Custom suits have a long history and serve as a universal calling card worldwide. Based on regional styles, traditional suit cuts mainly include British, American, Italian, and Japanese suits. Due to the differences in geography and customs, each has its unique characteristics.
What are the benefits and advantages of custom suits?
1. Perfect Fit: Custom-made suits are typically measured by a tailor and then patterned by a pattern maker. Having a tailor take the measurements ensures a precise understanding of the body's actual dimensions, while the pattern maker's work guarantees the accuracy of the suit's style. Only then can a suit be crafted to perfectly match the wearer's body size and fit.
2. Fabric Options: Custom suits offer the flexibility to choose the fabric of your preference. Select the fabric that suits your specific needs, and all your fabric requirements can be met. The fabric can also showcase the desired effects you want your suit to achieve.
3. Style Options: Unlike in a store, where you choose from pre-made suits, custom-made suits offer a broader range of styles. You can achieve any style you desire, providing a high degree of freedom to find the perfect fit for your taste, rather than being limited to a few choices in a store!
Tailoring suits is generally for those with high standards for suits, and it requires several important steps to fully showcase the advantages of custom-tailored suits. The standard process for suit tailoring:
1. Selection of Styles: Suit customization usually involves personal choice to showcase individual taste; alternatively, recommendations by others can better highlight personal strengths.
2. Measurement: After selecting the style, you can have a tailor take your measurements. One principle of custom suits is to ensure the best fit, making the measurement process extremely crucial. During the measurement, the tailor will assess the actual body dimensions to ensure the custom suit fits the customer's skeletal structure without any wrinkles. If there are issues like one shoulder being higher than the other or one arm being longer than the other, make sure to inform the tailor in advance. They will detail these records, and during the cutting and making process, these factors will be considered, resulting in a custom suit that addresses these issues effectively. Some suit manufacturers will save and file each customer's measurement data, making it more convenient for customers to order custom suits in the future.
3. Fabric Selection: Wool and cashmere are commonly used fabrics for suits. Generally, more formal suits will use wool as the primary fabric. These fabrics have fine fibers, soft and comfortable hand feel, good luster and drape, resulting in high-class and elegant finished garments. However, with the changing times and fashion trends, cotton, linen, silk, velvet, and even many chemical fibers and high-tech materials have gradually been widely applied in suit fabrics. This not only enriches the wearability of the clothing but also provides us with more choices.
4. Communication: Communication with the designer is a crucial step in custom-made suits. During such communications, the designer gains insights into the customer's profession, hobbies, and primary use of the custom suit. The customer's posture while standing and walking is carefully observed during the measurement process. Combined with detailed measurement data, the designer will discuss and finalize the style and fabric with the customer. Once the style and fabric are decided, we can then determine the details of the suit.
5. Pay Attention to Details: Do not overlook the selection of details such as cufflinks and embroidery, as these elements often serve as the finishing touch. They also symbolize the quality of a suit, and should be chosen with care.
6. Fitting: The production process is intricate and strict. Even the rough process of custom suits has up to eight steps: fabric preparation, ironing and pressing, interfacing, pattern cutting, hand sewing the canvas, stitching, fitting, modification handling, and light testing. To ensure a perfect fit, customers are generally required to try the suit one to two times. During the sewing process, the master will perform minor ironing and shaping at each step, ensuring satisfaction before proceeding to the next. After a period of patience, you can finally wear your custom suit. It's all for achieving a perfect personal suit!
Details of custom suits:
1. Antiperspirant Patch: To prevent sweat from staining the suit, custom suits typically have an additional piece of fabric sewn under the armpits. This not only prevents the suit from getting wet but also enhances its stretchability, making it easier to press after exercising.
2. Lining: When customizing formal suits, don't skimp on the lining. A suit that uses bonded interfacing isn't truly custom. Opt for a wool, linen, and horsehair lining. The lining is a layer of fabric placed between the suit fabric and辅料. It allows the suit to better reset after wearing. Never be frugal with this detail.
3. Sleeve Lining: Due to the varying stretch properties for static dissipation, high-quality suit sleeves and body linings are made from different materials. Generally, sleeve linings are in striped or plaid patterns.
4. Thread Count: We all know that a higher thread count generally indicates better fabric, but when actually selecting and customizing formal wear, consider other factors such as weight and yarn count. Make sure to ask the store thoroughly, because a high thread count is not necessarily desirable if the weave is loose and airy. Of course, choosing the right fabric is a good approach.
5. Buttonholes: High-quality custom-made suits feature hand-sewn buttonholes, requiring two years of training to perfect this skill. If you're unsure of the difference between hand-sewn and machine-sewn buttonholes, go compare them; you'll see the difference at a glance.
