Reflections from the clients we dress

Perspectives from studio clients

1. 01

   What matteredCollars that finally sit flat under a tie

   C01–C08

   For years Richard bought shirts off the peg that pulled across the chest and swamped him at the waist. Edmund measured him once, Noor kept the card on file, and a trial shirt was washed and worn for a week before the rest were cut. Six shirts later, every collar sits flat under a tie, the cuffs clear his watch, and he has finally stopped tugging at his sleeves in every meeting he goes to.

2. 02

   What matteredEvery job priced in writing, back in ten days

   C01–C04

   We had a pile of good clothes we never wore because something was slightly wrong: a coat with sleeves too long, trousers that dragged on the floor, a moth hole in Jenna's favourite wool skirt. Tomasz went through the lot in one visit, priced each job in writing and had everything back within ten days. The invisible mend is honestly impossible to find, and the coat now looks as if it was made for Lucas.

3. 03

   What matteredTwo matching suits for the wedding day

   C07–C12

   I had four months before my wedding and no idea what suited me. Harriet helped me choose a mid-blue wool from three bunches, and Edmund adjusted the made-to-measure block over two fittings until the jacket sat cleanly across my shoulders. My brother's suit was cut alongside mine so the two matched. On the day nothing pulled and nothing creased, and the photographs show it. I still wear the jacket to work.

4. 04

   What matteredThree pieces to add, written on one page

   C01–C06

   I spend twelve hours a day on my feet in front of guests and had been buying the wrong clothes for years. Harriet spent an afternoon going through my wardrobe, kept what worked, named what to let go and wrote a short list of three pieces to add. Tomasz altered two old jackets to match the new trousers. I now get dressed in five minutes, and my staff have stopped asking whether I am off to a funeral.

5. 05

   What matteredA price that never moved from the quote

   C09–C12

   Paul has an uneven shoulder that no ready-made suit has ever forgiven. Edmund drafted his pattern from scratch, and we came back for a baste fitting, a forward fitting and a finish fitting over about ten weeks. Every stage was explained, and the price never moved from the written quote. The finished grey flannel hangs straight on both sides for the first time in his life, and he wears it with real pleasure.

6. 06

   What matteredA gown fitted with five weeks to spare

   C01–C12

   My daughter's gown arrived from the shop two sizes too large with only five weeks to spare, and I was close to panic. Noor pinned it at the first visit, set out three fittings in her diary and kept every promise she made. The bodice was taken in, the hem was turned up by hand and a bustle was added for the dancing. On the morning of the wedding it fitted as though it had been made for her alone.