Some Materials Used In Mens And Womens Custom Made Suits

Here is a comprehensive list of all materials and accessories used in making and building mens and womens custom made business suits -


Body Canvass

There are basically 2 types of canvass used, each type has a like medium & hard grade. Depending on the original consultation & the cloth, this would depend on what canvass would be used & what grade. The basic 2 grades used are woolen canvass & linning canvass
Hair Cloth
There are several different types of hair cloth used of numerous grades. I personaly use about 10 different grades depending on the construction of the coat & the weight of the cloth, shall we say for simplicity number 1 grade is very lightweight number 2 is slightly heavier & number 10 is obviously the heaviest. Again, taking the cloth & the customers original consultation into account I would chose the most appropriate hair cloth.


Domette

This is a fine cloth used to cover the hair cloth over the canvass stopping the hair cloth coming through the canvass & cloth. Some of the older tailors still do not use Domette but prefer using felt (please advise these tailors that it is now 2004 & cloth has changed in the last decade. Customer don’t just want to look good but also feel good in what they are wearing).



Body Lining
There are dozens of types of body lining to chose from, again depending on the original consultation you may chose to have a pure silk lining or
Acetate Poult - Black, White, Ivory and Greige
Acetate Microfibre Lining
Acetate/Bemberg Lining
Acetate/Viscose Satin Lining
Bemberg 100% Ponginette Lining
Bemberg Taffeta Shot Lining
Bemberg Twill Lining
Silk/Viscose Linings
Viscose/Acetate Shot Twill Lining
Viscose Rayon Heavy Twill - Military Cols.
Viscose S/L Regency Stripes
Viscose Satin Lining - Tailoring shades
Viscose Twill Lining
Ermazine Lining – Viscose
Coloured Linnings


Linen

There are several types of linen, again this would depend on the cloth. The linen is commonly used on the backing of the pockets for strength & in the cuffs where the button holes & the buttons are sewn. It can also be used at the bottom of the jacket, on the back neck & on the back syes.


Pocketing
Yes…. You’ve guessed it, there are several different types & grades & also colours. We prefer to generally use a medium weight pocketing with matching colour to the garment. More information on request as I have a personal fettish on pocketing
Collar Melton

This can be found under your collar, it is the felt like cloth which is one of 2 pieces to complete the under collar (Collar Canvass being the second part). This should always be cut on the bias & generally be of similar colour to the cloth. This is not to say you could not use a red colour melton on a blue or black jacket & create a feature of it.


Collar Canvass

There are basically 3 types of collar canvass, type 1 is a linen canvass cut on the bias generally used by Anderson & Sheppard (Savile Row). This creates a very soft collar, unfortunately it can also look a little messy in my opinion if done wrong. Type 2 is a medium grade canvass which is much stiffer & type 3 is a slightly harder canvass from type 2.
When trying a garment on for the first time, generally it will look brownish in colour on your fitting, this is the collar canvass.


Stay Tape (Linen)

Stay tape is used on the front edges of the coat, generally it would be made from linen. It is to help the front edges not to stretch or twist & should always be sewn on by hand. You will probably never see this as the facings would be sewn on for your next fitting.


Sleeve Head Wadding

This is a pre-made wadding specifically used to go around the sleeve head when finished. It is sleeve head wadding that gives the roundness to a sleeve around your shoulders. In 22 years of tailoring, only 1 company does not use this method – Anderson & Sheppard who uses a small piece of domette cut on the bias with a small strip of wadding inside & folded thus giving the soft round shoulders & sleeve head which have made Anderson & Sheppard famous.


Shoulder Pads

As a company I have a choice of over 5000 shoulder pads, we have chosen to use 3 pads that are made exclusively for us & re modeled by each of our tailor to our individual requirements. Again, Anderson & Sheppard do not use (well they didn’t use, not saying they don’t now use….. but not saying they don’t use shoulder pads) to simply say they use wadding covered by a piece of lining which they call a ‘shoulder pad’ giving that soft shoulder look.



