Bespoke tailoring and alterations, answered

A bespoke garment starts with a paper pattern drafted by hand for one person, and it is built in stages with a baste fitting, a forward fitting and a finish fitting. Made-to-measure starts from an existing block pattern that is adjusted to your measurements and posture, with one or two fittings. Bespoke takes longer and costs more; made-to-measure suits most people who want a clean fit in less time.

Usually ten to twelve weeks from the first measurements to collection, with three fittings along the way. Cloth that has to be ordered from the mill can add two or three weeks. A finish date is never promised before the first fitting, because the garment has to be seen on the body before the remaining work can be planned honestly and written into the diary.

There is no minimum spend for alterations, and small jobs are priced at the counter. Bespoke and made-to-measure orders take a deposit of half the written price once the cloth is chosen, with the balance paid at collection. Shirts are paid in full once the trial shirt has been approved, so nothing is cut for the full order until the fit is right.

Yes. Cloth bought elsewhere is welcome, provided there is enough of it and it suits the garment. Edmund checks the length, weight and weave at the first meeting and says plainly if it will not work. The price for making up your own cloth is the published price less the cloth itself, and that figure is given in writing before anything is cut. Linings, buttons and canvas can come from the studio or be brought along too.

Nothing is required, but it helps to wear the shoes you expect to wear with the garment and to bring one piece you like the fit of, even if it is worn out. Photographs of an occasion outfit or a colour you want are useful too. The consultation is complimentary, lasts about 30 minutes and does not commit you to placing an order of any kind.

A bespoke suit usually has three fittings, made-to-measure one or two, and a shirt order one trial shirt. Alterations are normally pinned once and tried on at collection. If you already work with a stylist or a wedding planner, they are welcome at any fitting, and Harriet is glad to share the cloth references and measurements card with them on request.

Yes, and most of the work on the alterations bench is on clothes bought from other shops. Sleeves, hems, waists and seats are the usual jobs, along with relining jackets, replacing zips and invisible mending on fine wool. Each garment is pinned at the counter, the price is written on the ticket, and the usual turnaround is seven to ten working days, with a faster service quoted on request.

It stays until it does. Every garment is tried on at collection, and any adjustment found then is made at no charge. Bespoke and made-to-measure pieces also include a free re-press and adjustment check within the first year, because cloth settles with wear. No studio can promise that a body will not change, so alterations needed after that year are quoted in the usual way and written on the ticket.