I was asked the other day at a wedding fair why someone should choose a tailor-made suit over an off the peg option that can sometimes cost 80% less. The answer to this question is as easy as it is complicated, but I feel that it comes down to what I call the four Fs.
Fit.
No two people are exactly the same shape, we have our own little lumps, bumps and dimensions, are you long of body or legs, do you have rugby players build or perhaps a tummy from a few too many beers over the years, A tailor-made suit is made just for you, to your measurments and taking into account your unique body shape. Because off-the-peg suits are made for everyone, the are actually made for no-one.
Function.
For me, function is about quality. The better made the suit, the more attention, care and effort put into it’s construction, the better that suit is for the wearer. An off the peg suit may be made to last a season or two, but the attention to detail and quality construction of a tailor-made suit means it’s designed to last for years and often decades. Superior fabrics and construction methods of the parts of the suit the wearer will never see, the canvassing, interfacing, seams and hems among others making it a superior garment both on the outside and in the hidden.
Fabric.
A suit’s fabric, or as it’s know in the tailoring world, cloth is the first building block of a great tailor-made suit, it also has a hand in the other four sections, helping with the fit, function and also adding flair to the suit too. Being able to choose the exact cloth you want, based on it’s appearance, weight and style. Being able to select from literally tens of thousands o cloths, each with it’s own character is one of the joys of a tailor-made suit, reflecting you as the wearer, as an idividual. In contrast the current crop of off the peg suits available are very rarely extraordinary and in the search to appeal to the largest markets have become homogonised and samey.
Flair.
This is where a tailor-made suit comes into it’s own. When you choose from a range of off the peg suits, you are choosing from garments created to someone elses taste and style, or often to no-ones, created to appeal to as mass a market as possible. Where’s the flair and the persoality, it’s missing. Whether it’s the colour or pattern of the lining, the width of a lapel which fits your physique and personality or the picking a button which adds a little exra luxury tailor-made suits are all about you, your personal style and personality, your flair.
Yes. a tailor-made suit costs more than most off the peg suits, however often the best things cost more because of the quality, care and attention in the creation. For me It’s about value over cost, you are not only buying something made uniquely for you with your input, but something which will stand the test of time and almost often on a cost-per-wear basis will be fantastic value.
Finally there is the X-Factor, something that I cannot quantify, that’s difficult to explain and it’s the feeling one has wearing a tailor-made suit, it’s the four Fs and so much more.. it’s why a tailor-made suit makes so many wearers stand a little taller, feel and look more confident and why they are so addictive.
Take the leap, buy a tailor-made suit and it will all make perfect sense, I promise.