It's been a while since my first ever tweed suit was tailored by Susannah Hall (details below), who is in Clerkenwell in London so I was delighted when she agreed to make me one from Dormeuil's Royal 11 bunch, a new addition to their English Classics range. This had the added attraction that the suit would be a Yorkshire creation, as both Susannah Hall's tailors and the mill weaving Dormeuil's cloth are in that county.
 |
| A suit made in Yorkshire - woven and tailored |
I wanted a plain dark blue double-breasted suit to fill a gap in my wardrobe and Susannah Hall steered me towards a 350g/11.5oz worsted that has a fascinating, subtle, almost denim-like, white background texture. I'm not keen on plain, untextured cloths, so this fitted well with my requirements. As ever, it's hard to judge drape and overall feel without a large sample or a completed garment, but it's turned out to be a gorgeous, flexible, soft cloth with a slight sheen and a luxurious drape which makes for a comfortable and elegant suit. The mid-weight makes it suitable for all but the warmest conditions.
Susannah was wanting to make her first fully-canvassed jacket. I asked her to make it with a very soft shoulder line as I prefer that to a very structured look. She suggested I go for a six-button jacket and I asked for slightly fuller-cut trousers with a deep turn-up and buttons for braces (suspenders) which give me the ability to fine-tune trouser length for very special sartorial events.
These characteristics (soft shoulder line, fuller-cut trousers, braces buttons and deep turn-ups) give a suit a contemporary yet very classic feel. To me, it feels slightly forties or fifties in style, but less structured, showing how British tailoring is being tempered by the softer Italian look around the shoulders.
These characteristics (soft shoulder line, fuller-cut trousers, braces buttons and deep turn-ups) give a suit a contemporary yet very classic feel. To me, it feels slightly forties or fifties in style, but less structured, showing how British tailoring is being tempered by the softer Italian look around the shoulders.
The final suit is superbly comfortable, both the cut, full canvassing and splendid Dormeuil cloth adding to its luxuriously forgiving feel.
The suit was made for me by Susannah Hall of 110 Clerkenwell Rd, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 5SA, UK. Telephone +4420 7253 4055. She is offering blog readers a 10% discount on her bespoke suits until the end of July 2018. Just mention Grey Fox Blog when ordering.
No comments
Post a Comment