One of our biggest problems in converting people from ready made shirts to tailor made is our customers perception of where their sleeves should go down to. Because with ready made shirts you are rarely given the option of sleeve lengths it follows that the sleeves are not the right length.
For gents with long arms it is instantly apparent if the sleeves are too short however for men with shorter arms they get used to having sleeves that are clearly too long. When you shirt sleeves are unbuttoned the cuff should rest half way between the webbing between your thumb and forefinger and your wrist, so approximately 1.5"-2.0" below the wrist itself.
When you do up your button or cufflink, the shirt should sit on your wrist with a small amount of slack in the lower part of the sleeve. If your shirt sleeve is flairing at the cuff and potentially resembling a pirate shirt then your sleeve is too long. On occasions customers will complain that when they are holding their arms out in front of them that the sleeves are riding up their arm. My answer to that is that unless you are writing on a whiteboard all day or if your job involves robotic dancing then your cuffs are probably the correct length.
To compound this problem ready made suits are generally cut longer in the arm to accommodate a larger range of sizes. As a result of the suit sleeve being too long customers will compensate by making a sleeve extra long so that their cuff protrudes slightly at the bottom. This not only creates the pirate shirt effect but can also result in the shirt sleeves falling over the hand (particularly on French cuffed shirts). Whilst this solves the problem of showing cuffs and also keeps your hands warm at the same time it does look a little silly. Suit sleeves should be cut about quarter of an inch above the wrist.
To measure sleeves correctly:
* Your arm should rest at your side, there will be a small angle for the natural bend.
* Start with the tape measure on top of the arm seam where the shoulder meets the arm.
* Take the tape down your arm stopping at the elbow.
* Then take the tape measure across your arm to between your wrist and webbing between your thumb and index finger.
* Check the measurement by measuring the sleeve of the shirt you are wearing
If you have bought ready made shirts before with much longer sleeve lengths it is because they use half of the shoulder measurement as well however this measurement style is not popular with tailored shirts.
Having said all of this our customers comfort is our number one priority so if you feel your shirt sleeves are too short then we will adjust them on your next order.
www.bawdenbespoke.com
Showing posts with label bespoke shirts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bespoke shirts. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
How to Make the Perfect Tailored Shirt
There are shirts and then there are Bawden Bespoke Tailored Shirts.
Why are Bawden Bespoke so much better than our competitors:
1. FITTING
We start by getting your measurements right. Each we order we receive is scrutinized twice to ensure that the measurements you have provided us are in proportion. We will contact you if things seem a little out and we work with you to get the perfect measurement. Our fitting guide is easy to use and you can either do it at home or the office or take a printed copy to a professional tailor.
2. FABRICS
We source our fabrics on quality, not price. We point blank refuse to use synthetic materials as although they require less care, they are quite simply awful to wear. There is a huge difference in the quality of cottons as those if you who have bought shirts from our competitors would no doubt be aware. The vast majority of our fabrics are Italian 2 ply cotton.
3. CUTTING & PATTERN MAKING
Much of the skill in making the perfect shirt is cutting the pattern. We create a pattern for all our customers and store it in our workshop. Our fabric cutters have a minimum of 4 years experience, it is an artform to see them perform.
4. SEWING & CONSTRUCTION
The true test of the quality of workmanship on a shirt is to turn it inside out and look at the stitching. Tailored Dress shirts MUST use French double seams not interlocked stitching. The seams should be evenly spaced. Check particularly the cuff gusset (the end of the split in the sleeve) which is out-of-site-out-of mind for most tailors. The problem is that from time to time we like to roll our sleeves up and unfinished gussets look dreadful. Also poor quality seams will come apart and you will be left with a threadbare garment.
5. YARNS, NEEDLES & LINING
To make a garment that stands the test of time it is essential to use strong quality yarns. We use Coates yarns on all our shirts because of their strength and appearance. Poor quality needles can do a great deal to damage your shirt before it is ever worn - we use Groz Beckert needles which minimise the trauma on the fabric. The fusing material on the cuff and collar is vitally important if you don't want lumpy or bubbled collars. Many shirtmakers simply glue an interlining on which after a few washes starts to come away creating a bubble effect.