Button Twist
Button twist is used to make button holes, there a thousands of colours, but generally most tailors will only use 1 or 2 makes for the simple reason of quality of twist.


Button GimpThis is used when making button holes. The gimp is placed along the button hole & the button twist is sewn around the gimp giving the button hole a slightly stiffer finish. There are several different grades of gimp.


Sewing Silk

Sewing silk is used on hand sewing, your linings will be sewn with sewing silk, the under collar where the melton attaches itself to the cloth is also sewn with sewing silk, but can also be used to sew shoulders & sleeves by hand.


We remain with best regards,
E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

The Secrets Of Buying A Mens Business Suit

Just stick to basics, and you'll look great

When new customers enter Guffey's haberdashery in Buckhead in search of a new suit, sales associate Dan Mullis recites three key factors, almost by rote.

"First there's the choice of fabric," he says. "Next comes the detailing."

Then comes the most vital element: "Measuring the garment so that it fits exactly."

Notice that "what's trendy" does not make the cut.

A recent study by NPD Group —a market research firm — indicates that more young men are purchasing tailored clothing. Compared with the previous year, guys between the ages of 18 and 24 accounted for a 53 percent increase in suit, slack and sport-coat sales in 2005. And there's a strong likelihood that these guys are woefully inexperienced at buying suits.

Finding the right suit isn't exactly a science. But it helps to focus more on balance and proportion than all the bells and whistles that designers come up with each season.

"Your body dictates almost everything you need to know about choosing a suit," said Alan Flusser, the New York-based tailor, designer and author of three books on menswear.

Menswear experts offered a few tips to help guide the uninitiated through the process of purchasing a new suit. Their suggestions should serve notice that, while suit styles may change over time, the rules for dressing well remain constant.


A Few TIPS:

1. The fit factor
Generally, suits should fit snug — but not tight — around the torso. To test: Make sure there's just enough room to slip a hand inside the breast flap. Jacket sleeves should drop to just above the palm of the hand.


2. Proportion takes precedence
Wide lapels, shirt collars and neckties can overwhelm a slender physique. Conversely, narrow shoulders, neckwear and collars magnify the proportions of fuller-figured men. And the width of a necktie also should be in proportion to coat lapels.



3. Details make a difference
Standard or surgeon's cuffs, with functioning buttons, ticket pockets and side vents are small touches that can add a lot to a suit.


4. Opt for flat-front pants
Pleated pants tend to make legs and hips appear wider, while flat-front pants create the opposite effect.


5. Don't fixate on the price
Consider a suit an investment. A $1,500 designer suit does not guarantee greater quality than a $200 suit purchased at a department store or men's warehouse chain. For a custom-made suit — which allows the customer to select the fabric and tailoring details —prices can hover around $2,500.


6. Why navy blue's a classic
For long-term value, invest in one suit that can easily transition from business to formal occasions. "Navy looks great in the office, and it works at night as well," says Nick Sullivan, fashion director for Esquire magazine. "The best color for a tuxedo isn't black. It's actually midnight blue. And with navy, you have a choice of wearing black or brown shoes and accessories."


7. Select a fabric that matches your lifestyle
How much do you travel? How often will you wear the suit? Dan Mullis of Guffey's haberdashery says these questions will narrow the list of fabric choices.


8. Don't look like a sailboat
Double vents in the rear can billow unflatteringly on men with prodigious backsides.


9. Big guys don't wear plaid
Patterns such as plaids and stripes tend to exaggerate the proportions of large men, while making the contours of a slender man more prominent.


10. Cuffs vs. no cuffs
Cuff-free slacks tend to elongate the look of the leg. Cuffed pants have a truncating effect because the vertical line is disrupted.


11. Button up in style
Suits with two-button jackets tend to flatter any physique. Three-button suits can make short men appear even more squat, while the elongated lapels on a one-button suit can make them appear taller.


12. Looking like LettermanDouble-breasted suits have a slenderizing effect on portly men, while that extra panel of fabric can appear to swallow the physique of slender men.



We remain with Best Regards,
E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com