6. Collar: The collar of a suit is a tricky area to handle. During the stitching process, it's impossible to achieve a perfectly smooth collar on the chest. This minor flaw has actually become a signature. If you see a row of lines that are well-defined and uneven, you can immediately tell where the suit originated from.
7. Technical Symmetry: A suit is made up of many pieces of fabric, so it's time to test the tailor's skills when dealing with striped or plaid materials. High-quality custom suits require that all seams are perfectly aligned with the stripes, even at the cost of fabric waste. This is also why well-crafted custom suits are expensive. Even for high-grade suits, even with black fabric, the patterns will be aligned.
8. Buttons: When choosing buttons, always consider horn buttons or amber buttons; if you prefer, you can also try copper buttons or precious metal studs. Never opt for plastic buttons, as they can ruin your suit. The buttons on custom-made suits are also sewn by hand, each stitch being sturdy and solid.
What are the precautions for custom made suits?
1. Style Selection: For formal attire, typically choose either a single-breasted three-button or a single-breasted two-button style. The top can be either single or double-breasted, except for government and public institutions where the top should not have a slit.
Currently, there are three basic styles available in the market. The English version suit features a broad shoulder and a narrow waist, offering a snug fit that accentuates the body's curves but is not suitable for Chinese people. The American version is very roomy, with a particularly small waist contraction and a loose fit. Americans tend to be more robust and prefer a relaxed fit, which is not suitable for Chinese people. The Italian version has a more tailored silhouette, with the sleeve stitching and the symbolic boat-shaped chest pocket being its distinctive details, making it more suitable for Chinese people.
In addition to the three basic styles mentioned above, there are also Korean-style suits that accentuate the figure and are currently very popular, making them a good fit for Chinese wearers. Japanese-style suits are the main style on the market, with a straight cut and no side splits, which are more suitable for Chinese figures.
2. Fabric Selection: Colors should primarily be black or dark navy solid shades, as they are formal and versatile. When considering the details of custom suit services, pay attention to other factors such as weight and yarn count, and make sure to inquire with the store. Although a high count is desirable, if the weave is loose and airy, it is not advisable. Ultimately, choose based on personal preference and budget.
3. Fleece Selection: When customizing a suit, don't skimp on the fabric. Since suits made with adhesive interfacing are not genuine custom suits, opt for a fleece made from wool, flax, or horsehair. The interfacing is a layer of fabric placed between the suit fabric and lining. It helps the suit reset better after wearing, so don't be stingy on this detail. Choose semi-fleece or full-fleece, and don't waste money on a suit with adhesive interfacing.
4. Size Control: Although tailors are responsible for taking measurements during custom suit fittings, it's crucial to communicate clearly with them to ensure your ideal suit. For instance, regarding sleeve length, the standard is to have the shirt sleeves slightly露出1 centimeter when hanging naturally. However, some prefer longer sleeves, even to the wrist. If you don't specify the desired length, the tailor will make the suit according to the standard fitting for custom suits, which might result in sleeves that seem too short. This could lead to a suit that doesn't meet your expectations. It's also wise to listen to the tailor's suggestions to avoid wearing the suit incorrectly.
5. Sleeves: Due to the varying stretch resistance of static electricity, high-quality custom suits will choose different linings for the sleeve and body, usually with a striped or plaid pattern. Additionally, many people believe that a suit is good if it has a reversible real button, but now you can even find suits with removable real buttons at many affordable stores, at prices that are surprisingly low. Therefore, the standard for determining whether a suit is good or not is to see if the upper and lower layers of fabric can be separated, rather than whether there is a hole on the top.
6. Buttons: High-quality custom suits have buttonholes hand-sewn with meticulous craftsmanship, and buttons are typically made of horn or amber. If preferred, copper buttons or precious metal ones can be tested, but plastic buttons will downgrade the suit's quality. Therefore, they can ruin your suit. Opt for natural buttons and hand-crafted customization for your suit, ensuring the buttons are solidly stitched, significantly enhancing the suit's status.
7. Collar: The collar of a suit is difficult to sew. During the process of stitching one by one, the collar in the front cannot be sewn flat. Therefore, this minor flaw has become a symbol. If you see a row of lines that are not level, you can immediately tell where this suit comes from.
Yu Yue Garment Factory in Shaxi Town, Zhongshan City, adheres to the principle of "Customers First, Integrity Supreme" and holds the development philosophy of "Management Creates Value, Service Enhances Advantage, Quality Supreme, Service Exceeds Expectations." We welcome both new and old customers to visit and inquire.
