Joe Hemrajani

[Zemke Fan]

You're right, Matt.

Actually I just saw Joe yesterday here in California.

Actually his East Coast guy seems to be M. Kenny. Never have met Joe himself.

 

[Senator Jack]

Odd that he, himself, doesn't come to D.C. as he does come to NY. The first shirt I ordered from him, I ordered online. After that, I went and got measured to tweak the fit. It does say 'minimum two shirts for returning customers' on the site, but once you establish correspondence with him, he'll let you order one as I did with the tux shirt. Thinking getting a non-pleat tux shirt on his next visit and will be asking him about that Jerry Lewis tux I posted in the other thread.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Dr Doran]

Hi Matt (or whoever else knows about this),

Beatuiful pants. Can you explain the business about rubber (or whatever else) inside the pants to keep the shirt tucked in? I want to know more about this. (Or perhaps there is another post I missed on the subject.)

 

[Matt Deckard]

Okay Jack... post some pics of that Black pinstripe DB you had made.

 

[Lawman]

Matt, if we're looking for that great drape 1940s look (I'm thinking of those peak lapel suits in the other post with broad shouldered jackets and untapered pants), which model(s) should we aim for, and which fabrics?

Thanks.

 

[Matt Deckard]

If Hemajani was coming to your area I'd say give him the details for which you are looking rather than pick from one of his online photos. Since it's not your normal made to measure shop you are lucky. It's more of a bespoke Via Satelite when you deal with Mytailor.com.

For the trousers I'd explain that I don't want a taper from the knee on. The rest of the leg from the rear to the thigh fine, though the look of the pipe leg is made from the drape from the knee on so after you know how wide you want it to be at the base of your trousers see that that is the same as the circumference at the knee.

As for the whoulders on the jacket. Find on you like and have that shoulder measurement copied. Made to measure shops use the shoulders to find what pattern will suit you best. Hemrajani makes a pattern for you so it's more custom than made to measure by today's definitions. For the drape, nothing is better than those old pics and photos. Though you can't get the drape to look correct unless you have the correct fabric and that means heavy fabric and that means higher cost.

I suggest finding your own, though if that's not an option, Ask to see swatches of his heaviest worsteds. Cashmere stretches and unless you want a tweed, you want a mill finished worsted in a 15-16 ounce as those are the heaviest and closest you might be able to find here in the States to those used on vintage suits. Overcoat materials are the other option though many times they are too felty nowadays and wear down very fast when made into trousers.


I'm desgning a few suits right now and in effect showing his tailors how to do some things that haven't been done in decades. Trousers, jackets,
vests. If they please the eye have him copy my details.

That help?

 

[Lawman]

Wow. Thanks so much! What do those heavyweight fabrics feel like on a hot LA day?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Well considering that 16oz. was the light weight back in the 30's and the men were wearing much much heavier fabrics on average, I find the 16 oz. weights pretty cool.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Overall the consruction is much better than you see from most off the rack, even the higher end makers.

The suit is bigger than I like and longer than I requested, though what came back is better than made to measure by leagues and with fine tuning I'm sure he can make exactlry what I want.

The armholes are pretty good as I went through a rigour of extra measurements with Joe and showed him a couple vintage suits that had armholes the style for which I was looking. The armholes are flatter in the back than I requested, though they are better than any made to measure or off the rack I have lately seen.

Even though I state alot of negatives, I think Hemrajani is a really easy and understanding person when it comes to personal designs.

Pics too dark though that'a with the vest.

Still just out of the box and wrinkly. The fit is a bigger than I want and the jacket a bit too long.

I'm going to talk to him in person to clean up the back as the tailors put in darts instead of pleats under the belt creating a messy back.
Keep in mind there is a knife pleat between the center seam.

Custom shirt and the trousers to the suit

 

[Mr. 'H']

Well considering that 16oz. was the light weight back in the 30's and the men were wearing much much heavier fabrics on average, I find the 16 oz. weights pretty cool.

16 oz = lightweight

x oz = medium weight

x oz = heavy weight

Just really curious what you think they considered a medium and a heavy weight back in the '30s....

[huh]

 

[manton]

I think it's a bit of an exagerration to say that 16 ounces was lightweight in the 30s. Yes, weights averaged much heavier then. But 16 was more of a medium weight for business worsteds. Today, it is pretty much the heaviest cloth out there, with a small handful of exceptions.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I'd say 20 to 22 was heavy and because of the density of wools and the variety of weaves you could find much heavier, though even the summer weights of the day were weighty.

 

[manton]

Right, 20 to 22 was not uncommon for a city worsted. You can still get that today in tweed. But I am not aware of any worsteds currently in production that exceed 17/18, and there is precious little of that.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I think it's a bit of an exagerration to say that 16 ounces was lightweight in the 30s. Yes, weights averaged much heavier then. But 16 was more of a medium weight for business worsteds.

I agree. The vintage lightweights (summer weight wools, ignoring the linens/silks) feel pretty much like a 9-11 ounce weight modern (all year, hmmmmm methinks not) suit . . .

I'd say the 15-16 Oz was about standard for everyday business suits, with heavier for your tweeds etc.

bk

 

[herringbonekid]

I'd say the 15-16 Oz was about standard for everyday business suits, with heavier for your tweeds etc.

bk

16-18 oz for most Brit 40s suits.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

aye, i'm talking american, which were a bit lighter . . . dem british ones sure are heavy!

bk

 

[herringbonekid]

i went to Dormeuil fabrics (okisaka uses them) in London last year and the heaviest fabric they had was 18 oz. that's not suiting either, that's COAT weight.

 

[herringbonekid]

Matt, the suit looks really good.
the only things i notice straight away:

-there seems to be a lot of gathering under the back yoke.

-the front cutaway could begin a little higher and be deeper. it seems to start late resulting in a harder corner and making the jacket look longer.

trousers look perfect !

 

[Matt Deckard]

If you read my post i have more criticisms than that, though as i said, it is made very well... the vest is perfect.

The lapels have too much belly as well, more than the examples I showed him.

Problem is that I know exactly what I want and even when I am extremely spacific some of the things i lay out fall through the cracks somewhere along the line. I want certain things copied and not done using new ideas for what looks good and, well some tweeking and I think I can get what I want.

 

[Mr. 'H']

Right, 20 to 22 was not uncommon for a city worsted. You can still get that today in tweed. But I am not aware of any worsteds currently in production that exceed 17/18, and there is precious little of that.

I disagree, I came across this last week:

*("Robtex Univ ST205 20 oz 620 grms All Worsted")

I am going to get a suit made out of this....

See the thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=16939