for the charity bin
Published: Saturday, January 19th 2008
I shall be visiting London on Thursday the 24th January and Kent on Friday the 25th.
Please contact me if you would like to meet me whilst I am down South.
des@desmerrionbespoketailor.com 0798 0541 235.
I clear my wardrobe out several times a year getting rid of any bespoke suits, bespoke jackets and bespoke trousers I don't wear very much or just don't like any more.
I also get rid of shirts and ties at the same time and anything else I want rid of.
I always give my friends first pick of my jackets and suits, be it for them or anyone they may know, same with the ties, free of charge.
Anything left then goes to the charity bin.
More often than not most of the stuff is brand new and never been worn, or worn only once or twice.
I know it seems a waste, but at least someone else will get a good wear out of something even if I don't, which is much better than garments sitting in my wardrobe doing nothing.
The picture below shows the latest lot for the charity bin, which includes a jacket I recently finished for myself after being on the go for almost a couple of years!
The fact is when I wore the jacket, only the once to see a client, I just didn't like it any more.
Anyway, there is the bespoke checked jacket, one black bespoke chalk stripe suit, three new shirts I just haven't worn and four silk ties.
All these items including the bespoke suit and jacket went in the local charity shop bin.
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i am in london and kent thursday the 24th january
Published: Tuesday, January 15th 2008
I am visiting London on Thursday the 24th January and am able to see new clients.
I can stretch to Friday the 25th also.
If anyone would like to meet me whilst I am in London please email or telephone.
des@desmerrionbespoketailor.com mobile 0798 0541 235. Workroom 01482 386914.
I shall also be visiting Kent on this trip so please contact me if you would like to meet me whilst I am in Kent.
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a happy new year to all
Published: Sunday, January 6th 2008
I have been away for a short break with my family and have just returned
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year.
Peace on Earth good will to all men.
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a true, fully hand made suit
Published: Wednesday, December 26th 2007
After careful thought I am adding a tailoring service that I believe is unrivaled and sets me apart from any other tailor in the Western World.
I have seen the suits from the tailors who claim to be the best in the world, and what they have to offer in this department.
I truly believe I can do better, much better.
I WILL BE OFFERING A FULL HAND MADE, WITH EVERY SINGLE STITCH PLACED BY HAND SUIT.
I am a tailor that is true to the art of tailoring because I cut and make your suit personally.
From when I initially measure you until the suit is fully finished, it has never left my hands.
I have now decided to go one step further from this to showcase my cutting and sewing abilities.
I will be offering what I consider to be the best suit in the World money can buy.
A TRUE HAND MADE SUIT IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
Please see under Services to the right, for more details about this unique suit.
And please feel free to contact me for any further information.
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europe
Published: Friday, December 21st 2007
I have had a few enquiries about visiting various locations within Europe to see potential clients.
I do get the odd request to visit places from time to time, but the bottom line is it has to be worth it for me financially to be viable.
If anyone within Europe would like me to visit a particular City to assist them with their tailoring requirements please let me know and I shall see what I can do.
My email is des@desmerrionbespoketailor.com
Or I can be contacted by telephone on +44 1482 386 914
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anyone for 'the hip flask walk'?
Published: Thursday, December 20th 2007
The annual Hip Flask Walk will be taking place this year on Friday the 28th December.
We will be getting the 0914am Manchester train from Sheffield to Grindleford and starting straight on our way up Padley Gorge as soon as we are off the train.
If anyone would like to join us on this great walk and social gathering, please contact me to arrange meeting with us, all are welcome!
You will need a packed lunch, some strong potent liquid, and as we will be walking in the Peak District where the weather can be bad, a change of clothes.
des@desmerrionbespoketailor.com
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not convinced with 'designer'/mega expensive fabrics
Published: Thursday, December 20th 2007
I have previously mentioned my position regarding expensive 'designer' cloths, and my thoughts on them.
I do carry bunches from some of the very well known cloth merchants, Scabal, Holland and Sherry to name but two as it would be foolish for me not to, but I am still not convinced as to the cost of these fabrics actually being worth the very high extra cost, which the client has to pay for.
I have been making a suit for a client in a fabric he selected from a Zegna cloth bunch, the real Zegna cloth bunches and not the cheap stuff.
To say it has been hard work to make, is an understatement.
