vitanola
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,254
- Location
- Gopher Prairie, MI
Back in August I was measured by an employee of MCT at one of their roadshow stops. I ordered two four-piece suits of conservative (that is early 1920's) "Stout" cut (moderately narrow lapels, natural shoulder, somewhat form-fitting three-button box-back jacket, flat-front trousers, straight leg, 19 1/2" x 1 3/4" cuffs, vests cut to match the trousers. One suit was a conventional blue serge and the other was a lovely Harris Tweed herringbone with a slight olive cast. What a waste! The suits arrived a souple weeks ago, and whilst they are beautifully made, I've picked up better-fitting suits off the rack at Men's Wearhouse (and I'm a rather stout, hard-to-fit fellow!)
Here is a copy of the e-mail that I sent them:
"Greetings!
The two suits that your firm shipped arrived on September 24th, just 38 days after they were ordered. Your quick work is impressive. I was pleased with the quality of both the cloth and the general workmanship of the two suits that your firm made for me. Your sewing room does excellent, careful work.
Unfortunately, I was not at all pleased with the dimensions of my garments. They are without question the worst-fitting suits that I have ever purchased, even off-the-peg, despite having been measured by your (rather hurried and somewhat irritated) tailor at the Detroit roadshow on 18 August inst. I have been so upset about the horrible fit of these expensive garments that until today I could not bring myself to write you about them.
The two jackets vary greatly in dimension, the tweed being excessively roomy in the belly, and so hanging like a potato sack, and the blue serge being overly snug. The tweed vest is shapeless, bunching in the upper chest, whilst the serge vest is something approaching a reasonable fit. The sleeves of BOTH jackets are excessively long. I told your tailor that I preferred to show a bit (as much as an inch) of shirt cuff, so of course he cut the jackets so that the sleeves almost entirely cover my thumbnails! I asked for natural shoulders, with minimal padding, with the shoulders sized to fit my frame, not my (admittedly robust) belly. What I received was a broad-shouldered jacket of conventional modern cut without the conventional padding, so that there is a pronounced lump in the shoulder area where my own shoulders end (a couple inches shy of the shoulders in the jacket). I specified 3 1/2" lapels, assuming that these admittedly narrow lapels would be well in proportion to a jacket which was fitted to my natural shoulders. On the broad shouldered coats that you sent the narrow lapels are little shy of ludicrous.
The trousers at first glance fit reasonably well. The cut for the high rise is good, but the seats sag like those of old, worn out breaks. I suspect that this can be easily corrected by my local tailor, as the adjustment would be difficult to do at a distance. I requested that my cuffed trousers be made with very little break. Instead I get pants that are easily two inches too long (when the waist band is worn about an inch above my navel), with cuffs that drag the ground behind me and lay in pools on the floor. in addition, the trouser leg creases are not centered, each one is about an inch-and-a-half to far to the center, and of course the leg side seams are located in the forward corner of my legs, rather than along the sides. I fear that this is not a problem that can be easily fixed.
I don't know whether it will be possible to salvage either suit. I was planing to purchase a wardrobe of six of these items. Your tailor strongly encouraged me to order the entire lot at once. I am very glad that I did not, and really regret the waste of so much of that lovely tweed and solid serge on these awful garments, not to mention the wasted money.
Please advise as to how you suggest we handle this situation.
Sincerely,"
At least they got the high arm-skyes right! I can easily crank a Ford in either jacket without the coat's pulling.
Here is a copy of the e-mail that I sent them:
"Greetings!
The two suits that your firm shipped arrived on September 24th, just 38 days after they were ordered. Your quick work is impressive. I was pleased with the quality of both the cloth and the general workmanship of the two suits that your firm made for me. Your sewing room does excellent, careful work.
Unfortunately, I was not at all pleased with the dimensions of my garments. They are without question the worst-fitting suits that I have ever purchased, even off-the-peg, despite having been measured by your (rather hurried and somewhat irritated) tailor at the Detroit roadshow on 18 August inst. I have been so upset about the horrible fit of these expensive garments that until today I could not bring myself to write you about them.
The two jackets vary greatly in dimension, the tweed being excessively roomy in the belly, and so hanging like a potato sack, and the blue serge being overly snug. The tweed vest is shapeless, bunching in the upper chest, whilst the serge vest is something approaching a reasonable fit. The sleeves of BOTH jackets are excessively long. I told your tailor that I preferred to show a bit (as much as an inch) of shirt cuff, so of course he cut the jackets so that the sleeves almost entirely cover my thumbnails! I asked for natural shoulders, with minimal padding, with the shoulders sized to fit my frame, not my (admittedly robust) belly. What I received was a broad-shouldered jacket of conventional modern cut without the conventional padding, so that there is a pronounced lump in the shoulder area where my own shoulders end (a couple inches shy of the shoulders in the jacket). I specified 3 1/2" lapels, assuming that these admittedly narrow lapels would be well in proportion to a jacket which was fitted to my natural shoulders. On the broad shouldered coats that you sent the narrow lapels are little shy of ludicrous.
The trousers at first glance fit reasonably well. The cut for the high rise is good, but the seats sag like those of old, worn out breaks. I suspect that this can be easily corrected by my local tailor, as the adjustment would be difficult to do at a distance. I requested that my cuffed trousers be made with very little break. Instead I get pants that are easily two inches too long (when the waist band is worn about an inch above my navel), with cuffs that drag the ground behind me and lay in pools on the floor. in addition, the trouser leg creases are not centered, each one is about an inch-and-a-half to far to the center, and of course the leg side seams are located in the forward corner of my legs, rather than along the sides. I fear that this is not a problem that can be easily fixed.
I don't know whether it will be possible to salvage either suit. I was planing to purchase a wardrobe of six of these items. Your tailor strongly encouraged me to order the entire lot at once. I am very glad that I did not, and really regret the waste of so much of that lovely tweed and solid serge on these awful garments, not to mention the wasted money.
Please advise as to how you suggest we handle this situation.
Sincerely,"
At least they got the high arm-skyes right! I can easily crank a Ford in either jacket without the coat's pulling.
