Big news out of The Handcraft Tailor Academy.
Desiree and I are getting married!!!
Now all I have to do is decide what to wear to the event.
The wedding party is made up of all women bar myself of course.
My best man and grooms men are my sister Aoife and my BF Lucy. Lucy is lesbian so she will match each of my outfits. My Sister will wear a dress similar to that of the bride.
The brides maids are Desirees two sister both of whom are also lesbian, so we plan to dress them in waistcoats and trousers.
My thoughts are, get married in a Morning suit, have dinner in an Evening suit and enjoy the afters in a Dinner suit. That's a lot of suits!
Plus Lucy who will match my every outfit.
I can honestly say I didn't know a tux was originally called a Dinner Jacket until I reached Savile Row.
The prize money I won from The Golden Shears was used to buy a DJ from the 1930's, which was picked it up at a vintage store in Shoreditch.
Since then I have always had that project in the back of my mind and now I have finally realised it.
Cloth for which I have bought up over the years and have finally deployed in the making of this garment. I did have the 30's suit in mind but it is definitely my own style.
I have thought to skip her Evening suit and just put Lucy in a DJ, but I am still deciding.
The cloth is Barathea in a Summer kid mohair, ribbed cord facings and black silk lining. That's real silk not a satin imitation.
Peak lapel, no vents and one button. Though the style of the peak is unlike anything I have done before. The lapel is wide and the peak is almost horizontal. It's a throw back to earlier frock coat designs.
We are now twelve months out from the wedding and I would love your input.
I am still trying to decide on the style of the Morning suit. I know there are different styles but I am not sure which one is for the Races, which are for weddings and which ones were just daily wear!
Or if it even matters.
A part of me wants to invert the suit, making the coat out of the stripe and the trousers in a black narrow herringbone with a powder blue or grey waistcoat.
Please get involved let me know your thoughts and don't be afraid to post some pics regardless of where you find them!
Have a look at www.dugdalebrothers.com and www.theliningcompany.co.uk for ideas for cloth and share them please.
I seem to be back to back with in-house students at the moment. When I get time next week I will post a photo of my dinner suit for my wedding.
Finally getting round to finishing of my Dinner suit. I had a client order a few suits so I have been busy getting those ready. I purchased a cover-button press, but the 24 ligne didn't match the die so I had to scrap that plan and order some in from wwwtheliningcompany.co.uk.
Expensive but worth it. Great quality.
Not done there. I still have Lucy's to make. I wanted to make it into a video series but we are still shooting the drafting series and I need to get this garment done so I can get on with the morning suits.
Hope to have some pics to share soon.
Check out these Morning suit trouser stripes and let me know which one you think would best match in with a Black Herringbone Morning coat and powder blue waistcoat.
When one wonders what to wear as formal attire, looking to the royals isn't a bad place to start.
Though the fit of these twos could be likened to that of a Moss Bros rental, it does offer an insight into what one could wear.
Big congrats ....it all sounds wonderful....
Tartan trews and tailes!
Many many congrats, Rory! That's lovely news! Sounds like the celebrations are going to be crazy-you're all going to have fun by the sound of it!
HELLO - I just read your email - could I ask for clarification what you mean by morning suit, dinner suit and evening suit as I am a little hazy on this [I live in 1890 there are new fangled terms to me]
That said - I think the universally recognised peak of human achievement in tailoring is the Fred Astaire Tail Coat and trousers made by your friends at Anderson & Shepherd. The extant garment is on display at the V&A so you can to see it for details. I am sure they will let you inspect it and take pictures. Obviously you could talk to A&S as well
To my mind, recreating such an iconic piece of history would in its self be an eminently worthwhile endeavour and you can not fail to look unbelievable on your great day.
Extant garment on display in the V&A
Does anyone have any experience with neckties from the 1890's?
This is a pic of the morning dress I made for a wedding I went to a couple of weeks ago (I'm on the left). Next to me is my friend who had his made on Savile Row. (Needless to say, the difference in price was appreciable!) Shows a couple of styles...
His is obviously meant to last through more body changing than perhaps mine could last. But this was my first – and probably only – attempt at morning dress so I forgive my mistakes. However I do think I prefer the higher waist and the high back waist suppression. The 3/4 silhouette is just really cool IMO.
Piping maybe a bit ostentatious but if it's good enough for the King, it's good enough for me!
Inverting the suit sounds like a cool idea if you're the bridegroom. Would let you stand out! I think you're allowed to do anything if you make it yourself. That's how I excused the stylised suit, given it wasn't my own wedding.
I don't seem to have a pic of the trousers.
Is you dislike that you'll probably hate this but I have a suit that has a morning coat stripe for a coat and another stripe for the trousers with a vertical silver stripe waistcoat. I think it's class!
Maybe its because I make historical suits, but I think "making the coat out of the stripe and the trousers in a black narrow herringbone" will look terrible.
I think it will look lie you turned up in a boating blazer.
BUT why dont you mock it up in photoshop? Or if you have an artist frined get them to sketch it out for you [Im assuming if you were a tallented artist you would have already done this]
Poweder blue waistcoat is always a winner.