Ongoing Bespoke Projects

[Flake]

I just got something like what you described: 3-piece, SB. My thinking was to make it a conservative business suit when it needed to be, with a kick up in formality when called for.
I did a straight 2-button notch lapel on the jacket with a double-breasted shawl lapel on the waistcoat. All in a solid blue a couple of shades lighter than navy.

I’d love to see pics of that

 

[Despos]

Questions: in thinking about this next commission, I am trying to decide on certain details. I’m certain that the suit will be a solid dark blue (not navy necessarily, but not far from it). I will get a 3 piece. I’d like for the suit to be formal when I’d like it to be, and in that respect, I’m considering single breasted (it will be single breasted no matter what, fyi) with peak lapels. But, this would be the only single breasted peak lapel garment I own (at present). Even my tuxedo is a notch. I have DB sport coats,
but not a suit. So question 1) should I just stick to notch lapel (which is my inclination)? Question 2: the waistcoat: if I would like for the suit to be more formal, what are your thoughts on waistcoats with lapels and double breasted waistcoats, etc.?

If peak lapels are appropriate you have to put the suit in context of where you will wear the suit and if peak lapels make sense. Would the fact that the jacket has peak lapels ever make you question wearing it for The occasion you are dressing for?
Consider making the jacket with only 1 button. It’s a subtle deviation from a 2 button jacket and I think makes it a touch dressier and distinctive. Hardly anyone will notice. Besom pockets dressier than flaps.
I don’t mind lapels on vests but they are more visual without the jacket. lower parts of the Lapels are only visible with the jacket on. Personally I think lapels on vests are on the border between dressy and dandy. Adding a vest makes the suit dressier regardless of the details. Have read in the hierarchy of dressing 3 piece is dressier, more formal than a DB and one step below semi formal attire.

 

[Flake]

Questions: in thinking about this next commission, I am trying to decide on certain details. I’m certain that the suit will be a solid dark blue (not navy necessarily, but not far from it). I will get a 3 piece. I’d like for the suit to be formal when I’d like it to be, and in that respect, I’m considering single breasted (it will be single breasted no matter what, fyi) with peak lapels. But, this would be the only single breasted peak lapel garment I own (at present). Even my tuxedo is a notch. I have DB sport coats,
but not a suit. So question 1) should I just stick to notch lapel (which is my inclination)? Question 2: the waistcoat: if I would like for the suit to be more formal, what are your thoughts on waistcoats with lapels and double breasted waistcoats, etc.?

I have a Tom Ford MTM in navy with the typical big peak SB lapel, and the waistcoat has no lapel. I wore it to my son’s wedding a couple of years ago, and the overall look was very formal. I wear it without the waistcoat most of the time.
If I were building something like that bespoke, I think that I would still default to no lapel on the waistcoat, given the drama and formality of the SB peak lapel. But I would be very tempted to consider a DB shawl lapel as an option. In the end, I’d likely end up with “whatever Chris Despos advises”

 

[jiredell]

@Despos's advice sounds sound (repetition intentional). And I appreciate @Flake's perspective. What I was thinking is that peak lapels will automatically make the suit more formal--for when that's needed--but I can "dress it down" if need be. But, on the other hand, I definitely lean more toward a notch, as other than with DB, I don't have suits in this style, and my feeling is that the single breasted notch lapel jacket is much more serviceable and versatile (plus, there are things I can do to personalize here, such as fish mouth lapels, if I want). I very much apprecaite the feedback on the waistcoat, as that is an area where I feel far less confident when it comes to styling.

 

[Mark from Plano]

In the end, I’d likely end up with “whatever Chris Despos advises”

Good policy!

 

[bdavro23]

If peak lapels are appropriate you have to put the suit in context of where you will wear the suit and if peak lapels make sense. Would the fact that the jacket has peak lapels ever make you question wearing it for The occasion you are dressing for?
Consider making the jacket with only 1 button. It’s a subtle deviation from a 2 button jacket and I think makes it a touch dressier and distinctive. Hardly anyone will notice. Besom pockets dressier than flaps.
I don’t mind lapels on vests but they are more visual without the jacket. lower parts of the Lapels are only visible with the jacket on. Personally I think lapels on vests are on the border between dressy and dandy. Adding a vest makes the suit dressier regardless of the details. Have read in the hierarchy of dressing 3 piece is dressier, more formal than a DB and one step below semi formal attire.

I love this advice and really prefer peak lapel suits to be 1 button personally. On point as always Mr. Despos!

 

[The Chai]

1b sbpl all the way...a 2 button sbpl is a wasted opportunity!

 

[dieworkwear]

If you get a single-breasted peak lapel, I think it's a good idea to look up other SBPLs by that tailor and make sure you like them. Some tailors make that design look good; others don't. Sometimes the jacket comes out looking like the legs on a basted turkey. The lapel looks stubby and doesn't have the same swooping effect you see on a double-breasted peak-lapel.

