First Bespoke Experience

Hello fellow loungers,

I'm in Delhi for a two months and I wanted to have a couple of bespoke suits made while I'm here. After some pre-travel research I settled upon Vaish at Rivoli to have it made. They've been in business since 1940, with two generations trained at Dege and Skinner at Saville Row (those with sharp eyes can spot the certificates in the first two photos). They make their suits with handstiched horsehair canvas.

My suits are going to be double breasted, 6-4 button, in a heavier weight fabric (I settled upon a 12oz charcoal pinstripe and a 13-14oz navy blue solid). I wanted something that was 'Golden Age inspired' and working with Ashok Vaish and the other tailor was a real pleasure since they are old-timers who both remember the older styles. They found my requests for things like no vents in the jacket, reverse pleats in the trousers, working buttonholes, etc. all very amusing. Especially since brought some photos for my inspiration:



Which propted them to say, "Ah the old Hollywood style."

I went in for the first fitting last week and here are some photos. The experience has been very pleasurable and the Vaish familly and their staff have been great to work with. Open to understanding what I want, but also giving advice about things based on their experience of what works and what doesn't etc.

As this is my first bespoke experience I wanted to get some feedback from you knowledgable Loungers. I go back for a second fitting next week.













I've been checking out shoe shops as well, and I'm having some spectators made up for a very low price. I'll be picking these up as well next week and I'll post pictures of them as well.

Chasseur said:

As this is my first bespoke experience I wanted to get some feedback from you knowledgable Loungers. I go back for a second fitting next week.

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Cher Chasseur! Sadly, I can't offer anything of help to you, but those photos brought back some long-forgotten, yet fond, memories of MY first bespoke experience....which I certainly did not appreciate at the time. Perhaps it will not bore you to hear a bit about it.

When I was 18--and already a strange youth; this was the height of the 1960s, '68 to be exact--I was given the gift of a suit by my father. In we went to Manhattan. It was a time and a place where already-elderly middle-European tailors, most of them Jewish, were still working out of holes-in-the-wall for craft money, not art money. You went in; you told them what you wanted; you haggled--just a bit--and then he got to work. As I say...I was already quite odd, sartorially...so what I wanted was a black sack suit, high-closure, with a lapeled vest (think: 1904). Tailor didn't bat an eye, and all those scenes that you are now living, and were kind enough to share with all of us, ensued. Not quite so exotic a location...yet, now, going on half a century later...that whole post-War world of NYC is beginning to look pretty exotic its own self.

It's all gone now: the suit, the tailor, and the culture that supported it....along with the laundries near Carnegie Hall where they didn't bat an eye when you walked in with detachable collars and dress shirts, asked for "heavy starch" and they knew what you meant, and what to do: back they came, stiff as cardboard and shiny as a new nickel. All for....pennies. That was the time, you see, when classical musicians were still expected to wear tails...and people still cared whether it was done right. I was lucky enough to see it...even if just the fag-end of it. The last time I had my concert attire done properly was at the Watergate Hotel in 1982....and for the same reasons, although the profession catered for was different!

Thank you again for sharing your adventure with us...I'm sure I'm not the only one that will be rooting for you, and looking forward to the rest of the process and the finished product.

et de la venerie a l'Inde?

"Skeet"

Salut Skeet!

Thanks for the story, not boring at all.

Its been a very interesting experince going to all sorts of handiwork shops: leather goods, tailors, etc. Nice to see all sorts of things being custom made for people. Just very novel for me to walk into a shoe shop ask if they have a type of shoe and have the guy respond, "No problem I can make it for you. Lets take your measurements and it'll be ready in two weeks."

In terms of venerie, most hunting is banned in India. But, there is one hunt (in the British sense of the term, meaning horses, hounds and red coats) down in Ooty. I believe they are the last in India: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3907861.stm

Skeet -- GREAT story (and beautifully written). Please do not think you are boring anyone here! Nicely described vignette.

Chasseur -- good luck, and those tailors certainly look like nice people.

Keep us posted!

Chasseur said:

Hello fellow loungers,

I'm in Delhi for a two months and I wanted to have a couple of bespoke suits made while I'm here. After some pre-travel research I settled upon Vaish at Rivoli to have it made. They've been in business since 1940, with two generations trained at Dege and Skinner at Saville Row (those with sharp eyes can spot the certificates in the first two photos). They make their suits with handstiched horsehair canvas.

My suits are going to be double breasted, 6-4 button, in a heavier weight fabric (I settled upon a 12oz charcoal pinstripe and a 13-14oz navy blue solid). I wanted something that was 'Golden Age inspired' and working with Ashok Vaish and the other tailor was a real pleasure since they are old-timers who both remember the older styles. They found my requests for things like no vents in the jacket, reverse pleats in the trousers, working buttonholes, etc. all very amusing. Especially since brought some photos for my inspiration:

Which propted them to say, "Ah the old Hollywood style."

I went in for the first fitting last week and here are some photos. The experience has been very pleasurable and the Vaish familly and their staff have been great to work with. Open to understanding what I want, but also giving advice about things based on their experience of what works and what doesn't etc.

As this is my first bespoke experience I wanted to get some feedback from you knowledgable Loungers. I go back for a second fitting next week.


I've been checking out shoe shops as well, and I'm having some spectators made up for a very low price. I'll be picking these up as well next week and I'll post pictures of them as well.

