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.

In the second half of my interview with Steven Hitchcock, we spoke about his unique take on the classic Drape cut he learned at Anderson & Sheppard, how he fits into the new generation of bespoke tailors, and his own views on style.

As for the Drape cut, Steven is quick to point out “It all started with Scholte.  But you can’t do it like that anymore.  I don’t cut exactly like Anderson & Sheppard – I still cut a high armhole, large sleeve, soft shoulder, soft chest, but with a nice clean side-body.”

The problem isn’t the cutting method itself, but rather modern cloth’s flimsiness when compared with the hefty stuff they were working with when Scholte developed the method.  ”You can’t tailor the shape into lightweight cloth light you could with the heavy stuff 100 years ago.  You have to cut the shape right into it…it still has a lot of fullness, but we take our time and make sure it comes out clean.”

Some people get fussy when a tailor says they will only cut one style, saying that the process is not about the tailor but about the customer.  Steven defends doing things one way, and doing them that way really well, saying that ultimately everyone wins.

“At lots of tailors you’ll have one guy come in and say ‘Oh, I want a straight shoulder, built up chest, very stiff,’ and another ‘I want the Anderson & Sheppard drape,’ and the tailor says ‘Yes, yes, of course sir we can do that.’  But no they can’t.  That’s a lie.  Instead of doing one thing right they just do a mishmash poorly.  Better to do one thing that you’re really proud of.”

Being under 40, Steven is one of the younger guys on the Row.  But while he’s technically part of the new-guard, he prefers to think of himself as more establishment than that.  “I like to think of myself in Colin Harvey and Dad’s generation.  I’m trying to be them.  There are a lot of young people my age who wouldn’t make a suit the way I do.  They’d send a suit off to China or a factory to be made.  But I don’t want to do it that way.  That’s not what Savile Row’s about, and I’m passionate about producing suits the Savile Row way.”

Often there can be problems when the guy picking out cloth and discussing styling with you isn’t the guy actually making your clothes – or any clothes at all for that matter.  Steven is proud of the fact that he is a part of the entire process for his customers.  “I want people to think of me as a craftsman, not a salesman.  I can make, I can cut, and I do.  When you come to me, I meet you, I talk to you, we pick out the suit, and then I’m the one who cuts it.  You’re really getting a Steven Hitchcock suit.”  It doesn’t get any more personal than that.

Sure Steven makes brilliant clothes, but he’s also a really stylish guy in his own right.  “I think you should always wear one thing that doesn’t match.  Something completely wrong.  And then it works in a funny way.”  He tends to favor single breasted coats with peak lapels, double breasted neo-Edwardian waistcoats, and interesting cloth.  I think Rose Callahan’s brilliant pictures give a perfect sense of Steven’s style.  A little adventurous, but always in the bounds of good taste.

I recommend you check out the official Steven Hitchcock website if you’re interested in prices or specific dates for New York visits.  Generally they are in January, May, and October.

If you missed Part 1, you can check it out here.

Thank you to Rose Callahan for the photography.  Check out The Dandy Portraits.

Anytime Drake’s releases anything new, you can pretty safely bet it is a cause for celebration.  A wallet-punishing celebration, but in the best way possible.  This past winter they unveiled their first collection of house branded sport coats to much fanfare, and here we have an exclusive preview of the second, Spring/Summer 2012, collection.  Let the cheering begin.

You might remember seeing photos of the unstructured, buggy-lined, patch-pocketed tweed jackets a few months ago on Drakes Diary.  When I met Michael Drake last spring, he told me that he likes to think of Drake’s as doing British the way the Italians see British, and these coats fit that image to a T.  Made in Italy out of traditional British materials, the coats balance Mediterranean ease and Anglo aesthetics.

It might still be in the 30s outside while I’m writing this, and a cardigan-like tweed jacket sounds heavenly right now, but it’s never too soon to start thinking about the warm sunny days waiting just a few weeks away.  Michael Hill, Drake’s  MD and Chief Designer, has tweaked the designs from this winter’s collection and had them done up in heat-ready fine cotton, cotton drill, and lightweight wool gabardine, as well as adding a few double breasted options.

I spoke with Michael the day the coats arrived from the factory, and he agreed to model a few of them for Simply Refined before they hit the Clifford Street store on February 13th.  A 3/8th lining will make a heavy tweed coat feel more like a sweater, but you can see how impossibly light the results are when you’re dealing with finely woven cottons.  It is almost impossible to capture on camera, but the cleanliness of the internal seams is astounding.  Really top of the line construction here.

You’ll also notice that a few new pocket configurations have been added.  The three patch pockets that dominate all those blogger-beloved Italian sport coats have for now been set aside in favor of two patch hip pockets on the double breasted models and flap pockets with a ticket pocket on the single breasted coats.

With the lighter materials (wool gabardine or cotton drill), minimally-constructed silhouettes, and soft colors, I think the flap pockets give a little sharpness to the single breasted coats, as does the slightly roped shoulder.  And pulling in the other direction, the patch pockets keep the smooth herringbone cotton double breasted coats from being too formal.

The three-roll-two button stance is nicely placed, if a tad higher than perfect for me, and the quality of both buttons and button-holes is excellent.  My only real gripe is that I wish they would make the sleeves working-button-ready, but not cut.  Guys like me with short arms inevitably need sleeve alterations, and while working buttons are nice detail, it just makes alterations a pain.  Not bad for my only real complaint.

