Zoom Appointments

Zoom Appointments

We’re happy to say that we’re finally back up and running with new safety procedures in place. For those willing and able, we are now meeting with clients either at home or in the Sackville Street Dormeuil studio; for some this still isn’t convenient.

This is why we’re pleased to offer online appointments with our expert tailors, all from the comfort and safety of your own home. Through the medium of “Zoom” we will talk you through styles and cloths, with the option for swatches to be sent through to your house if you wish to get a better idea of the cloths weight and feel.

Once you’ve chosen your new suits style, cloth and lining you’ll need to get yourself measured up. Below is a handy guide to help visualise how to go about the measuring process. This guide combined with our eagle-eyed tailors talking you through the fineries will help to ensure accurate measures and therefore the best possible fit.

For further control over the fit of the suit, it’s always advised to opt for one of our suit ranges that offers a forward baste fit. This allows you to try on a basic draft of your bespoke garment weeks before the final piece is made. Having this forward fit is a great help for you and your tailor to notice any further tweaks that may be required before the final product is completed.

Book your appointment for either a Dormeuil or Zoom via the below link – we’ll see you soon!

https://calendly.com/fntailor

How to measure yourself at home

Jacket

• Chest: Raise your arms and wrap the tape around your chest, just above the nipples. Relax your arms by your sides to let your pec muscles expand and be sure to breathe normally. There should be about a fingers gap between your chest and your fingers, and the tape should be evenly wrapped around you, not zigzagging up and down.

• Waist: Wrap the tape around the widest part of your waist, normally about an inch above the naval. Breathe normally and don’t hold in, you’ll only make your suit too tight and will fool nobody!

• Seat: Wrap the tape around the widest part of your buttocks, ensuring all pockets are empty so as not to add any bulk. Again keep the tape even and you’ll need a fingers gap between body and tape.

• Shoulder to shoulder: If you have a jacket that already fits well on the shoulder, measure from one shoulder seam to the other while the jacket is on the hanger. If not, you’ll need to find the protruding bone on the top of your shoulder and measure from this bone on one shoulder to the other. Follow the curve of your shoulder so the tape crosses under your neck rather than going down your back. You don’t want the tape to be going in a completely straight line if your shoulder is sloped, this could result in the shoulder being too small.

• Crown to Cuff: If you have a jacket with a good sleeve length, put the tip of the tape into the shoulder seam and measure the length of the sleeve to the cuff while the tape hangs loose down the arm. Without a jacket on, find that same protruding bone on your shoulder and hold the tip of the tape to it. Again let the tape hang down your arm and note the measure to where your hand meets your wrist. Take 0.5” from this measure so when you have a shirt on there is a little cuff showing under the suit.

• Back Length: If you’re measuring from a jacket, hold the tape to the back of the collar in the fold and on the centre back seam. Measure from here to the jacket hem following that centre seam. Without a jacket, reach to the back of your neck and feel for the first vertebrae where your neck meets your back, it protrudes from right at the bottom of your neck. Hold the tape to this bone and let the tape hang down directly over your spine. As your back isn’t a perfect straight line, you will then need to push the tape into the curve of your lower back using your free hand. With the tape following the curvature of your spine note the measure where the tape just covers your buttocks, as a jacket should.

Trouser

• Waist: Wrap the tape around your waist where you would wear your trousers normally. This should be just over the hip bone, slightly higher than you would wear a pair of jeans. Measure tight so the tape grips you the same as you want the trousers to. Add a finger of room if you prefer to have extra room that you can manipulate with a belt or side adjusters.

• Seat: For the seat you can use the same measure that you’ve used for the jacket seat. The tape should be wrapped around the widest point of your buttock with nothing in trouser pockets when you take the measure.

• Outside leg: From the same point on your hip that you measured your trouser waist from, hold the tip of the tape and let it hang down the side of your leg. Note the point at which the tape is about 1” from the floor.

• Inside leg: This is best obtained whilst wearing a pair of trousers you are already comfortable in. Hold the tape high up the inside leg at the fork, then run the tape down the inside leg seam to the desired length. As a rule of thumb, the inside leg measurement is normally between 9 and 11 inches shorter than the outside leg, depending on how high a rise you wish for.

• Hem: Simply wrap your tape around your ankle and measure the width that you would like your trouser leg to be cut to. As a guide, 13.5”-14.5” is a slim hem, 15”-16” is a tapered hem and 16.5”+ is a wider more classic cut.

