The Process
1. consultation &
FABRICS
The tradition of hand-made clothing holds that your garment simply can’t exist prior to the client’s conversation with the tailor. It needs, in effect, to be spoken into existence. So, consider your initial visit — whether at our Manhattan showroom or ‘on the road’ at one of our trunk-shows across the country — as something of a first date.
This is the opportunity to get acquainted, discuss your specific needs and desires, have precise measurements taken, and –– now this is the fun part –– spend some time selecting the ideal fabric for your garment. We offer more than 5000 cloths to choose from — including an assortment of our own, exclusive, in-house designs.
First time clients come to understand that it’s vital to more than simply appreciate, but rather to fully embrace, the process. After all, that’s why you’ve chosen the Bespoke Experience.
2. cutting
THE PATTERN
Unlike ready-to-wear, made-to-order, or made-to-measure, all of which are developed based on existing templates, bespoke clothing begins a #2 pencil and a roll of 70 lb. pattern marking paper.
And, of course, a master cutter.
The creation of each client’s specific pattern, engineered to his uniquely individual specifications, is the work of the cutter – who has honed his craft through years of dedicated study. The cutter drafts a pattern then transfers the paper pattern to the cloth, and, shears in hand, carefully cuts each piece before passing them along to both the coat maker and trouser maker.
3. constructing the
GARMENT
The assembly of each bespoke garment from start to finish can take up to 100 hours of meticulous labor.
The trimmings — canvas, thread, linings, etc., are painstakingly matched to the selected fabric — and, specifically, to the tension required for every stitch and each specific cloth. This becomes the architecture of a three-dimensional garment. As the assembly progresses, tailors often speak of figuratively finding the client’s body expressed in the garment; revealing the distinctive physical traits of that body as translated into the cloth.
Only once this foundational work is complete does the garment progress to the fitting stage, where the intimate dialogue between client and tailor takes the clothing from something objectively well-made — to something that is uniquely personal and one of a kind.
4. baste, second, & final
FITTINGS
“Knowledge of principles is just as essential when fitting as it is when producing a pattern… it takes up very little time and saves any misconception when the garment is actually being fitted.”
— From Defects and Remedies in Tailor-Made Garments, 1952
by Phillip Dellafera, Principal of The Tailor and Cutter Academy
The fitting process, while both critical and time consuming, affords both the client and tailor the opportunity to assess and fine-tune the garment throughout each stage of its construction. In fact, bespoke tailoring is one of the few luxury products that demand this level of dedicated collaboration between the client and the craftsman.
Generally, a first-time client should expect at least three fittings; an initial, or baste fitting — where in the garment is in its most primitive stage, with neither pockets nor lining, but which will allow the tailor to address any issue with the balance of the garment. Following this fitting, the garment is disassembled, and, after the pattern is altered accordingly, reconstructed and readied for the second fitting.
This “forward” fitting is where all the adjustments dictated at the baste stage are reviewed and tweaked and applied as necessary. At the final fitting, the garment is almost finished and minor alterations – which are also memorialized in your pattern — are made and the garment is ready for delivery.
5. maintenance &
AFTER CARE
The basic recommendations for the care of your bespoke garment are commonly known; always use a proper wishbone hanger, vigorously brush the garment after each wearing, hang it outside of the closet immediately after wearing, and, of course, DO NOT overclean any quality tailored garment.
In fact, we recommend that if your garment warrants dry cleaning that it be returned to us for proper care and handling. It is not so much the commercial dry-cleaning process that can damage a fine suit or jacket, but rather commercial pressing that is the true culprit. The dimensionality that is crafted into a bespoke garment can only be guaranteed by proper pressing, which, in the case of a Paolo Martorano Bespoke garment can take up to several hours to maintain its shape. Buttons need be removed and reattached, etc.
