Ongoing Bespoke Projects

[ericgereghty]

Ya, they definitely do stand out. Neither good nor bad, I don't think, but definitely stand out in some capacity.

I would say how one views you wearing suspenders would largely boil down to how they view you in general.

Dislike = this guy's a douche.
Like = this guy has style.

Strangers just tend to compliment or ignore.

 

[reidd]

I have gone back and forth a bit on suspender vs belt. In my early bespoke days, I almost always got side adjustors on everything; both suits and odd trousers. Now I tend to go with belt loops on odd trousers. For odd trousers I think belt is more versatile since I wear tailored trousers without jackets quite a bit and the belt just works better in that context. If you wear polo shirts with tailoring (which I often do), suspenders just look wrong. I think clip on suspenders work reasonably well with odd trouser/jacket but belt is just easier and lends more to the more casual look. Button braces don't work at all with this combo in my opinion.

I do think side adjustors without a jacket can still look fine although you do lose the ability to cinch them up that you get with a belt. I have never had a pair of side adjustor trousers where the side adjustors provided any functionality whatsoever. IMO they are strictly ornamental.

For suits I stick with brace buttons since as others have said, they are superior to belts in holding up trousers and look and feel at home with a suit.

 

[jonathanS]

I have gone back and forth a bit on suspender vs belt. In my early bespoke days, I almost always got side adjustors on everything; both suits and odd trousers. Now I tend to go with belt loops on odd trousers. For odd trousers I think belt is more versatile since I wear tailored trousers without jackets quite a bit and the belt just works better in that context. If you wear polo shirts with tailoring (which I often do), suspenders just look wrong. I think clip on suspenders work reasonably well with odd trouser/jacket but belt is just easier and lends more to the more casual look. Button braces don't work at all with this combo in my opinion.

I do think side adjustors without a jacket can still look fine although you do lose the ability to cinch them up that you get with a belt. I have never had a pair of side adjustor trousers where the side adjustors provided any functionality whatsoever. IMO they are strictly ornamental.

For suits I stick with brace buttons since as others have said, they are superior to belts in holding up trousers and look and feel at home with a suit.

I’ll chime in here because why not:

Odd trousers -> belt
Suit trousers -> braces unless it’s a more casual suit, then belt.

Never side adjusters, because it’s cleaner.

But, if you want side adjusters, it’s fine for fabrics like fresco, but flannels are too thick & then don’t work well in my experience.

The only downside is, if I forget braces for a trip, I’m dealing with it all day & it’s harder to use the trousers as odd trousers. But, if you’re planning to double up the use (this is styleforum, so you shouldn’t) just do side adjusters.

 

[reidd]

I’ll chime in here because why not:

Odd trousers -> belt
Suit trousers -> braces unless it’s a more casual suit, then belt.

Never side adjusters, because it’s cleaner.

But, if you want side adjusters, it’s fine for fabrics like fresco, but flannels are too thick & then don’t work well in my experience.

The only downside is, if I forget braces for a trip, I’m dealing with it all day & it’s harder to use the trousers as odd trousers. But, if you’re planning to double up the use (this is styleforum, so you shouldn’t) just do side adjusters.

I actually find the opposite problem when packing. When I have forgotten braces, I just wear the pants without and have no problem since with side adjustors, they still look right. There's nothing worse than forgetting a belt and having empty belt loops thought.

 

[twuthetiger]

I’ll chime in here because why not:

Odd trousers -> belt
Suit trousers -> braces unless it’s a more casual suit, then belt.

Never side adjusters, because it’s cleaner.

But, if you want side adjusters, it’s fine for fabrics like fresco, but flannels are too thick & then don’t work well in my experience.

The only downside is, if I forget braces for a trip, I’m dealing with it all day & it’s harder to use the trousers as odd trousers. But, if you’re planning to double up the use (this is styleforum, so you shouldn’t) just do side adjusters.

I too also find side adjuster don work wait with flannels and thicker fabrics. I think maybe a side button adjuster instead of the standard could be a bit more useful in that case.

 

[SimonC]

I get braces buttons and side adjusters on all my trousers.

I’ve found myself wearing braces with suits less in recent years, but mostly because with the casualisation of the workplace a suit is unusual, a tie exceptional, and I suspect braces are a bridge too far…

 

[DaAlSh]

I get what are colloquially known as Daks tops on all my trousers, both suits and casual. I find they work well (unlike side tabs) on all fabrics and give a much cleaner look - I use belt loops only on jeans etc.

 

[sensuki]

I haven't worn daks before myself, but I'm curious - usually you're given one extra button, maybe ~1 inch forward of the resting button? As that is 1 inch from each side does it feel like a big difference, or does the elastic in the back give it a bit of ease?

 

[DaAlSh]

I haven't worn daks before myself, but I'm curious - usually you're given one extra button, maybe ~1 inch forward of the resting button? As that is 1 inch from each side does it feel like a big difference, or does the elastic in the back give it a bit of ease?

Just measured mine - there are usually a total of three buttons (tho' sometimes I remove the most forward for a cleaner look) spaced (for me) 18mm apart. Moving one button forward doesn't seem like a big step and, yes, definitely, there is some give because of the elastic in the back - which to me makes them far more comfortable when kneeling, etc.). Also I'll often only move the button on one side....

 

[classicalthunde]

Question for the crowd - how would you approach the following thinly veiled hypothetical scenario:

You’ve ordered a couple of bespoke jackets from a tailor at a trunk show. They had proper fittings and you were happy with the results.

