How a suit is made
Three fittings, about ten weeks.
Every suit starts as a paper pattern cut for you alone. We tack it together in your cloth, fit it on you, take it apart and cut it again. Three times, until it hangs the way the cloth wants to.
Week 3 · First fitting
The baste
A loose jacket tacked together with white thread: no pockets, no lining. We check balance, length and how you stand, then chalk every change straight onto the cloth.
Week 6 · Second fitting
The forward
The jacket comes back re-cut, with pockets and a collar. We refine the shoulders and waist and set the sleeves where your arms actually hang.
Week 9 · Final fitting
The finish
Buttonholes are sewn by hand and the trousers are hemmed to your shoes. Last small changes are made while you wait, and the suit goes home with you.
Eight cloths we keep in the workroom.
Each one hangs in the shop for you to handle. Open a cloth to see it move and read how it wears.
No. 4417
Chalk stripe flannel
Double-breasted suit
No. 3190
Herringbone tweed
Sport jacket or overcoat
No. 5022
Prince of Wales check
Three-piece suit
No. 2268
Oxblood flannel
Odd jacket
No. 2204
Mid-grey flannel
Trousers
No. 3172
Brown herringbone
Country suit
No. 4431
Navy chalk stripe
Business suit
No. 5040
Brown glen check
Travelling suit
What a suit costs.
Order docket · prices from
Two-piece suit
£3,400
Three-piece suit
£4,100
Jacket
£2,450
Trousers
£950
Overcoat
£3,900
Prices include cloth from our book, three fittings and free alterations for the first year. Cloths outside the book are quoted when you choose them.
“I have worn the grey flannel twice a week for six years. It still looks as if it was made for me, because it was.”
Malcolm Achebe, customer since 2019
60
hours of hand sewing in a jacket
3
fittings before it is finished
1
cutter from first measure to last
Questions people ask at the first appointment.
Anything else, ask us when you book.
Do I need to know what I want before I come in?
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How long does a suit take?
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What if I don't live in Edinburgh?
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Can you copy a suit I already own?
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Do you alter the suit later?
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