The fabric is a silver 6 oz wool and silk blend, the pattern of the cloth has an extremely small diamond pattern to it and because of the style of this diamond weave, the cloth has a slight raised feeling to the touch.
I have had these particular bunches for a while now, and I have made several suits in various fabrics from the bunch the above fabric is from.
As well as being extremely hard to make and tailor, I am always not quite happy with the finishing of the suit, the pressing off of the suit namely, the cloth always seems to be 'fighting' with you.
I am not saying I give customers inferior work, as I do not give anything to clients unless I am totally happy with the finished garment, but the pressing always leaves me wanting more.
I have been cutting, making and 'pressing off suits ' for almost 25 years now, so I am no stranger to difficult very lightweight cloths, but as much as I try, I just don't see it with these new very expensive cloths the merchants are giving us.
Sure, the cloths are fantastic colours and as light as a shirt when wearing, but the fabrics lack body, substance and real guts. And "No" I am talking about wanting to be in a position to just being able to make 13 oz wool all the time which is easy.
The hard truth is they don't finish well, and look terrible after 10 minutes wearing due to the total lack of being able to resist creasing. But If you can afford them, and can live with these issues I suppose what I am saying really doesn't matter!
I would however like to know what the tailors who make for the farm it out boys think, it's very easy to sell a fabric and pass the headache to workmen. I bet the air is blue when the tailors get yet another high 'Super' numbered cloth to make!
If more tailors made their own work and did not just cut the clients suit, ( I don't just mean poking your head in and out of a workroom either ) they would know at first hand the problems these cloths raise and I believe the demand for them would be very small, that's my opinion any way!
The picture below shows the above mentioned cloth before cutting.
The next picture shows the front forepart section of the coat cut out. This jacket has been cut with a separate side body which is laid against the forepart.
The next picture shows the roll of the left lapel, the distortion is due to the diamond pattern of the cloth I explained earlier.
This is quite a modern styled suit and is very sharp, you may be just able to see the size of the breast welt pocket which I have made only 3/4" in size.
The next picture shows a closer shot of the breast welt pocket. You can see the reduced size of the welt, the hand stitching along the breast welt pocket, and a little more of the cloth composition.
The next picture shows the collar and lapel, I have put this picture as it is easier to see the hand drawn ( stitched ) seam I mentioned on an earlier tailoring entry.
The lapel looks a little wider in this picture than it actually is, the lapel is 3 1/2" measured straight across from lapel tip to the dummy, NOT along the seam.
The last picture shows a bit of the jacket on the dummy in my workroom. The jacket has black button holes with black real horn buttons.
This is a big jacket 50 chest, so it was pointless to give any full front shots as it buries the dummy in my workroom.
The next picture shows the right jacket front on my pressing buck prior to pressing off. You can see the cloth that needs smoothing, the slight rippling. The buttons are real horn ( as on all my bespoke garments )
The next picture shows the same jacket front as I press away the excess cloth that was shown on the previous picture.
You have to careful with these kind of cloths to not use the vac table too much as it will give heavy impressions that show on the outside/right side of the jacket.
The next picture shows me doing the same operation on one of the waistcoat fronts, "Yes", to make it worse, this is a three piece suit!
You can see in this picture the 'long point' style of waistcoat I cut, I like the finished look of long point waistcoats they just seem to suit clients better.
The next picture shows me pressing the other waistcoat front. The waistcoat has shawl lapels and two lower welt pockets.
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a nice super 160's cloth and london
Published: Monday, December 10th 2007
I have almost finished this suit below for one of my clients.
The cloth is a really nice Super 160's light coloured fabric with a subtle broken over checked pattern from one of my local cloth merchants.
The picture below shows a section of the left side of the jacket.
I have baste pulled most of the jacket because the fabric is so light in weight, it makes the pressing off of the jacket SO much easier.
If I leave the baste stitches in because of the way I make my jackets, I press my jackets a little at a time as I make them, this would leave impressions in the the cloth that are very hard to remove.
You can see one of these slight impressions I am talking about behind the breast welt pocket.
The next picture shows a closer shot of the collar and lapel.
You can tell the collar has been hand drawn ( hand sewn ) as you can see the slight irregular stitching that joins the collar to the facing/lapel.
