Online Mens Tailor And Custom Tailoring

Common Questions about Product Features

• What is wool? What are the different kinds of wool and their advantages?
  Wool fabric brings to mind cozy warmth. Some wool is scratchy giving some people the idea that they are "allergic" to wool. Although wool fiber comes from a variety of animal coats, not all wool is scratchy and some wool is extremely soft. The wool fibers have crimps or curls which create pockets to give wool a spongy feel. This quality often creates insulation for the wearer. The outside surface of wool fiber consists of a series of serrated scales which overlap each other much like the scales of a fish. This characteristic allows the fibers to cling together and produce felt. The same serrations will also cling together tightly when wool is improperly washed and that makes the material shrinks. Wool will not only return to its original position after being stretched or creased, it absorbs up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp. Its unique properties allow shaping and tailoring, making wool the most popular fabric for tailoring fine garments. Wool is also dirt resistant, flame resistant, and, in many weaves, resists wear and tearing.
  
  Basically, there are two different processes used in wool production. Woolen fabrics have a soft feel and fuzzy surface, very little shine or sheen, will not hold a crease, and are heavier and bulkier than worsted materials. Blankets, scarves, coats and some fabrics are considered woolens. Worsted wool is smoother than woolen, takes shine more easily, does not sag, holds a crease well, is lighter and less bulky, and wears longer than regular wool. Worsted wool requires a greater number of processes, during which fibers are arranged parallel to each other. The smoother, harder-surface worsted yarns produce smoother fabrics with a minimum of fuzziness and nap. Fine worsted wool is even seen in clothing for athletics such as tennis. No, they are not hotter than polyester but actually cooler, as the weave of the fabric allows wool to absorb perspiration and the fabric "breathes," unlike polyester.
  
  WOOL SPECIALTY FIBERS - although still classified as wool, they are further classified by the animal the fiber comes from:
  - Alpaca Fleece is very rich and silky with considerable luster. It comes from the Alpaca.
  - Mohair is from the Angora Goat and is highly resilient and strong. Mohair´s luster, not its softness, determines its value. Mohair is used in home decorating fabrics as well as garment fabrics including tropical worsted materials.
  - Angora Wool is from the Angora Rabbit. This soft fiber is used in sweaters, mittens and baby clothes.
  - Camel Hair comes from the extremely soft and fine fur from the undercoat of the camel. Camel´s hair can be used alone but is most often combined with fine wool for making overcoats, topcoats, sportswear and sports hosiery. Because of the beauty of the color, fabrics containing camel´s hair are usually left in the natural camel color or dyed a darker brown. Light weight and soft, 22 oz. camel fabric is as warm as a 32 oz. woolen fabric.
  - Cashmere comes from Cashmere Goat down. Separation of the soft fibers from the long, coarse hair is tedious and difficult, contributing to the expense of the fabric. The soft hair is woven or knitted into fine garments and is blended with silk, cotton, or wool.
  - Vicuna is the softest coat cloth in the world. The amount of coarse hair to be separated from the soft fibers is negligible and yields the finest animal fiber in the world. Vicuna is a member of the Llama family and is small and wild. Since it is generally killed to obtain the fleece, it is protected by rigorous conservation measures. This fiber is rare and very expensive, costing several hundred dollars per yard.

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• What is a Notch Lapel?
  On a coat, a notch is a cut between the collar and the lapel. A Notch lapel is a 45 to 90 degree angle of separation between the collar and the lapel at the point where they join. The collar is the piece that goes around the neck and the lapel is the piece that sits on the front of the chest. In a Notch lapel, there is a wide space separating the outer most tip of the collar from the outer most tip of the lapel.

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• I want to order a poplin, cotton, wool, silk suit/shirt?
  We can certainly make a suit/shirt or even a coat, custom made in poplin/cotton/wool/silk or any other fabric. Use the fabric-search function on the left menu and type in the word ´silk´ or ´poplin´ to conduct a quick search for materials and colors. If the specific fabric or color you are looking for is not found, email us with the color requirement so that we can source it for your particular order.