You order next time around, provide your own fabric for the commission, ask for the same basic thing with regard to style details and a) it’s done straight to finish (no based/forward fitting, just 1 round of post completion adjustments) without any communication on that change, and b) the lapels are significantly bigger (from 4” to 4.5”) than you’re prior order.

Also important to note, there’s no proper full length mirror at the trunk show just a bathroom sink mirror and mirror on the floor for lower leg/break-line) so you don’t get a full sense of these changes and don’t register these concerns at thr minor fitting and don’t actually realize it until you receive it.

You receive the items and you’re not happy with the result, and potentially considering walking away from future orders.

Do you:
A) say nothing, take your lumps and walk away
B) say something, but still walk away
C) ask them what they can do to make it right
D) ask for a full do over

Fully realizing most people take a swing and a miss on their sartorial journey…curious how the people here would handle the next steps.

 

[SimonC]

Personally I struggle to see how anything other than C is a legitimate option.

The tailor’s response (which might include them offering D) will inform how you react.

I’m also not hearing anything which is egregious enough to warrant A. Your scenario suggests it’s just lapel width?

 

[classicalthunde]

Personally I struggle to see how anything other than C is a legitimate option.

The tailor’s response (which might include them offering D) will inform how you react.

I’m also not hearing anything which is egregious enough to warrant A. Your scenario suggests it’s just lapel width?

Thanks for the advice, that’s how I was leaning, but curious as to how others with more bespoke experience would proceed or what my overall options were

To clarify, “take my lumps and walk away” was me basically trying to say take it for what it is and decide not to go back to them for future orders.

My overall concerns are switching straight to finish without any discussion and the larger lapel. While it’s just a lapel, 4.5in seems pretty large for my frame and makes the garment a little to rakish for the office.

 

[JohnMRobie]

Thanks for the advice, that’s how I was leaning, but curious as to how others with more bespoke experience would proceed or what my overall options were

To clarify, “take my lumps and walk away” was me basically trying to say take it for what it is and decide not to go back to them for future orders.

My overall concerns are switching straight to finish without any discussion and the larger lapel. While it’s just a lapel, 4.5in seems pretty large for my frame and makes the garment a little to rakish for the office.

The answer is definitely C and then you can go from there and decide what the outcome after that is but I’m not sure how you could make a choice without starting with C.

Things are going to go wrong at some point with anything bespoke but this is also why the relationship with my tailor is so important to me as well as their willingness to make things right. If they’re not willing to communicate or try and make things right then that’s an easy red flag to walk away.

But in the interim it’s pretty easy to say I have concerns about this having gone straight to finish, in the future I’d like fittings on all my garments unless I explicitly ask otherwise and here’s why, these are my concerns with this one, what can we do to fix that?

 

[jonathanS]

Personally I struggle to see how anything other than C is a legitimate option.

The tailor’s response (which might include them offering D) will inform how you react.

I’m also not hearing anything which is egregious enough to warrant A. Your scenario suggests it’s just lapel width?

Thanks for the advice, that’s how I was leaning, but curious as to how others with more bespoke experience would proceed or what my overall options were

To clarify, “take my lumps and walk away” was me basically trying to say take it for what it is and decide not to go back to them for future orders.

My overall concerns are switching straight to finish without any discussion and the larger lapel. While it’s just a lapel, 4.5in seems pretty large for my frame and makes the garment a little to rakish for the office.

The answer is definitely C and then you can go from there and decide what the outcome after that is but I’m not sure how you could make a choice without starting with C.

Things are going to go wrong at some point with anything bespoke but this is also why the relationship with my tailor is so important to me as well as their willingness to make things right. If they’re not willing to communicate or try and make things right then that’s an easy red flag to walk away.

But in the interim it’s pretty easy to say I have concerns about this having gone straight to finish, in the future I’d like fittings on all my garments unless I explicitly ask otherwise and here’s why, these are my concerns with this one, what can we do to fix that?

This makes me think I should go hassle Dalcuore again. Seeing as, while it was a while ago, I brought the issue up to them and it’s recent enough that they haven’t delivered me my trousers that they were supposed to adjust. (I gave them the trousers to adjust in Napoli around a year ago & they said they’d send them.)

I guess I gave up 🤷🏻‍♂️. But I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try again - I didn’t want to give them the jacket back because I had no confidence I’d ever see it again (still haven’t seen those trousers), but I don’t wear it as it doesn’t fit anyways, so what difference does it make?

 

[9thsymph]

Question for the crowd - how would you approach the following thinly veiled hypothetical scenario:

You’ve ordered a couple of bespoke jackets from a tailor at a trunk show. They had proper fittings and you were happy with the results.

You order next time around, provide your own fabric for the commission, ask for the same basic thing with regard to style details and a) it’s done straight to finish (no based/forward fitting, just 1 round of post completion adjustments) without any communication on that change, and b) the lapels are significantly bigger (from 4” to 4.5”) than you’re prior order.

Also important to note, there’s no proper full length mirror at the trunk show just a bathroom sink mirror and mirror on the floor for lower leg/break-line) so you don’t get a full sense of these changes and don’t register these concerns at thr minor fitting and don’t actually realize it until you receive it.

You receive the items and you’re not happy with the result, and potentially considering walking away from future orders.

Do you:
A) say nothing, take your lumps and walk away
B) say something, but still walk away
C) ask them what they can do to make it right
D) ask for a full do over

Fully realizing most people take a swing and a miss on their sartorial journey…curious how the people here would handle the next steps.

I've had two experiences similar to the scenario you describe. I went with option "A" with one tailor and option "B" with the other.