I recently commissioned my third single-breasted suit from my tailor*. At this stage my pattern for a single-breasted jacket is pretty much cemented. The balance works well, the sleeves have been adjusted to just the right length and small issues like the height of the waist button have been ironed out. So it makes sense to speed the process up. At the moment I effectively have three fittings: basted, forward and final. As I always end up having something small changed when the suit is completed (such as the sleeve length or trouser waist) the final appointment is effectively a fitting.
The choice is basically to skip either the basted or forward fitting. If I skipped the basted, the cutter could send the cloth to the jacket-maker immediately, without having to wait for me to come in for a fitting. It would also save the time it takes for the jacket to be basted (say half a day).
If I skipped the forward fitting, the jacket maker would not have to send back his work at all, so the time saved would be slightly greater: no time waiting for me plus no lost time in couriering the jacket (twice).
Really though, the choice comes down to whether I am more confident in the fit of my jackets or in their design. The basted fitting is mostly about balance – it is the tailor’s biggest opportunity to get the figuration right and re-cut the cloth if anything is wrong. The forward fitting helps in this too, but it is mostly about me seeing the design in its near-finished form. It is not too late to alter the button positions or the roll of the lapel, or to spot any mistakes.
I’m not bad at designing suits, but my tailor is a lot better at fitting them. I’ve designed a dozen or so, he’s cut hundreds. So I plan to skip the basted fitting from now on. The jacket maker won’t like it, as he’ll have to pause in his work halfway, but better that than a botched design.
* A three-button, single-breasted model with patch pockets, turn-back cuffs and a collar tab; in mid-grey, nine-ounce Minnis flannel. The patch pockets have an outside welt that matches the depth of the cuffs and of the welt on the breast pocket (non-patch). Buttons will be whisky-coloured horn.
Hi Simon,
I’ve always wondered about this – but from an economic point of view, would this also mean that the tailor should you charge you less for your suits over time, given the less amount of time / labour spent?
Nimby
I suppose in theory yes, though it is generally accepted by both sides that while the initial cost will be higher than in the long term, the price stays consistent rather than being higher initially or lower later on. I think that’s fair and better than the situation with shirtmakers, who usually require a minimum order to start with in order to cover those higher costs.
I suppose tailors could argue that in the long term fitting time will just be replaced with alterations and maintennance in terms of cost to them.
Simon
Hi Simon,
Would it be possible to change the patch pocket shape during the forward fitting?
Yes it should be Bernie, though probably easier to do it at the basted fitting.
Thank you sir! I have my forward fitting tomorrow with WW Chan in Hong Kong and I’m expecting good things. The basted fitting went without a hitch – the balance of the jacket was perfect, shoulders spot on, sleeve pitch perfect, drape in the chest and back as requested, semi open quarters, and a nice snug collar. The trousers already had an uninterrupted line in the back center of foot. The front just needs a little work due to my hips being uneven but otherwise they were impressive for just the basted stage.
Best,
Bernie
Nice
Hi Simon,
recently I read an article from ‘dieworkwear’, that A&S skips bastted fitting and go forward directly. And they also use block pattern, It sounds like they are not anymore tradtional bespoke, but more as highly developed MTM in kinda small factory. Maybe it explains how only 3 cutters can make 1,500 suit for a year, whilst indenpendent tailor like SH only can max 200 for a year. I saw SH on his instagram posted one day that “with ‘rock of eye’, not ‘block pattern”. If you had a chance, will be very helpful to write about the differences.
Hi Dieter,
It is usually misleading to read too much into these things, especially the point about block patterns.
Yes, A&S often skip the basted fitting, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the fit will be any worse. It’s just harder. As long as the cutter is good, the fit may be just as good. I’ve had suits from tailors that do one fitting, and those that do six. There’s certainly no clear correlation with quality. And of course, my A&S suits were great.
On the block patterns, this is misleading because (a) everyone uses some kind of system or set of proportions in their head when making a pattern, and (b) the thing that makes bespoke good is not what pattern you start from, but how that pattern is refined in the fitting room – how much it is and can be changed.
That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be a little concerned if a tailor only did one fitting on me, but it also doesn’t mean that the result will necessarily be any worse. Ciardi is another good example – often only one fitting, but one of the best I’ve had.
Judge the results, not the process, and beware making any simple judgments from information like this. That’s the kind of thing that often comes about on forums – a little bit of information being exaggerated into more than it is.
Hi Simon, thanks for the resource – coming to it over a decade after publication but very relevant to me today.
Can a tailor adjust the width of the shoulders at the forward fitting stage or is that fixed after the baste fitting?
Would you ever straight finish a suit after the forward fitting (say if you were purchasing through a trunk show and didn’t want to wait months for a final fitting at the next visit)?
Thank you
No, they can’t really adjust the shoulder width at the forward fitting.
Yes I would happily straight finish after the forward fitting, presuming I was happy with the suit at that point, and so was the tailor. The kind of alterations you’d make at the final fitting can be made later on anyway.