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• What is fabric popularity and how is it judged?
  Our assessment of fabric popularity depends on many factors such as price, personal tastes, color, availability, and other such issues. Fabric popularity does not in any way imply that any fabric with low popularity is an inferior material. All our fabrics are high grade fabrics that have gone through extensive quality testing prior to being offered on our website.
  The more a fabric is selected by a client the higher its popularity is assessed to be. Use our Fabric Search pages to access our most popular fabrics and materials.
  You can also access fabrics using composition, climate, weight and pattern criteria.

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• What are Ticket Pockets?
  Ticket Pockets are Vintage Style Pockets found mostly on jackets, coats and suits. They originate from the days of train travel when gentleman often traveled by train and found this extra pocket useful for holding train tickets, cash, and coins. Ticket pockets are typically found on the outside of a jacket as slits with or without flaps, above the lower hip jacket pockets. On pants they are found as invisible/barely visible slits just under the waistband in the front a few inches from the pants opening.To review styles with ticket pockets, type in the words ´Ticket Pocket´ in the keywords field of our Style Search page.

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• What is manufactured – man made fabrics and manufactured fiber types?
  Manufactured fabrics are usually made of filaments extruded as liquid and formed into various fibers. Because many fibers start as a liquid, many of them are colored before they become filament. This makes the difficult to dye after the fiber is woven into a fabric.
  ACETATE is not a strong fiber but can be extruded into fibers of different diameter and woven into fabrics that have the luxurious look of silk but do not wear like silk. Acetate does not absorb moisture readily but dries fast and resists shrinking. This is a resilient fabric that resists wrinkling in addition to being pliable and soft with a good drape. Tri-acetate is an improved acetate fabric which doesn´t melt easily and is easier to care for. Remember, acetate in nail polish and nail polish remover will melt acetate as will alcohol so take care with perfumes and nail products including SuperGlue.
  ACRYLIC is a fine soft and luxurious fabric with the bulk and hand of wool. Light weight and springy, this fabric is non-allergenic, dries quickly, draws moisture away from the body and is washable. Acrylic will not take even a moderate amount of heat. Mod-acrylics are used in pile fabrics like fake fur and are more flame resistant.
  LASTEX is an elastic fiber made from Latex. It is most often used with other fibers to create fabrics such as Spandex and foundation garments. Lastex will deteriorate after repeated washing and drying, losing its elasticity.
  NYLON became a household word in 1940 when it was knitted into hosiery. In 1942 it was called into service for the armed forces use in parachutes, flak vests, combat uniforms, tires and many other vital military uses. Until the war was over nylon was not available to the public. Nylon became one of the most versatile fibers of the man-made fabrics. In addition to hosiery, nylon is used in tricot, netting for bridal veils, and in carpeting. Nylon is stronger yet weighs less than any other commonly used fiber. It is elastic and resilient and responsive to heat setting. Nylon fibers are smooth, non-absorbent and dry quickly. Dirt doesn´t cling to this smooth fiber nor is it weakened by chemicals and perspiration. Extensive washing and drying in an automatic dryer can eventually cause piling. Nylon whites should be washed separately to avoid graying. This fabric may yellow so it should be bleached frequently with sodium perborate bleach. Nylon melts at high temperatures. If ironing is necessary, always use a low temperature on the wrong side.
  Polyester is manufactured in many weights including fiber-fill used in pillows and upholstery. Threads spun from polyester fibers are strong, wear exceptionally well, and are used extensively in home sewing and manufactured sewing.
  RAYON from cellulose, has many of the qualities of cotton, a natural cellulose fiber. Rayon is strong, extremely absorbent, comes in a variety of qualities and weights, and can be made to resemble natural fabrics. Rayon does not melt but burns at high temperatures. Rayon drapes well, has a soft, silky hand, and has a smooth, napped, or bulky surface. Rayon will wrinkle easily and may stretch when wet and shrink when washed. Technological advancements to the rayon process have produced high wet modulus [HWM] rayons such as Lyocell and Modal which makes fabric less prone to stretch when damp or wet. Washable rayon will state the care on the fabric label. Like silk, if you pre-wash rayon fabric prior to construction of the garment, you have a washable garment.
  Here is a Glossary of Rayon Fabrics
  - Fibranne is a French term for Viscose rayon.
  - Velvet, although made from silk, is most often produced from the rayon fiber.
  - SPANDEX is an elastic type fiber that can be stretched many times its length and then spring back to the original length. Spandex is more resistant to washing, perspiration, and heat than latex. Spandex is used in foundation garments and hosiery.

