Groom's Suit ~ The Research

If you're a groom-to-be and you happen to have a package with a bridal shop, you probably wouldn't need to know much about suits. You're constrained to what are available off-the-rack (OTR) at the bridal shop. Chances are these options would be good enough (for most decent bridal shops). The recent trend is that the groom's pants would be made-to-measure (MTM) and to keep. That is quite good as a decent pair of OTR pants could cost in the range of 80~100 SGD (think G2000).

But what if you don't have a bridal package, or for some reasons, you do not like their selections? Then perhaps like myself, you've to either: (1) rent (2) purchase. Renting doesn't makes much economical sense since the rental of a suit alone isn't as cheap as compared to it being a part of a bridal package.

For purchase, OTR from G2000, Marks & Spencer, Zara or Topman are all possible options. The downside is that you cannot control the fabrics used, you cannot have a perfect fit or a cutting that you like. You're limited to what is on the rack. If the size for a particular design that you fancied is out of stock, you've to change your option or get a bigger size and have it altered. And of course, there's a risk that someone attending your wedding may turn up with that same suit! Nevertheless, buying OTR is not without its merits. You get to see the end product immediately and you get lesser headache as compared with tailoring. With GSS now on, Hugo Boss is having sales of 40% off their suits!

My decision? To go for tailoring, bespoke tailoring. It's pretty much like why some people like to DIY their own furniture, their computers, etc. I get to decide the fabrics, the buttons, the cuttings and it is truly fitting. But the headache that comes with this decision, is not little.

For a start, I need to find a reputable tailor to do the work. There are the heartland tailors with their tempting prices; the aggressive salesmen at tourist traps such as Lucky Plaza, Far East Plaza/Shopping Centre and also the established ones in reputable hotels such as Raffles Hotel & Marriott Hotel.

It is extremely important to differentiate between a salesman and a tailor. A salesman is someone who would tempt you into getting that expensive fabric or over-promising and under-delivering the final product. A salesman earns predominantly from his commission, hence the more he sells, the more he earns. A tailor should be one who is able to advise on the latest fashion trend, whether certain cuttings or designs are suitable and he would be able to explain the finer details of tailoring a suit.

Again, the Internet is such a wonderful resource to help research for the right tailor. I came to narrow down my options to 3 tailors: Kingsmen, Coloc and Mode et Creation. Both Kingsmen & Coloc go all the way back to 1950s.

Kingsmen recently sponsored 3 suits for Shawn Chen (Mediacorp) for his wedding.

The tailor at Coloc was very friendly and he offers a simple-to-understand wedding package.

Anthony from Mode et Creation was trained in London. With each tailor having its own merits, it is difficult to make a decision.

So, what do look out for in a suit? The fabric - an obvious answer. Decent tailors wouldn't offer polyester, but do check out the labels from OTR suits as polyester could be in it. Linen are bad options for formal suits as it crumples easily. Micro-fiber are breathable but it definitely loses out to mother nature, i.e., wool. The Executive at Suntec City has a 888 SGD wedding package that starts by using micro-fiber. Expensive, if you ask me.

Cashmere wool would be a good option for our climate. So make sure your tailor shows you nothing but wool, if you're making a suit for an important occasion, like your wedding. You would most likely see something like Super 130, Super 150, etc. In general, the higher the number, the better it is.

You may have heard of single/double breasted suit. So what should you be looking out for? It depends on your built. For myself, I would be getting a single breasted suit, else I would end up enlarging my built. A good tailor would advise you on this. Your suit needs to complement your bride, and my bride, being petite, I need to make myself looks smaller in order to lesser our built difference.

The shape of the lapel would also play a part in shaping your body, giving an illusion of you being bigger or smaller than you actually are. Sometimes you see a lapel hole, sometimes you don't. If you watched Wimbledon recently, you probably caught Roger's new Rolex advertisement. His suit has a lapel hole. You'll need it. Make sure it is functional. You could put your corsage in it. Some suits have stitches at the edges of the lapel, those in Hugo Boss definitely have it. Most OTR like G2000 would probably not have it. This is sometimes taken as a symbol of bespoke tailoring. That the canvass is hand stitched rather than fused. A fused canvass won't last long due to dry cleaning. So check with your tailor on this! Other than lapel canvass, the main suit body also has a canvass. Hence it is important to find out whether it is half fused or fully hand stitched suit.

How many buttons should I have? Well, 2 or 3. Tailor at Coloc said he could let me see how I would look like in both and then decide. But typically 2 wouldn't go wrong. But never, ever, button all your buttons. Other than the front buttons, there are typically 4 buttons on each sleeve. Some OTR don't have any. Some would have fixed buttons, but not functional. Tailors called these functional buttons as undo buttons or removable buttons. This is a sign of bespoke tailoring. It is often hand crafted. I'd seen Topman suit with fixed buttons and fake button holes, that is at least better than no buttons. For suit, horn buttons are the norm. Accept nothing lesser.

Linings of a suit. Typical OTR would have the same or similar color. If the suit is black, so is the lining. Now thats where tailoring is different. You can mix & match! You can have a black plain suit with red lining, this is more personal and adds a bit of fun into an otherwise boring suit. Similarly, the linings for the sleeves can be different too.

When you speak with a tailor or salesman, you need to inform them whether you're looking for a 2-piece or 3-piece suit. The 3rd piece is actually the vest or waist-coat. A vest is able to shape your body and make it more V-shaped. Also it makes you stand out from the banquet captain who is also probably wearing a suit. A vest can be of the same fabric as the suit or it could be of a different fabric to create the contrast.

Whether it is a 2-piece or 3-piece suit, you need to have a shirt. Typically it would be good to have a 2-ply Egyptian cotton material dress shirt. Plaits in the front would make it lesser boring or lesser waiter-like. Concealed buttons are nice too. For shirts, it is the norm to expect shell buttons. OTR typically gives you plastic. French cuffs is also the trend now.

If you're wearing a belt, make sure it is the same color as your dress shoes. If not, remember to ask the tailor to not include belt loops.

Typically 2~3 fittings are required to complete the suit. With so much detail to hand craft, it is extremely difficult to trust sales folks who claim to be able to deliver within 24 hours. All 3 reputable ones that I enquired would require 2 months time to complete the work.