As of now, Michael is only planning on offering these at the Drake’s store on Clifford Street in London’s West End.  Make your pilgrimage if you get the opportunity.  The prices on these is certainly on the higher-end for ready-to-wear sport coats, but in my opinion you’re getting what you pay for in both the product and the process.  The coats themselves are well-constructed, tick all the style boxes, and nail the details, plus the guys at Drake’s are some of the most genuine, intelligent, and tasteful guys in the game right now.

While the other guys are out buying their Blogger Blue whatever, I recommend saving your cash for some British Blue.

Thank you to Michael Hill at Drake’s for this sneak-peak.

Last week I wrote about designing my first bespoke suit with Chicago’s Chris Despos.  Chris called me up only a few days later to tell me he would have my first basted fitting ready Saturday.  So I dropped by Oak Street and the suit is really starting to take shape.

Fittings themselves are nothing new to me, but I’m not used to being the guy in the suit.  I’m used to watching, asking questions, shooting photos, and generally lurking about, but not actually being part of the process.  It’s a little intimidating.

When I arrived, Chris was just steaming the basted suit out, getting it ready for try-on.  At this step in the process, it’s more about Chris making sure he’s on track than giving me a good sense of what things will look like.  The main thing here is balance and making sure the broad proportions are on point.

The trousers have no waistband, pockets are still way off, and there is still a lot of extra leeway built into each component for later adjustment, but the general structure is there.

The trousers went on first, and once the button- and fly-less trousers were pinned in place, it hit me just how high they were.  But in a great way.  Having them on my natural waist with two pleats and a straight drape really helped minimize my prominent hips and seat.  The legs themselves don’t yet have their full shape, but the lines are already very elegant and elongating.  Funny that what will be the most voluminous trousers in my closet will also be the most slimming.

When Chris slipped the coat on me, we immediately noticed that it was a good inch or so too long.  I took it off and on the spot Chris adjusted the basted length so that we could work on the rest of the silhouette effectively.

At this stage there is no real shape added to the coat from the basic measurements.  It’s better to start large and work in than to have things pulling and snagging.  The arms though already have a beautiful curve to them that you would never find on something ready-made.

At one point Chris ripped the back-collar off, pinned it a little higher and started playing with how to best balance the back around my shoulder blades.  By raising the whole thing up a little bit, Chris will allow things to drape from my neck and shoulders as much as possible, keeping pressure off the back.

I think the most shocking thing was just how light the whole affair felt.  Because there is room in all the right places, I didn’t once feel like the basted suit wasn’t moving with me 100%.  It’s a really weird feeling for someone used to clothes fitting somewhat poorly in a number of places.  I couldn’t be happier with the suit at this point.

Next step will be a second basted fitting in a week or two, during which Chris and I will do things like work on trouser shape, the curve of the coat’s quarters, and lapel shape.

Previous: Measurements & Styling                              Next: Second Basted Fitting

Very exciting news:  Chris Despos has kindly offered to help me give Simply Refined’s readers a closer look at the bespoke process by cutting me a suit.  I’ll be chronicling the process here, including technical detail, my own reactions, and any tips I can humbly impart along the way.  Here’s the first installment.

You may remember my recent article about Chris Despos, one of the nation’s top tailors.  I spoke with him a little more last week and this project emerged.  Once the smelling salts were applied and had I hauled myself off the fainting couch (read: floor), we got down to business.

We started with the basic concept: a two-piece suit in textured navy wool.  This way the jacket can be worn separately as a blazer, since I don’t have nearly enough occasions for wearing a full suit.

I flipped through few cloth options, only half-sure of what I was doing.  Ultimately Chris chimed in and pointed me to a piece of deadstock worsted on his cloth-wall that fit the bill perfectly – Holland & Sherry’s Vendon, a particularly sturdy 110z worsted with some texture and a great depth of color.

To the mirrors.  Chris whipped out his tape, sized me up, and started letting the questions fly.  I’m pretty comfortable around Chris, but it is an intimidating process.  Each answer feels like the most important one you’ll give in your lifetime.  How many buttons?  Two.  Vents?  Two.  Belt loops?  No.  And so on as the tape flutters about.

It’s also a little weird coming to terms with the actual shape of your body.  With most ready to wear brands vanity sizing and cutting things as they do, most of our human imperfections are glossed over.  You could have the tailor keep yours to himself, but where’s the fun in that.

Luckily I have been measured before so it wasn’t a total shock when we started talking about my extremely lopsided shoulders, protruding shoulder blades, *ahem* prominent seat, etc.  Chris kindly remarked that my 36″ chest and 5′ 7″ stature are “not unlike Fred Astaire.”  Flattery, Chris, will get you everywhere.

To sum things up, after all my prevaricating, the coat will have notch lapels, flap pockets, two buttons, twin vents, and a fairly soft shoulder, while the trousers will sit on my natural waist, stay up with side-tabs and braces, and feature two pleats, slash pockets, and two-inch turn ups.  Nothing too shocking, and a little old-school on the trouser choices.

To compliment the navy worsted I selected a bottle green lining (though burgundy nearly won out) and extremely dark horn buttons.  By not selecting blue buttons the coat will look less like a divorced suit coat with odd trousers, yet the horn buttons remain discreet and unobtrusive when the suit is worn as a whole.

So everything is ready to go.  The next step will be my basted fitting.  That will be followed by possibly another basted fitting if there are any major adjustments needed, and then definitely both forward and final fittings.  You’ll all be updated each step of the way.  Here’s looking forward to next time!

Next: First Basted Fitting