The difference between hand sewn and machine sewn is easy to distinguish with this particular seam, a gentle tug on the collar to lapel will 'ease' the stitches apart when done by hand.
When this seam is done by machine, it will be as tight as a drum with very even stitches with non of the machined stitches showing, it will have no slight irregularity, or 'roughness' to the seam.
This is just one of the areas you should be looking carefully at to make sure your tailor is giving you a Bespoke garment, if this is what he says you are getting!
The next picture just gives a slightly closer shot of the cloth, and the breast welt pocket.
The nice subtleness of the cloth comes through in this picture.
I was in London this weekend seeing new clients, and conducting fittings on existing ones.
I am quite lucky as my brother Mark lives in London ( he married a 'southerner'! ) so I normally go down the night before and stay at his house.
This is convenient as it saves me the extremely high cost of London Hotels, but throws up a slight problem, it means I do not have a 'base' to work out of.
I don't mind this too much, as I have been very lucky in that most of the people I have been seeing lately have all been situated very close together.
While in London I do have the option of using the fitting rooms of Scabal the cloth merchants at no 12 Savile Row.
I have never used these fitting rooms, which are free for any tailor to use, as I just don't like the thought of only being able to offer customers fabrics that are from Scabal bunches.
Plus, I leave Savile Row for the Savile Row tailors. What I mean by this is I am not a Savile Row trained tailor and I don't pretend to be by using the Scabal fitting rooms located there.
The picture below shows my brother Mark on the right with the brolly, my niece Nicola to the left, Thomas with Louisa in the push chair and Julie and Laura in the back ground.
Further behind is Margaret and David, Mark's wife and son.
I took this picture on the Saturday afternoon at London Zoo, it was chucking it down!
Regardless of the weather, it is always nice to see Mark and his family as we do not get to see too much of each other.
The next picture shows a nice traditional Barathea cloth before it has been cut it for one of my London clients.
I have actually now cut this cloth, and conducted the fitting on my client.
This will be a three piece dinner suit with a single breasted jacket, a peaked lapel, single button front to the coat and a 'Wooster' style waistcoat with lapels.
A Wooster style waistcoat is one which cuts down to the front, rounded from the chest with a short buttoning front of about 4 fairly close buttons.
At least that's what I think of one as!
I shall try to remember to take some pictures and post them for an update on the whole outfit.
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credit cards and suit deposits!
Published: Sunday, December 9th 2007
Please note:- I am in a position to accept credit cards, but only from UK clients.
Unfortunately, I can't accept credit cards from my American customers, the cost to me as a small business for one of the card 'machines' is too expensive.
SUIT DEPOSITS
Can I please specify, I must take a deposit of 50% of the total purchase price at the time of order by Cash or Cheque.
The reason for this is quite simple, I must start to get a grip on my business practices which have been too laid back of late!
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visiting tailoring in the uk
Published: Sunday, December 9th 2007
I am now visiting more and more destinations than I could ever expect, which is great, I truly mean that!
But the hard truth is that as crucial as this visiting is for me as a business, it is very time consuming, even when it is in the UK.
When I am visiting clients I am not making anything, this time has to be regained otherwise I would never finish anything.
So, I am making a slight change to my tailoring process when I visit and see clients that are far away. namely London and the South, and locations North of Liverpool.
In principle I am going to go straight to a pocket first fitting which is between a skeleton baste and a forward.
I say in principle because of course if I think it would benefit me and my client to achieve a better fit to have a full skeleton baste fitting, and then a forward fitting, I will of course go down this route no questions asked.
There is/will be no compromise to quality by conducting my fittings in this manner.
I have to be in a position to turn my garments around in a reasonable and sensible time frame for me and my clients.
I am simply finding that when distance is involved in dealing with clients, and conducting several fittings, my turn around time for finishing the suit is just too long.
I know I keep banging on about how "I cut and make all my own work" but this is genuinely why I am in this situation, if I had out workers it would not matter.
I will gladly answer any questions to clarify any points that potential clients may be worried about, I can only reiterate, THERE WILL BE NO COMPROMISE ON QUALITY.
ANY CLIENTS I AM CURRENTLY MAKING FOR, OR HAVE ORDERS WITH ME WAITING TO BE CUT OR A FIRST FITTING, WILL BE RECEIVING 2 FITTINGS AS STANDARD.
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