Henry Herbert’s tailors have come up with the five “F’s” to consider when choosing a bespoke suit: function, fabric, fit, finance and fashion.

1)      Function

Consider what you will be using a bespoke suit for.  Is it for everyday business formal use?  Casual wear?  Evening formal or black tie?  Is it for a special event such as a wedding – and is it your own wedding or one you are attending as a guest?  The modern day gentleman has a wealth of social events that he is required to attend, or perhaps we should say, desires to attend.

For evening formal events, we are often requested to make a bespoke dinner suit with matching dinner shirt and dinner trousers (also known as the tuxedo).  For day formal events and weddings, we are often commissioned to make morning coats, with bespoke waistcoats and trousers to complement.  For day to day wear, and business formal use, our most popular styles include the classic single breasted two or three button bespoke suit where customers will choose a variety of pocket styles depending on their preference.  For casual wear, we are often asked to make a bespoke sports jacket – this can be in any variety of fabrics and can be matched with many trouser types including jeans and chinos.

2)      Fabric

Consider the seasons.  Did you want a bespoke suit that can be worn year round?  Or something specifically suited to the cooler months of autumn/winter or the warmer months of spring/summer.  Or perhaps, there are not four seasons to contend with where you live – perhaps there is only consistent cold or consistent heat.  If so, it will be essential to consider your choice of fabric for your bespoke suit carefully.  Good choices for cold climates include wools of all kinds (from the daily hardworking Super 80s-100s, to the finer wools with Super numbers in the high 100s – 200s), tweeds, flannels (hardworking and hardwearing), and cashmere.  Good choices for warmer climates include cottons, linens, seersucker, lighter weight wools and wool silk blends.  For multi-purpose year round use, our customers report that you can’t beat a navy mid-weight wool suit.

3)      Fit

An experienced tailor will be able to judge the most flattering fit and advise as to what the current trends may be.  With that said each tailoring firm usually has something known as a “house style”.  At Henry Herbert for example, as a contemporary tailor working to the highest standards and traditions of the of Savile Row, distinguishing features of its house style include an English cut with a slim silhouette, a strong and naturally rolled lapel (achieved through hand stitching), a natural roped shoulder proportionate to each customer, slim tailored trousers and robust but lightweight fully canvassed coats.

4)      Finance

Many customers consider the bespoke suit an investment.   However, initial cost is of course a consideration, as is return on your investment.  There are many tailors to choose from, and some of them will likely have a price range that is suited to you, and some may be less suited!  Many tailors work to the highest standards, cutting bespoke suits by hand, and offering “service as bespoke as the suit” (something that we believe in at Henry Herbert).  Speak to or visit as many tailors as you like – it must ultimately be a relationship that is comfortable for you.  Do note that VAT is charged and quoted separately with all bespoke tailors, and that the kind of cloth you choose will determine the final price.

Consider that a bespoke suit may last anywhere from half a decade to many decades, and will see anything from frequent to even daily wear.  (In fact: if you turn out the inside pocket on all Henry Herbert suits, there will be written the owner’s name, and the date of the suit’s making).   We were recently asked to conduct alterations on a suit whose “birth” date was in the 1960s, on behalf of a father who wished to pass his suit down to his son.

5)      Fashion

This is entirely up to you.  With a bespoke suit, the wearer or customer is ultimately a designer.  The beauty of bespoke is that you can follow a fashion if you wish, or choose a bespoke suit in a cut that surpasses any of the fleeting notions of what is fashionable at the moment, and moves more into the era of timeless style.  At Henry Herbert, we always say there are no rules in bespoke suit tailoring, only preferences.

 Book an appointment with a Henry Herbert tailor.

How to adapt your bespoke suit for Halloween you say?  The Henry Herbert tailoring team have come up with a few innovative ideas for who you could be this Halloween, adapting your existing wardrobe and adding just a few accessories.

1)  Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, The Godfather

The Godfather

We’re going to make you an offer you can’t refuse: a chance to be The Godfather this Halloween.  With a little help from your bespoke dinner suit (like this one) and a wing collar dinner shirt with black buttons, you very well could be.  Corleone’s dinner jacket features a prominent peak lapel, and satin trimmings for an elegant twist.  Accessorise with black bowtie, and a single rosebud worn on your left hand lapel.  Cat optional.  Just don’t forget to practice that unmistakable, gravelly voice.

2) Agent Smith, The Matrix

Who remembers this epic late 90s/early noughties sci fi flick?  After Neo and Trinity, Agent Smith was probably the most memorable character, with his terrifying deadpan, and perma-scowl.  Though everyone wants to be Neo, this Halloween, for a change, why not go for the Agent Smith look?  Smith wears a slim cut black suit throughout the film, and skinny black tie with tie pin (essential to stop said tie flinging around whilst doing backflip kicks, and multiplying yourself in an attempt to take down The One).  Simple – and you probably already own something like this in your wardrobe.  (In case you don’t, may we be of service, Sir?) Add sunglasses (which you must never remove), obligatory scowl, and say ominously to everyone “Hello, Mr Anderson.”

