Shopping: Buying a tailor made suit in Birmingham
THE heartbeat quickens and beads of sweat appear on his forehead as he is confronted by the awful choice: “What colour jumper do I get?”
Clothes shopping has long been held as the female preserve that sends shivers down the spines of blokes who would happily spend twice the time checking out the latest TV or testing the new PlayStation 3 Fifa game.
But the dream of going into a tailor and getting fitted up for your own suit is one harboured by many men, but rarely spoken about.
They secretly hold dear the thought of entering a world where dapper gents lift their arms for tape to be stretched round their chest before the tailor gives a little mumble and jots something down on his notepad.
But it is also a world that can seem as impenetrable as it is desirable. Fears of cloying staff posing unfathomable questions over such things as cloth, width, check or no check, let alone the colour, conspire to keep us restricted to stolen glances through the tailor’s window as we trudge along carrying the missus’s new French Connection frock.
Then, of course, there is the cost.
Maybe my wardrobe will be greeted once a year by a new suit after a few months’ saving. Some High Street outlet will be visited where a shop assistant pricks me in the leg as they pin the trousers an inch too short or too long.
Soon enough the thoughts of saving up again and “getting it done properly next year” have started.
But it need not be that way, according to Matt Roden, tailor at leading Birmingham gentlemen’s outfitters Clements & Church.
On entering his Church Street store, the first question isn’t “which of our 14,000 fabrics would you like a suit in?,” but a disarming “can I get you a drink?”
He said: “Going to a tailor should be an enjoyable experience and not something men get stressed over or worry if they’re getting the right suit – that’s my job.
“It can be like we give some guys an education on how to wear suits properly, like picking the right shirt or tie and simple etiquette like which buttons to leave undone, and what to wear for what occasions.
“Whether someone buys a pair of socks or a £2,000 bespoke suit, they’ll be getting the same level of expertise and personal service.
“Guys come in telling us they can’t get suits to fit them and they’re really worried because they can’t afford a bespoke one. But to look good in a suit that fits well you don’t necessarily have to go down the bespoke route. We’re here to help with those choices and make the customer happy.”
So essentially, the options are the bespoke suit, which is made by hand over three or four fittings, taking about eight weeks to complete. It’s also the most expensive at £1,200 for your ‘bog standard’ suit. Two weeks quicker is the machine, made-to-measure suit with one or two fittings starting at £795. But the cheapest option is off-the peg, with suits starting at £450.
“The main difference is that off-the-peg is obviously already made to fit 99 per cent of men, but in doing that it only fits perfectly on one per cent of men. But we can alter off-the-peg suits massively and after one fitting it would feel to most people like a bespoke suit.
“This is where the skill of good a tailor comes in – having a keen eye and a passion for making the guy look as good and feel as comfortable as he possibly can.”
