London
English tailoring: a clean chest, a shoulder that sits where yours does, and a cut that holds its line for twenty years.
- Fittings
- Three, usually
- Time
- 8 to 12 weeks
- Canvas
- Full, hand padded
- Pattern
- Yours, kept on file
The London tradition
Bespoke tailoring in London grew up around Savile Row and the streets of Mayfair in the early nineteenth century. The word itself is said to come from cloth that had been "spoken for" by a customer.
A London suit is built, not just sewn. A floating canvas of wool and horsehair is pad-stitched by hand into the chest, so the jacket shapes to the body over time instead of sitting on top of it.
What to expect
A first meeting to take some thirty measurements and talk about how you live in a suit. A paper pattern drafted for you alone. A basted fitting, a forward fitting, and a finish fitting, each one recut on you.
The London house leans English: a structured shoulder, a waisted jacket, a little more cloth in the chest. Ask for softer and you will get softer.