3) Harry Pendel, The Tailor of Panama

Geoffrey Rush’s “Harry” Pendel has a penchant for tailoring suits – and the stories that he feeds to Pierce Brosnan’s Osnard.  It would seem that he prefers to don the three piece suit himself, usually in grey, with a trademark collared vest.  (Very likely (given the Panama heat), the suit would have been constructed of a lightweight wool or wool silk blend.)  This one might take a little explanation to the non-tailoring enthusiast, so if you happen to be seeing your Henry Herbert tailor before your Halloween soiree, you might want to ask to borrow a measuring tape to wear around your neck, some pins and some chalk.  To top it all of, and to make it really obvious who you’re getting at, make sure you wear a Panama hat.  They simply have to get it now…

4) James Bond (any and all)

You’re spoilt for choice here and who doesn’t want to be 007?  Your best (and most recognizable) bet is to roll out that trusty dinner suit once again (wasn’t it an excellent investment!), which makes its appearance in multiple films, always to great effect.  Accessorise with lots of Her Majesty’s secret agent charm. Don’t forget a martini (shaken, not stirred, naturally) – may we recommend the Duke’s Hotel (see also: Henry Herbert’s Top 5 London Hotel Bars).  Never be separated from the martini glass.

5) The Hangover – final scene

After a whole movie of debauched mishaps and “dishevelry” (that’s dishevelled and revelry combined), they finally, *ahem* suit up, in time for the wedding.  Don’t they scrub up well?  The evergreen black suit strikes again.  Depending on your current hair / beard situation, you could either go clean shaven and load up on the fake tan and go for the “Doug” “look”, go halfway ala Bradley Cooper with slicked back hair, or full on with 70s sunglasses like Zach Galifianakis.

And there you have it – your trusty bespoke suit can indeed see you through Halloween in style.  For more ideas, see our Top 5 Halloween bespoke suit ideas from 2013!

Following on from our last feature on Top 5 (or 7) cocktail bars in London, we feature our Top 5 London hotel bars, as told to us by Henry Herbert friends, customers and cocktail connoisseurs.

Hotel bars, love them or hate them have certainly made an effort to up their game.  With a great amount of thought, and no doubt, expense put into interior design, and innovative concoctions to intrigue the taste buds, today’s top London hotel bars marry the best of modernity and luxury, with tasteful garnishing on top (with no cocktail parasols in sight).

1. The Connaught

Purveyors of one of the finest Old Fashioned cocktails in London, the Connaught is a favourite of Henry Herbert friends and customers.  Discreet and luxurious, the Connaught bar also boasts some of the most delectable olives and “small food” accompaniments to your cocktails that we have ever come across.

2. The Mandarin Oriental

Situated in the heart of London, with Hyde Park on one side and Harrods/Harvey Nichols on the other, this is an excellent place to rest weary feet and arms aching from carrying shopping bags.  Try to nab a table with the large comfortable leather armchairs, and you’ll never want to get up.

3. The Luggage Room – London Mariott Hotel Grosvenor Square

Could very well have made this list simply for their revival of the Prohibition-era gentlemen’s cocktail, the Pendennis Club.  All hail cocktails from the roaring 1920s and 30s.

4. American Bar at The Savoy

Refurbished along with the rest of The Savoy hotel in 2010, this bar is a classic and its name of course invokes the romance of transatlantic travel, and a sense of “home away from home” for visitors from across the pond.

5. Dukes Hotel

Tucked behind the hustle and bustle of St James, this discreet venue is the place for the quintessential James Bond martini, shaken, not stirred (and many associated Bond Girl-named variations), look no further.  Good evening, Mr. Bond.

We’ve limited ourselves to 5 hotel bars, but we could go on and on.  Which are your favourite cocktail bars in London?  Got a recommendation – drop us a line cc@henryherbert.com or Tweet us @HenryHerbert

We were very excited to receive a large, and rather heavy box of fabrics intended for bespoke shirts, delivered to the Henry Herbert HQ recently.

We thought we would share with you the discovery of its contents – the finest bespoke shirting fabrics by SÖKTAS. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Turkish Stock Exchange in 1995, SÖKTAS is a specialist designer and producer of cotton and cotton blended fabrics whose worldwide reputation was built on shirting fabrics.

Without further ado, we would like to introduce the Soktas collection: Bespoke Selection.  Specially designed and intended for use in creating bespoke shirts, these are high-end fabrics made from the finest Egyptian Giza cotton, with only the purest and longest fibres selected to be spun into extra-fine yarns.  Each beautifully bound book contains “pages” of shirting fabric samples, organised by theme and named after the kind of occasion, or message, that a gentleman may choose to convey in his dressing. This collection offers hundreds of colours and designs (stripes, checks) to suit any situation or fancy.

The Soktas fabrics are renowned for their quality and luxurious finish. The use of the finest natural cotton in a bespoke shirt, makes for a tailored piece that is breathable and pleasant to wear on the skin (as opposed to itchy and irritating, which some might find the case with synthetic fabrics). If you are considering a set of bespoke shirts, don’t hesitate to ask your Henry Herbert Tailor about the SÖKTAS fabrics.