6. MACHINERY
Whilst we commend most tailors for doing a better job of making a shirt to fit you than an off-the-rack fits all shirtmaker, the problem often is that they simply do not have the equipment to make a shirt that lasts. We use 10 seperate state of the art specialized machines and machine operators to make our shirts.
7. PUCKER-FREE SEAMS
Bawden Bespoke is one of the few made-to-measure shirt companies that fuses our shirt seams to create wrinkle-free seams. Puckering is the small ridges that appear whenever a farbic is doubled over. You will notice it particularly on your arm seams but also on the side seams, placket, sleeve seams and cuff gusset. Once you know it is there it will drive you to distraction and until now it has been standard on all business shirts.(please note this finishing is only available on your second order)
8. SERVICE
We have the ambition to have you as our customer for as long as you are wearing shirts and we will bend over backwards to ensure that you will never leave us. We are continually adding new fabrics and updating our machinery. We welcome any and all feedback.
We urge you to try Bawden Bespoke and guarantee you will not be disappointed in our quality. Visit www.bawdenbespoke.com
Why are Bawden Bespoke so much better than our competitors:
1. FITTING
We start by getting your measurements right. Each we order we receive is scrutinized twice to ensure that the measurements you have provided us are in proportion. We will contact you if things seem a little out and we work with you to get the perfect measurement. Our fitting guide is easy to use and you can either do it at home or the office or take a printed copy to a professional tailor.
2. FABRICS
We source our fabrics on quality, not price. We point blank refuse to use synthetic materials as although they require less care, they are quite simply awful to wear. There is a huge difference in the quality of cottons as those if you who have bought shirts from our competitors would no doubt be aware. The vast majority of our fabrics are Italian 2 ply cotton.
3. CUTTING & PATTERN MAKING
Much of the skill in making the perfect shirt is cutting the pattern. We create a pattern for all our customers and store it in our workshop. Our fabric cutters have a minimum of 4 years experience, it is an artform to see them perform.
4. SEWING & CONSTRUCTION
The true test of the quality of workmanship on a shirt is to turn it inside out and look at the stitching. Tailored Dress shirts MUST use French double seams not interlocked stitching. The seams should be evenly spaced. Check particularly the cuff gusset (the end of the split in the sleeve) which is out-of-site-out-of mind for most tailors. The problem is that from time to time we like to roll our sleeves up and unfinished gussets look dreadful. Also poor quality seams will come apart and you will be left with a threadbare garment.
5. YARNS, NEEDLES & LINING
To make a garment that stands the test of time it is essential to use strong quality yarns. We use Coates yarns on all our shirts because of their strength and appearance. Poor quality needles can do a great deal to damage your shirt before it is ever worn - we use Groz Beckert needles which minimise the trauma on the fabric. The fusing material on the cuff and collar is vitally important if you don't want lumpy or bubbled collars. Many shirtmakers simply glue an interlining on which after a few washes starts to come away creating a bubble effect.
6. MACHINERY
Whilst we commend most tailors for doing a better job of making a shirt to fit you than an off-the-rack fits all shirtmaker, the problem often is that they simply do not have the equipment to make a shirt that lasts. We use 10 seperate state of the art specialized machines and machine operators to make our shirts.
7. PUCKER-FREE SEAMS
Bawden Bespoke is one of the few made-to-measure shirt companies that fuses our shirt seams to create wrinkle-free seams. Puckering is the small ridges that appear whenever a farbic is doubled over. You will notice it particularly on your arm seams but also on the side seams, placket, sleeve seams and cuff gusset. Once you know it is there it will drive you to distraction and until now it has been standard on all business shirts.(please note this finishing is only available on your second order)
8. SERVICE
We have the ambition to have you as our customer for as long as you are wearing shirts and we will bend over backwards to ensure that you will never leave us. We are continually adding new fabrics and updating our machinery. We welcome any and all feedback.
We urge you to try Bawden Bespoke and guarantee you will not be disappointed in our quality. Visit www.bawdenbespoke.com
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