only a good sample of the tailor's work, but also his confidence and satisfaction in wearing the product of his own craftsmanship.

Lately I've invested a great deal of time working on my clients' orders, and I was hoping for a break of time during which I could turn to a personal project. With 15" of snow (and counting) on the ground outside, new cloth stuck in transit, and all my other current projects finished at one stage or another, that break finally arrived. A month after Christmas, I've finished the first baste of a gift to myself: a new suit for the autumn and winter months.

I picked out the cloth months ago, and I've been dying to work with it ever since. It's a 13-14 ounce dark grey worsted wool from Dugdale's "English and Town Classics" bunch. As anticipated, it's been a joy to work with. The cloth's thickness contributes to a beautiful, natural drape over the bodily figure (especially down the front break line of the trousers), and it stretches and shrinks perfectly with modest encouragement.

As soon as I can recruit a friend to lend me a hand, I'll undertake the first fitting.

A New Project for an Old Design

A while back, I wrote about a client's wish to have a double-breasted waistcoat patterned after one worn by Terry Benedict's character in Ocean's Eleven. It's been difficult finding a suitable silk brocade fabric, so that project is temporarily on hold while we continue searching for the right material.

In the intervening time, we have decided to create a second vest using the original design. Instead of using a fancy silk, this second version will be cut from traditional suiting material. Because the client wants to wear this piece as an odd waistcoat (he will pair it with a variety of suits in his wardrobe), we chose a very versatile dark gray herringbone cloth. The cloth is an ultrafine Super 160s luxury wool from Huddersfield's Denby Dale collection. It's a perfect selection for the planned vest not only because of the color and pattern, but also because of the silky-smooth texture and weight. At 8-9 oz, it will remain cool on the wearer despite the close-fitting and double-breasted cut that might otherwise be too warm for regular use.

This vest has a touch of flair on the inside that few observers will notice. While a silver paisley lining will be used for the visible part of the backing, gold paisley will line the inside of the vest, and a gold coral paisley will line the inside of the pockets.