Bespoke with Chris Despos, Pt. 3 – Second Basted Fitting

So, a few weeks after I had my first basted fitting with Chris Despos I popped back up to Oak Street for another round.  To make sure we get things as perfect as they can be, Chris and I opted for a second basted fitting before moving to the forward.  Results are looking great so far, and here’s an update.

You’ll remember from the first basted fitting that the coat needed a few adjustments.  The overall length was a little longer than I wanted, there were some issues with the collar being too low.  The length was still a little long this time, so we’re shaving another half-inch or so off – though not from the bottom like you might expect.  To keep the pocket-flap placement balanced, Chris will remove equal lengths from above and below.  It’s these little things that still surprise me and make me feel like I’m in good hands.

Also when I left last time we were still trying to work out  the optimal level of shoulder padding.  I have very sloped and uneven shoulders, so the challenge is making sure that they appear even-ish without having to lump in a whole ton of pad.  This fitting was done without the sleeves basted on so that we could play with the open shoulders.  By lifting the chest and taking out some padding, Chris has achieved a silhouette that appears even and feels light as air.  Perfect.

Finally, we have decided to lower the trouser waist a tad.  Originally I had them sitting just above my natural waist, but Chris and I agreed this was too dramatic.  They will now sit squarely above my hip-bones and still offer a long, generous line below the waist.

Not too much else to report at this point.  Really this stage is more about allowing Chris to get things balanced and figured out before he gets too far along in the process.  Next step will be my forward fitting, sometime in the first week or two of April.  At this point, the trousers will be almost finished (pockets, waistband, and buttons/hook added) and the coat will have proper lapels and a lining.  From there it’s just a matter of finishing and cutting the button holes.