A final fitting on the Huntsman shooting suit last week, and only David Ward’s little tweaks stopped it being taken away. Good as the fit might look here, David insisted on taking a tiny tuck just below the right shoulder on the back of the jacket and taking in a little of the fullness at the back of the britches.
I questioned David on the lack of pattern matching. His answer was that the belt is pulled tight across the waist while the back has a good amount of drape (making it easier to turn and fire), so the difference in the check is that difference in tautness.
The checks across the chest and sleeves now match. As mentioned in the previous post in this series, David deliberately did not match them in the previous fitting to allow the sleeves to be raised or lowered.
Hopefully final suit next week.
Darn, tailored clothes look so good.
I mean really good.
Good God Man, Are you hoping to scare them to death with that pattern rather than shoot them ?
I am a big fan of british tailoring and have a few suits from british tailors myself.
But I have newer understood, do not understand, and will never understand this kind of british clothing 😉
I congratulate you with your new suit!
Franck
Simon, to my (probably not that sofisticated) eye, a superb suit.
It’s a really nice-looking suit as it stands, but I question the actual function. It’s a bit pompous to go ‘shooting’ in such a suit just for historical authenticity.
I can’t understand the rationale of not wearing a bowler/homberg hat or bow tie on the grounds of it being faux-style peacockery, yet wearing what is generally an ‘unusual’ suit.
Sorry for my humbag attitude Simon. It may be the mere mention of shooting, which (unless it’s clay pigeons) I consider the domain of idiot toffs and toff impersonators.
Very nice suit!
Regarding Huntsman here is a little anecdote: two months ago I brought them my dark-navy-with-subtle-pinstripes suit made seven (7) years ago for alterations.
I wanted the suit to be loosened a little, especially across the shoulders, as it was tailored in the very strict, uniform Huntsman style. I would say that my physiognomy has not changed much in these past years but that my taste (especially for comfort) did.
We did a fitting, had a lovely discussion with the tailor about what to do, where to let out some fabric and how to render the jacket more comfortable.
This was two months ago. I am not and never have been in a hurry when it comes to such things but here is the point: When I called them last week to inquire whether the alterations are done, they told me that they have not finished them because there is not enough fabric in the shoulders to do what we planned during the fitting. They told me that this (leaving very little fabric) is how they cut their jackets once that the cut is finalised.
A little bit disconcerted I asked why I had not been told this during the fitting, if this is “how they do it” – and was told that they could not have known without opening the jacket first.
Honestly, it does not sound very logical to me…
I’d hate to sound like a Debbie Downer here, Simon, as I really appreciate your blog, but I must say that I agree with some of your commenters and believe that your taste in suiting has gotten progressively worse. This fabric is outlandish, impractical, and seems too ‘costume’-y. It might fit in well if you were starring in a production of Lionel Bart’s musical “Oliver!”, but anywhere else, it is an eyesore.
I hope you don’t take me personal opinions too negatively! Keep up the good work on the site, I love it!
Cameron, I robustly disagree. There’s nothing outlandish or impractical at all about the fabric. It’s merely designed to go where you and the flock fear to tread.
The pattern is too strong for not matching. It’s just disconcerting… Now, if there was pattern matching in the shoulders, collar and belt, this suit would be a thing of beauty (albeit without any real use).
Well, I think it’s an amazing suit. True, the pattern is not to my tastes–but I’m not the one who’s going to wear it, so what do my tastes matter?
My only question is about the breeches/breeks/whatever they’re called. I think about the only place you see those in America is on golf courses and on cross-country skiers, but only rarely at that. Where do you intend to wear them?
Inevitably, I think the jacket worn separately will get the most use, perhaps with some brown moleskins or similar brown/grey chinos. Then the jacket and waistcoat worn together, with odd trousers, and finally the ensemble as a whole. That is most likely to be restricted to shooting or other country pursuits where you might be hacking through long grass.
Thanks for all your comments
Simon
What a superb and stylish suit. You wear it very well. Very well proportioned. I personally favour a fuller plus four cut. As you say, the coat and waistcoat will get the most wear, we must be due a revival of plus fours in everyday wear.
Should you have expected the vertical lines to match at the collar given Huntsman’s price point? (I recall reading something on their site about “doing perfection and demanding perfection”) or is this just unrealistic in a first fitting with any tailor, even one charging the premium of Huntsman?
I don’t think price has much to do with it, but it’s certainly a hard thing to get right first time with a check like this