Looking for a bespoke, handmade suit – but aren’t sure what your options are, or even what to expect at all, for that matter?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone – but we’re here to change that. Let’s talk bespoke suit options!
Especially if it’s your first time thinking about ordering a tailored suit, you might not know what you want, or what you should be asking for – but us tailors don’t bite, promise!
We’re here to help, and to make choosing a suit… well, fun.
In my 15 years’ of being tailor, I’ve always enjoyed helping people find the perfect style, cloths and lining for them – but I usually try to make it a memorable, enjoyable experience for my clients, too.
Seeing their smile on their face at the end of the day is what it’s all about.
That’s why, in this blog, I wanted to talk you through some of the main bespoke suit options available, and some things to bear in mind when ordering your own – to give you a bit of a flavour of what to expect.
But let me tell you right now – with literally billions of possible suit combinations, the only real limit is your imagination (okay, and maybe your budget!).
What are your main tailored suit options?
It’s worth saying before we begin that all tailors will have slightly different approaches and options, however, this should serve as a guide or reference point to start from when choosing your own bespoke suit.
Okay, so with over 40 billion possible suit combinations (yes, I wasn’t kidding!), let’s break this into three different sections for style, cloth and lining.
I want to start with the style, which will begin to form the very bones of your bespoke, handmade suit.
Style options
Most tailors will offer a plethora of options when it comes to choosing your ideal suit style, and they’ll be able to pull inspiration from different decades to help you choose something that’s going to suit you down to a T.
Usually, if you’re not quite sure what the name of a certain style option or element is called, an experienced tailor should be able to listen and help you find an image that fits the bill – or be able to suggest the best style to suit your frame.
When selecting your perfect style, your tailor will take you through options such as buttons, breast (double or single-breasted, for example), lapels, vents, pockets, waistband, leg style, hems and more.
Cloth options
Most tailors will have a good range of cloth in stock for you to choose from. As another example, you can expect to find the following cloth options in our own collections:
- 100% Pure Wool
- Lambswool
- Tweed
- Mohair
- Wool & Silk
- Wool & Cashmere
- Pure Cashmere
- Wool Blends
- Blended Wool
Altogether, there are 10,000 cloth options you can choose from when ordering your bespoke, handmade suit from us – that’s a heck of a lot of cloth!
However, it doesn’t even stop there. if you’re looking for something that’s particularly specialist, we can source it for you. (NOTE: This will usually come at an additional cost)
Psst! Read our blog post ‘What’s in a Cloth?’ to learn even more about selecting the right cloth for your bespoke suit.
Lining options
Now, for the pièce de résistance – the lining! This is where you can really add a bit of extra personality to your suit, especially if it’s all business on the outside (it means you can have a bit more of a party on the inside, am I right?).
To really make your garment ‘pop’, take your time selecting a lining that’s going to make a statement – or, just choose something that’s truly you. That’s the beauty of tailoring, the choice is yours!
As another example, ETC has over 700 lining choices to choose from. Take a look at some of the images below to get an idea of some of the spectacular choices our clients make!
Advice from an experienced tailor
Does this seem a tad overwhelming? Fear not, as your trusted tailor of choice will be able to guide you smoothly through the process, and even help advise if you’re unsure of exactly what you’re looking for.
When choosing the right cloth, the first question any good tailor should ask is: How often will you wear your garments? A suit you’ll only wear on special occasions will open up your choices, as there will be less concern about requiring something hard wearing or heavier.
They should also ask you about your suit’s purpose: what will you be wearing it for? Perhaps it’s an everyday work suit, or a suit for formal occasions. This will help influence the look and feel, along with the overall durability of your chosen cloth.
Finally, it’ll be time to hone in on the colours and patterns you’re interested in. This should help reduce the sheer volume of choice, and ideally by the end of the conversation we’ll have narrowed it down to around 3 – 5 options before you make your final selection.
To sum it up…
I hope I’ve managed to shed some light on the subject of your options when it comes to choosing a tailored suit.
There’s certainly a lot more to it than you might expect! But that’s entirely the fun of it – and you should definitely have fun with it! Get creative, and choose something that you would never be able to find anywhere else.
Something that’s 100% ‘you’. Any good tailor will be happy to take you on this journey, and make you feel at ease whilst they’re doing so – after all, it’s their job.
Want to find out more about your bespoke, handmade suit options from Edinburgh Tailoring Company?
Get in touch with us today – we’re always happy to have a no-strings chat.
