Reader Q: Made-to-Measure Disaster… What Should I Look Out For?
I recently made the mistake of ordering a made-to-measure suit at a major New York store. Off the rack, I wear an Extra Short. Although I had discussed the issue with the MTM director, when the suit came in the jacket was too long because it was cut as a Short.
The store is going to do the suit over from scratch, but I’m afraid that they will simply shorten the jacket. What should I look out for?
–Anonymous, 5-foot-4
Poor guy. Going custom is a big investment. And It’s this type of horror story that puts people off taking the MTM plunge. Here’s what I’d look for when trying on the re-made jacket:
Pockets: As far as I know a tailor can’t really reposition pockets, so check to see if they look too low in relation to the new, shorter bottom hem.
Buttons: To a lesser extent, I’d think the same would apply to the front buttons.
Can anyone confirm this? What other telltale signs would there be if they got lazy and just shortened the existing jacket? And do you have any recommendations for a MTM suitmaker who’d get an Extra Short right on the first go-round?
June 13th, 2010 at 10:39 am
You are right, the biggest sign is shortening of the coat. The pockets will look like they’re in the wrong place.
We at Jimmy Au’s make a true extra short in our made-to-measure program. We have yet to find another. Otherwise, we would probably consider using them. There are some that make a “cadet” and call it an extra short. They are similar, but not the same. A “cadet” is more of a young men’s fit for a man 5′2″. My dad used to make those for jockeys.
Many MTM programs DO NOT include an extra short pattern.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I’m a bit confused. Don’t MTM places take an exact measurement of the length you need (as opposed to just noting “short” or “extra short”)? That’s what my tailor did when I had a suit made recently; I thought that was the usual way, no?
June 14th, 2010 at 11:42 am
JB: Yeah, it’s confusing. I haven’t had a lot of experience with either myself. But my understanding is that with MTM, they’re still adhering to an existing pattern vs bespoke where the whole garment is made from scratch just for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_measure
Perhaps this place didn’t have any truly Extra Short patterns. Or all the measurements were right, but they simply cut it from the wrong pattern, so the hem’s too long. Without more details from the OP, who knows? But MTM is not as ‘exact’ as you’d think it would be.
Alan: Thanks for the background — very interesting!