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July 5, 2006
after the fitting...
[A pile of my American customers' suits, ready to be re-made after their first fittings. Don't panic, I know it looks a crushed pile. But this is the way it's done and nothing will be harmed. Handmade suits are very resilient. All the suits have been ripped down and matched with their patterns for updating.]
Thank God, we've been very busy lately. Lucy and I had a wonderful time on our recent American tour. It was lovely to catch up with old and new friends, though we were both exhausted by the time we arrived back in England, late last week.
[Lucy and her ever-changing hair, on the balcony of New York's Hotel Benjamin.]
My customers I generally regard as friends, and when we meet in London or Cumbria we're allowed a lot more time for business, and then a drink or lunch afterwards, than we get in America. So as a result, everyone in America wants to book the last appointment of the day, for a drink after work. After two weeks of this I start feeling a bit of an alcoholic.
Many of our customers are very interested to know what happens to their clothes after we'd fitted them in the US, and then got them home to Cumbria. What happens next?
Basically, its the same as if you'd had your fitting here at Warwick Hall. The clothes are taken apart and rebuilt.
People are mystified by all the shorthand we write over the job in chalk, when we're fitting your new suit. I'm sure by the puzzled looks I get, many of you must think it's good theatre, just there for for effect. But I promise its not an act, you can see the basic stages in the process of ordering a suit here. However in a little more detail, this is what happens at a fitting.
Obviously we will try on the trousers first and mark as necessary, and then we do the jacket. The instructions I will mark on the suit with chalk, and then I copy on a piece paper after the fitting. This is done because chalk is not permanent, and by the time it's been in a suitcase for a week and hauled round America, it can all look very confusing. Especially when I open my suitcase with jet-lagged eyes.
Some of the details are too complicated to explain here, but these are the basics:
[Above:] This shows the three very basic marks: to shorten [left], lengthen [right], and if were lucky, the cross in the middle means to leave everything well alone.
[Above:] This shows where we want to stretch or shape the fabric, over a prominent calf or shoulder blade.
The two pictures below show different types of sleeve pitch adjustment.
[Above:] This says to pitch the sleeve up 3/8 of an inch.
[Above:] This marks where your arm should hang in relation to your body.
[Above:] When we mark like this over a seam it tells the tailor to let out [left] or take in the amount as marked [right].
When we get back home we rip the suit apart and analyse all the marks, then transfer the changes to the cutting pattern. It's generally a good system that works well. Sadly it's quite time consuming, but that's just the way it is
Posted by tom at July 5, 2006 11:16 AM
Comments
Welcome home! I missed your posts while you were away.
I use your blog postings in my seminars to show travel professionals how to brand themselves, develop closer bonds with their clients, and build their businesses. I frequently ask the audience, "Now, what would Tom write?"
I'm trying my best to turn you into a celebrity. I figure if this cloth cutting gig doesn't pan out, you could slide right into the role of blog guru -- custom-fitted robes and all.
I'm glad your back and posting again. You're a shining expample of how small business professionals can prosper with entertaining, informative, and honest blogs.
All the best,
Scott
Posted by: Scott Ahlsmith, CTC at July 7, 2006 1:59 PM