I think the design can look good on a summer evening jacket. But on a suit, sometimes it can look like someone ordered a MTM garment and just ticked off all the boxes.

 

[emptym]

I got a blazer suit too. I got married in it, but I wear it almost exclusively as a sport coat. The fabric is the Smiths finmeresco, ~12 oz, which I think is the same as the Drapers 4 ply fresco-type fabric. I forget the name.

I kind of agree with DWW that it's best for someone with a small wardrobe. But my recollection of Manton's original thread on the blazer suit was that he mainly used it for travel, and so it might be good for someone with a larger wardrobe too.

I think the two things Vox's Swiss Army suit added to the blazer suit were the vest and the buttons that could change. If I were to get a Swiss army, I'd have the buttons sewn to each other, so they could simply be reversed.

 

[Despos]

Appreciate the comments!
@jiredell, ask yourself how you describe/view peak lapels?
Are peak lapels dressy, flashy, stylish, aggressive, pretentious, distinctive, showy, formal, elegant?
The adjective you use might reveal a stigma associated with the style causing you to hesitate choosing peak lapels. Wanting to avoid wearing a style that renders a negative image of you by association or you simply may not like the look of peak lapels.
Generalization: Men dress in harmony with their persona.
An observation:
Have made cream colored vests for multiple clients. Some come back and say “it seldom gets worn, it’s too much of a novelty.” Others say “I can’t believe how versatile it is and how often I wear it.”
Same vest, different personalities.

 

[jiredell]

These are all great comments, and I appreciate them! @Despos, it's interesting the adjectives you've listed for peak lapels. I think all of them could apply, depending on the person wearing the garment. My own DBPL jackets I consider to be "dressy," but they are navy blazers, so they are inherently somewhat casual--one is a cotton DB with white MOP buttons and patch pockets.

I have yet to own--or wear--a SBPL jacket (even my tuxedo, as I think I mentioned in an earlier post, is NL), but I've always associated the SBPL look with a dressy elegance.

However, I’m kinda rethinking the SBPL, but have not ruled it out. But I definitely love the 1 button idea either way. I’m thinking perhaps to maybe cut the difference with something like a fish mouth lapel. While in the tailor shop the other day he had a SBPL in the end stages, and it looked nice. I'll have to take a closer look at it. He is the tailor who makes Edgar Pomeroy’s suits, so I feel reasonably assured that when I search for those online, I'm looking at his work (below is not the jacket I saw the other day, though):

On the other hand, many of Pomeroy's clients are like basketball and football players and whatnot, and I wouldn't consider a lot of their style to be classic, in general, and a lot of the stuff out there if I search for Poemeroy's suits are pretty flashy. The tailor, Teo Flor, keeps a pretty low profile and has a regular bevy of clients, most of whom are lawyers in Atlanta. Needless to say, there's not much out there if I search his name. But I can always see what he's working on in his shop.

With my first commission from this tailor I went with something kind of like a fish mouth. And I liked the result:

Perhaps I could do something similar, but a bit more horizontal on the lower portion of the gorge, like on this jacket?:

Thanks for everyone’s input!

 

[brax]

1b sbpl all the way...a 2 button sbpl is a wasted opportunity!

Agree with Despos and The Chai. If you go single-breasted peak lapel, 1 button is the way to go

 

[brax]

Appreciate the comments!
@jiredell, ask yourself how you describe/view peak lapels?
Are peak lapels dressy, flashy, stylish, aggressive, pretentious, distinctive, showy, formal, elegant?
The adjective you use might reveal a stigma associated with the style causing you to hesitate choosing peak lapels. Wanting to avoid wearing a style that renders a negative image of you by association or you simply may not like the look of peak lapels.
Generalization: Men dress in harmony with their persona.
An observation:
Have made cream colored vests for multiple clients. Some come back and say “it seldom gets worn, it’s too much of a novelty.” Others say “I can’t believe how versatile it is and how often I wear it.”
Same vest, different personalities.

Which group will I fall into? Re cream colored DB vest In the works.

 

[The Chai]

Dunno about. In regards to all those descriptions I would probably use elegant for myself to a lesser extent. I find them aesthetically pleasing ...proportions...minimalist...lines that sort of thing. The 1b sbpl imo is to suit configurations like the farnsworth house is to house designs

 

[jiredell]

Dunno about. In regards to all those descriptions I would probably use elegant for myself to a lesser extent. I find them aesthetically pleasing ...proportions...minimalist...lines that sort of thing. The 1b sbpl imo is to suit configurations like the farnsworth house is to house designs

Interesting analogy, and I like it. Although, not to put too fine a point on it, in line with your analogy, is there not something a bit Frank Lloyd Wright about the peak lapels too? They're, like, cantilevered.