A wedding suit is about way more than a slick piece of clothing. It’s an integral part of one of the most important days in a man’s life – so, you want it to be bang on perfect, don’t you? Enter: personal tailoring.
There’s no point in investing your money in an A + suit if it’s going to hang off of you like a damp flannel. Or (dare we say, even worse) cling to you like its life depends on it.
The perfect fit is the key to unlocking confidence, amping up style and adding a flair of elegance. And when the suit fits just right, it makes EVERYTHING look better. We’re talking posture, frame – all of it.
Read on for the H&G lowdown on personal tailoring, why it should never just be a *nice to have* and how we approach it.
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What’s so great about personal tailoring?
Personal tailoring is an art; it’s a process that shapes the suit around you, rather than the other way around. No square pegs in round holes – with personal tailoring, you get something that is perfectly designed to fit you like a glove.
It involves a mixture of:
- Precise measurements
- Multiple fittings
- Pattern and fabric designs
- Alterations
- Expert guidance
… All of which come together to create a suit ideally matched to the wearer.
The thing we really love about personal tailoring is that it allows you to get down to the nitty gritty. One small part of the suit making it less than A-MA-ZING for you? Personal tailoring can fix that. And when you’re planning a wedding – built around a clear vision and aesthetic – this really does make all the difference.
‘Cos not only does it look better, but it feels more comfortable, adapting seamlessly to the wearer’s movements (and yes, we are including those epic 1am dance moves), ensuring they feel as confident as possible on their big day.
Your suit provider can also advise on what will look best for your body shape – and guys, let’s face it… this isn’t always an obvious answer, is it? Plus, if you fancy some snazzy customisations, they can help you with that too. Whether that’s switching up the fabric, adjusting lapel styles or adding in some different button details, the world is your suited and booted oyster.
Bespoke VS made-to-measure VS off-the-rack.
You’ve probably seen a bunch of different phrases to do with suits and tailoring – we wouldn’t be surprised if your head’s spinning from them all. Let’s break them down:
Bespoke tailoring
The creme-de-le-creme of tailoring. Bespoke tailoring essentially means everything is handcrafted from the ground up to suit your precise measurements, shape and posture.
The end result is flawless. Your suit will be sculpted to your skin – the kind that will make the rest of the room green with envy.
Bespoke tailoring will require a lot of fittings to make sure no thread is left unwoven. It’s worth noting that true bespoke tailoring is a rare occurrence. Heading to Savile Row? GO WILD!
However, most suit adjustments will be done through a mixture of factory changes and finer tweaks by hand.
Made-to-measure
With made-to-measure, you still get a bunch of the bespoke tailoring benefits, but you start off with a base pattern. So, rather than starting from scratch, you’ve got a suit design that already ticks your boxes; it’s then adjusted to fit your measurements, with opportunities still available to customise fabric, size and those finer details.
It’s an in-between space, and an option that is super popular with our clients.
Off-the-rack
Obviously, personal tailoring does come with its added costs. That’s why off-the-rack suits are another option for quicker, less expensive purchases that still have the option of minor tailoring.
With off-the-rack, there will be limited fit adjustments, but you can still have alterations made on sleeve length, hem length and waistbands.
The Hunter & Grey’s approach.
Our most common service for suit tailoring is made-to-order. This is when the groom buys one of our many iconic suits in our hire range (including plenty of other colour options in the same style), but it needs some tweaking. This could include anything from taking inches off the waist (often to accommodate broad shoulders while maintaining a *chef’s kiss* silhouette), to sleeve length and overall sizing.
We also have a partnership with a brilliant company called Etch who offer over 100 fabrics, linings, buttons and stitching options. This means that we have the option of tweaking the actual design – think pocket and lapel styles – as well as tons of shirt options.
Finally, we work with a first-class factory who will make absolutely anything out of fabric that you wish. When we say the sky’s the limit, we really mean it. In need of a kilt jacket for a highland wedding? Easy. In fact, Sean – one half of the married couple behind Hunter & Grey’s – had one made for their own wedding. So, if you’ve got a bit of trust and imagination to hand, this is a pretty exciting option.
When it comes to fitting, you can expect to see us for your initial design consultation, one fitting and then a final fit… Although, if you’re going real fancy with your purchase, we may bring you in another time on top of that.
Ready to experience the timeless elegance of a tailored wedding suit?
Then come this way – we’ve got a cool beer waiting for you 🍺
Something we pride ourselves on is that we will never force our customers into a box that doesn’t work for them. So, whether you’re in the market for a personally tailored suit, or a made-to-measure, or something off-the-rack, we’ve basically got your back.
It all starts with a consultation. Showroom visits are by appointment only, so to book a spot head over here.
We’re looking forward to hearing from you 😎
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