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• Are your jackets hand-basted or fused? Can you do hand-basted canvas fronts? Are shirt collars fused? What about the seams? We use a mix of traditional old-world construction and modern techniques in the construction of our jackets/coats/shirts. Normally, the panel interlinings in our suits and coats are a combination of fusion and canvas. The top-breast panels are fused and incorporate hand-basted canvas interlinings for added support and the lower half of the jacket front is fused for increased flow and drape. We prepare full canvas or full fusion interlinings on jackets and coats if this is desired, for a small premium. Only the finest threads are used for hand-basting so that the outer shell of the jackets and coats seem to float on the body when worn. All our shirt collars are double fused for added durability and stiffness for top of the line construction quality.
  
  Here are some of the TRUE MARKS OF OUR BESPOKE SHIRTS:
  - All our shirts are sewn with a minimum of 12 to 18 stitches per inch, depending on the fabric being used, with full single needle construction resulting in strong, flat seams that do not separate.
  - Premium interlinings are fused into the collar and cuffs, giving a smooth, even appearance.
  - Our shirt collars are hand-cut and hand-turned.
  - Built-in stay pockets prevent the removable stay from showing through the fabric.
  - Sleeve-to-cuff pleating gives balance to the sleeves.
  - Pearl coated Mylar buttons are cross stitched for extra strength.
  - Hand-finishing and hand-pressing insure individual attention to each shirt.
  
  Our clothes are made to wear well and look good for years. Off-the-rack clothing is made close to the edge in every seam; our custom clothing is made with large margins. If needed, pant waists can be increased by three inches and jackets can be expanded by three to four inches. We maintain a high standard of QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP with dedication to customer service.
  Click Here to find out more about our standards of custom garment construction.

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• How do I choose neckties or cuff links?
  You can select neckties and cuff links from our Ready-to-Wear collections using links in the menu. These items can be shipped within 24 to 72 hours if they are in stock. If there is an existing order under production, items in the ready to wear collections will be consolidated with the existing order. If you are selecting neckties or cuff links during the process of ordering suits, shirts and other garments, then these items will be hand picked by our master tailors to match the garments you are ordering. This option is very much like in the old days when haberdashers used to personally select the best tie and other accessories for each ensemble they made. We also offer this opportunity to allow our master tailors and craftsman to personally match the items to the custom garments being constructed. Each accessory is hand selected and personally requisitioned for the individual. Should a necktie, cuff link, belt or scarf be ordered, give us an indication of personal preferences in the special request section of the order placement process.

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• What is a vent?
  Vents are openings on the back of jackets. Sometimes referred to as slits, traditional style vents usually have one center vent at the back of the jacket. Very traditional British jacket styles jackets have two side vents at the back of the jacket. More modern ´Italian cut´ slim styles have no vents at the back of the jacket, which contributes to a snug hips appearance.

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• What is the price of suits, shirts, pants, coats and other custom made-to-measure items?
  The price of any item depends on the custom collection, catalogue, and the category you order from. Typically, a two piece suit start at US$ 150 and shirts start at US$ 25.
  To obtain a price for any garment, visit one of our collections or catalogues as displayed in the main menu and select the custom piece you wish to have made-to-measure. Prices are displayed alongside each type of garment. The workmanship or construction of the custom clothing remains the same within all the collections. You can visit our Compare Prices page to review a full price list. You will find great discounts in our Sales categories and in our Special Offers page.

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