Savile Row was the birth place of the bespoke suit. The phrase ‘bespoke’ originated as a result of a particular cloth for a suit that would ‘be spoken for’ by a customer, the phrase shortening over the last 275 years since the inception of London’s golden mile of the tailoring.
Now, in Perth, Joseph Anthony is the home of the bespoke suit. And here, the stigma of the bespoke suit being an elite acquisition has well and truly been removed. ‘From our perspective, we’re sensitive to the Perth market, and offer top quality and affordable prices, without any compromise on design, style, fabric or service,’ explained Terrance Borgioli from Joseph Anthony.
The suit essentially becomes the cornerstone of any discerning man’s wardrobe. You can buy off the rack, naturally, but there’s a certain experience and consequent feeling which comes with having a bespoke suit made.
But it isn’t a quick walk-in, walk-out affair. The bespoke suit is a labour of love, one that takes up to four weeks to create. It is something to be savoured and enjoyed, a process that rewards with distinction and sophistication. And so it should: the average suit costs around $1600, with top end suits costing between $2500 to $3000.
‘In Europe it’s very in vogue and becoming more widely acceptable to people, anywhere from their early 20s, young professionals, up to the older generation of 60s and 70s, who, when they were in their 20s, Bespoke catering was pretty much the only way to get a suit,’ explained Borgioli of the bespoke suit’s recent renaissance.
‘As far as Perth is concerned, absolutely; we wouldn’t be in business and doing well, had there not been a warm reception to Bespoke tailoring here. Again, there’s still that education process, educating people of the whole process through from start to finish; the time frame, the various processes of fabric consultations, design consultations. But absolutely; the renaissance period is only just starting to hit Perth at the moment, so it’s going to be pretty exciting leading into the next couple of years.’
But the suit is only one part of the modern gentleman’s wardrobe. There are also the shirts and ties, the shoes and cufflinks, elements of a whole different fashion dictionary, one whose language is based in a suave masculinity.
‘You should be working with about 10 to 12 shirts in a gentleman’s wardrobe, so that gives good coverage – dependant on how many suits you have – so you can then mix and match between the shirts, the ties, and obviously the suit as well,’ Borgioli explained.
‘For example, if you just has a plain, navy blue suit, out of 10 or 12 shirts and 20 ties, there might be 15 different variations that you can work in there. So looking at that on a month-to-month basis, you may not wear the exact same ensemble once every six months.
‘It’s giving customers the freedom to mix and match and be a little bit creative.’
Jospeh Anthony are located in Shop 27, London Court, Hay Street, Perth and Shop 5, Old Theatre Lane, Claremont or you can ring 9221 1142.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
THE PROCESS OF MAKING A BESPOKE SUIT
– Consider the occasion: ‘Give thought to the purpose and function of the suit,’ Borgioli explained.
– Consultation: ‘Once we know the occasion,’ Borgioli continued, ‘it then gives us the ability to narrow down certain things, like the design style, whether they want single vent, double vent, whatever the case might be, and the fabric, the colours, the lining. And so we go through, then, the whole fabric consultation, which then leads to the design side of things as to how they want the finished outcome to look.’
– Know thyself: The idea behind a bespoke suit is that it is made to measure. This is perhaps the most crucial part of designing the suit since it’s the foundation from which a work of true art can be made. It also assures the client the suit made is congruent with their body type.
– Design selection: From there the client will be presented with a series of design sketches illustrating what their bespoke suit will essentially look like on the body.
– Production: This typically takes two to three weeks, depending on the detail of the suit.
– Final Fitting: ‘We have a final fitting with the client so that we can iron out any anomalies that may be present throughout the catering process – if sleeves need to come up or down a couple of millimeters, the body needs to be tapered, the waist let in or out – any minor alterations like that, and then we generally, at most, allow for another week on top.’
– Finished Product: ‘It can be anywhere between three to four weeks, dependent on workload and finished product,’ Borgioli explained. But of course, for the man who wants to look his best, patience is a virtue that not only pays off, but makes you look good too.