• Thigh: Using the rest of the measures you are providing your tailor the thigh measure is normally calculated for you. That said, if you know yourself to have larger thighs or indeed particularly slim thighs it’s a good idea to provide this measure too. You need a body measure from the widest point just above the middle of your thigh.

How to fit a baste suit yourself at home

• Shoulder: The shoulder on your baste suit should end exactly on your natural shoulder. The sleeve will then fall in a straight, un-interrupted line down your arm. If too tight, the shoulder will be notably tight and restrictive across the bicep, this means you’ll need to increase the shoulder width until cloth meets where your shoulder ends. If too long, the jacket shoulder will go further over than it should which will leave it hanging as it has no bone to support it; reduce the measure so the cloth ends exactly where your shoulder ends.
• Chest: A correctly fitting chest will feel secure across your body without pinching or restricting any movement. There should still be about an inch of leeway through the chest to allow freedom of movement but if there is too great an excess of cloth the chest will collapse. To rectify this, pinch the cloth from about an inch below the armhole and pin when the cloth is closer to your body and feels comfortable. Repeat this down the side seam of the chest until you either reach the waist line.
  
  
• Waist: For the waist, pin the button side of the jacket to the yellow marker thread where the buttonhole would be on a finished garment. If correct, the jacket should gently follow your natural waist with about an inch of allowance for comfort and movement. Looking in the mirror you should still be able to note a little bit of shape on the wait where it nips in a little closer to your body whilst still having that little bit of room.
  
  Too tight and you will see the front of the Jacket making an “X” shape from where the button would fasten which means you will need to increase the measure. To do this accurately, unpin the jacket and slowly open it until you see the X drop out and the cloth flatten. Measure the distance between the yellow marker thread Buttonhole position) and the new point at which the jacket ends (the button position), increase the waist measurement by that distance.Too loose and the shape on the waist of the jacket will appear obviously boxy and shapeless. Keeping the front pinned, with one hand behind your back you should be able to pinch the jacket from the centre back of the waist which will bring the waist in. Once you’ve pinched in the correct amount of cloth from the back, pin the excess back to hold it into place. You want to get shape into the waist of the jacket without going too far and causing the “X” so you may need to adjust the pin a few times to get it right. Make your judgement on if it is correct once the pin is in place and your arms by your side. If your body is twisted while you’re pinning the final measure will be incorrect. Once happy, measure the amount of cloth you pinned back and reduce the waist by that measure.
  

• Sleeve: The sleeve should allow for plenty of movement without being too baggy, nor of course do you want the sleeve to be too tight and restrictive. To reduce excess cloth, pinch the outside seam starting from the top or the bottom of the sleeve, depending on whether it’s the forearm or bicep that needs slimming. Pin as you go until you have the desired taper and measure the amount you have pinned, reduce the bicep/forearm/full arm by this amount. To increase a tight arm, while wearing the jacket wrap a tape around the tightest point and loosen off the tape until you can get two fingers between tape and arm. Change the arm measure to what the tape shows when you have sufficient room for your fingers.An armhole that’s too low will also contribute to a loose bicep, as well as pulling on the chest forming a “batwing” effect. To stop this, while wearing the jacket put two fingers in-between your armpit and the jacket armhole, if there is more room between finger and cloth, reduce the armhole by this amount. Too tight an armhole is uncomfortable and noticeable immediately. Fix this by increasing the measure until there is room enough to allow for two fingers between armpit and jacket armhole.
  

• Trouser: The trouser waist should fit snugly enough that they hold to your waist on their own without a belt or any suppression from the side adjusters. However, if you know you change shape or just prefer a little room – try and fit a finger in-between your body and the trouser, this will allow you bring or let out the waist at will. The seat on the trouser should show shape without being skin tight nor baggy. The same applies to the thigh and calf. To slim the leg if too loose, pinch and pin from hem (or knee depending on where the excess starts) to waist. To let out a tight leg, measure with the tape tight round the too-tight areas and loosen it off until you have the new desired taper. Change the measure to reflect this measurement.
  
  The correct length trouser is somewhat subjective to the wearer, but as a rule of thumb you should be looking for somewhere between a quarter and a half break. If too long, turn the excess cloth into the hem and pin the new point at which you wish for the trouser to finish – pin this point. Too short and you can measure with a tape the extra length you require.