How to Pick your Tailor in 2014
Choosing a tailor is, perhaps, not as easy as it once was – gone are the days when a man just went to the same tailor who had made his father’s suits – there are many more considerations and factors to take into account nowadays and finding the right tailor for you can be a veritable minefield that needs to be carefully navigated.
So, if you’re planning to find a new tailor in 2014, there are some straightforward tips that you can bear in mind that will make sure that you don’t make a faux pas in your choosing. Let’s take a look at a few of the most important factors to consider when picking a tailors below:
1: Do Your Research – One of the biggest issues that men face when choosing a tailor is a lack of knowledge about what tailors actually do, the terminology that they use and the importance of finding a good quality tailor. Before embarking on your mission to find a new tailor in 2014 you should, first, dedicate a few hours to reading up about the art of tailoring, the manufacture of men’s shirts, the materials used and familiarise yourself with the whole process of tailoring. This will put you at ease when choosing the right one for you and make it much easier once you have made your pick.
2: Rely on Recommendations – A good recommendation goes a long way – particularly in the world of tailoring – and for those after a new tailor in 2014, you should certainly be keeping your ear to the ground for any good word of mouth being generated by the tailors that are on your list. A point to note, however, is to take a good look at the style of the man making the recommendation about a particular tailor – if it aligns with your own personal sense of style then his recommendation is likely to be a good one for you.
3: Reputation – Like recommendations, reputation is also important in choosing a tailor – look at certain different factors when establishing the quality of reputation of a tailor such as how long they’ve been in existence, the quality and reputation of the actual tailors that they use. For example, the classically trained tailors of iconic London tailors,Budd Shirts, make regular trips to New York because America’s fashion elite are well aware of Budd’s reputation and demand an opportunity to get their hands on the wares on offer from this fantastic tailor.
4: Speed – When picking a tailor, you need to consider how capable the tailor is of delivering you clothing in a timeframe that fits in with your requirements. A highly popular tailor, particularly one with limited resources, might have quite a long turnaround time on their tailoring but this is likely due to the quality of their work so, if you’re in a position to be patient, it might serve you well to opt for a popular tailor with longer waiting times than a less popular one who can get your threads back to you the same day.
5: Price – Truth be told, this should be the least important factor in your decision because a good tailor is worth their weight in gold but you shouldn’t overburden yourself financially just for the sake of it. Determine how much you are prepared to spend on your tailoring in the first instance and ensure that you don’t opt for a tailors that is incapable of keeping in line with this financial requirement.
So, there you have it, that’s just some of the tips that will help you find the right tailors in 2014 but there are, of course, plenty of other considerations that you can take into account when choosing. Put simply, just find one that you’re happy with and stick with them. And then maybe refer your son to them when he grows up.
Images via: Budd Shirts
By Leo Parker [ UK Correspondent for Rogue Homme ]