Click to expand...

Chasseur, your pictures are wonderful as is your story and your choice of styles. Unfortunately there is a down side to buying bespoke suits. You will be so spoiled that you're going to have a very difficult time buying off the rack again. Just imagine all those sales you'll be missing. Ah well, you can always take solace that you look so sharp in your custom clothes.
Best always and congratulations. :eusa_clap

Doran said:

Skeet -- GREAT story (and beautifully written). Please do not think you are boring anyone here! Nicely described vignett

Click to expand...

Thank you for your kind words, Doran and Chasseur; very much appreciated.

"Skeet"

Back for the second fitting the other night.

They were working on modification to the trousers so they didn't have them ready at the time. So sorry about the linen trousers...








Some issues I noticed, I thought the sleaves were too long (and uneven), the balance is not quite right (back to front), there is something 'wrong' with the fall of the lapel and the front closure, and I asked for it to be more fitted at the waist. They spent a great deal of time looking at issues related to balance and the collar/lapels.

Any other thoughts? I would appreciate more experienced eyes than my limited ones.

I'm back for a third fitting this Friday, and I asked to be sure the trousers are there so we can look at them together on me.

Thanks again fellow Loungers!

Definitely the front-to-back balance is off. Looks like the back is too long relative to the front, which is causing it to collapse into your buttocks and causing the ripples you can see at the sides of the jacket in the straight-on front view.

Also, it looks like the sleeve pitch is not quite correct, at least on the right sleeve (can't see the left one). The sleeve needs to be taken off and rotated to accomodate the way your arms hang. Right now your arms hang farther to the back than the sleeves do.

I enjoy following bespoke serials of this sort. Thanks for sharing -

Orgetorix,

Thanks for the observations. Absolutely right on the balance, and I'll ask abot the way the sleaves connect in relation to the way my arms hang.

Thanks again!

My knowledge of these things is too poor to comment on the sleeves and the back-to-front ratio; but what hits me is that you want more of an hourglass waist on the jacket (upon which I see you have already commented).

What strikes me right off the bat is the buttons positions, they look all to close to each other, I think they should be put a half in or 3/4 of an inch outwards of where they are placed.(Look at the photo you posted from a movie as a reference).

Chasseur said:

Back for the second fitting the other night.

They were working on modification to the trousers so they didn't have them ready at the time. So sorry about the linen trousers...

Some issues I noticed, I thought the sleaves were too long (and uneven), the balance is not quite right (back to front), there is something 'wrong' with the fall of the lapel and the front closure, and I asked for it to be more fitted at the waist. They spent a great deal of time looking at issues related to balance and the collar/lapels.

Any other thoughts? I would appreciate more experienced eyes than my limited ones.

I'm back for a third fitting this Friday, and I asked to be sure the trousers are there so we can look at them together on me.

Thanks again fellow Loungers!

Click to expand...

This is the same problem I've had making bespoke double breasted suits- the buttons are too close together (horizontally). Either it uses more fabric or they're not used to seeing double breasted suits made that....it's exceptionally difficult to get the button stance right.
I regret succumbing to my tailor in Hong Kong when I wanted the buttons as far apart as they should. The suit never looks right to me because the buttons are simply just too close!

Wow, this is a whole new world to me. Very enlightening!

My dad has had a few suits made when he was in Singapore, but I'm not sure how time intensive the fitting process was.

Still, as one who likes the feel of a nicely cut suit, I can imagine this must be a pleasure for you. Congrats!

Orgetorix you did not comment on the lapels...they seemed to be about right ...your expert view? The back on the contrary looks dodgy with all those loose folds/extra material IMHO

The lapels look fine to me. They're more modern-looking than vintage-looking, but they look good.

Doran said:

Skeet -- GREAT story (and beautifully written). Please do not think you are boring anyone here! Nicely described vignette.

Chasseur -- good luck, and those tailors certainly look like nice people.

Keep us posted!

Click to expand...

Likewise, on both accounts.

I had a similar adventure in Bahrain in 2003. Whilst deployed in the service, I was treated to the luxury of hand made, tailored suits. The Sergeant that trained me said, "Get as many as you can, while you're here or you'll regret it."

He showed me the back path to the tailor's shop, similar to the shop described by Skeet McD, but with an Indian tailor, rolls of fabric, two sewing machines and the most beautiful craftsmanship this small town son of Ohio had ever set eyes on.

I had eight suits made for around $250 apiece, but they have the look of a $1500 suit of clothes and I still wear them everyday for work.

The best quality of this tailor was that when I showed him a picture of a suit, he made it exactly as shown. This is well worth the airfare and discomfort of Middle East travel, in my humble opinion.

While training my replacement, I showed him the back path, introduced him to the tailor and confidently stated, "Get as many as you can, while you're here or you'll regret it."

Thanks for the comments and kind words gents!

Alright back for another fitting.

This time the balance seems to be taken care of. I'm still not happy with how close the buttons are in the pinstrip, but well they say it can't be changed... However, I did catch it in time for the blue suit to have better button placement.











I go back on Monday for a "final fitting" and to see the blue trousers. I'll take a nice shirt and tie and really take a bunch of pictures then to be sure. Any observations or comments?

I now see how the buttons seem a bit close together. They also seem wrong because they seem a bit small. Could larger buttons be used to fix at least a part of this sub-optimal impression?