Last week I returned for the second time, with much
excitement, to Ede & Ravenscroft's delightful Chancery Lane store, for a fitting of my
new bespoke shirt in the prestigious Panelled Room. A rare privilege this was
too - not only to get a glimpse inside one of most historical cubby-holes of a store
steeped in history, but also to see a basted shirt for the first time. Ede
& Ravenscroft are one of only very few bespoke shirt makers in the capital
that offer a basted fitting as a part of their bespoke process, with the
garment delicately basted-in at the seams and with the collar and cuffs
temporarily attached just as delicately, to allow for the garment to be tweaked
post-fitting for a more precise fit and finish.
It is a testimony to the skill of Bespoke Shirt Specialist
Roy Sarling, and his finely-tuned bespoke workshop that the shirt fits so
beautifully at this stage in the process. The 'depth' of the body and sleeves
is perfect, looking slim and sleek whilst also possessing enough room to feel
natural and relaxed in. The most surprising thing in slipping on the shirt for
the first time, was the extraordinary improvement in comfort that Roy has achieved, compared
with my wardrobe of off-the-peg shirts. The enhanced fit and comfort achieved
through the precision of a very high, close armhole, and a sleeve which hangs
perfectly from a correctly cut shoulder and yoke was an unexpected delight for
a bespoke-shirt newbie such as myself. Its not something you expect to make
such a difference, but as Roy explained to me, given that a shirt (unlike a
suit) contains no structure and simply falls on the body, getting the shirt's
proportions right where it rests around the shoulder is crucial to achieving a
superior garment, hence why he insists on offering a basted fitting.
Similarly fascinating was the amount of attention that Roy paid to the yoke of
the shirt. Roy
cuts a single-piece yoke, preferring the cleaner surface to that of a
split-yoke, and insists that the yoke has to be perfect at this stage, because
every other part of the shirt is connected it. If the yoke is wrong, there is
potential for every other part of the shirt to either be proportioned
incorrectly or hang incorrectly as a result. Needless to say, the yoke is
perfect and the shirt fits closely in the back and shoulder, whilst still
offering me full freedom of movement and allowing the sleeves to hang precisely
from the shoulder seam. Also a joy to behold is the tall, powerful pointed collar,
inspired by 1930s formal shirting, cut with a tab to fasten under the tie. As
you can see, it produces a very authentic shape and its just what I was hoping
for.
Only some minor adjustments are needed at this point; the
collar, thanks to its relatively high stand and Roy 's experienced eye fits perfectly. The
length of the sleeve is ideal and so too are the proportions of the shirt's
body and tails. We decided to ease the width of the cuffs by a quarter of an
inch, because they're a tiny bit tighter than I'd like, and to take a little
out of each side-seam for a more defined waist - note that Roy doesn't make
slim fitting shirts with darts, preferring to keep the back of the shirt
looking as clean as possible, achieving any shape necessary through just the
side-seams alone. Impressively, shape therefore is achieved exclusively through
clever cutting of the cloth to create an hourglass shape, with cloth being
thrown-forward in front of the side seam, and being taken-in behind the side-seam,
to ensure that it still sits naturally around the torso. Finally, matching
coral pink voile panels will be sewn into the inside of the shirt-front to
ensure an opaque front and pure colour - a true bespoke touch. Beautiful
best-pearl, three-eye buttons will be added and the cuffs re-cut and attached
with a mitred front edge. After these tweaks have been completed, the shirt will
go straight to finish and I for one,
cannot wait to see the completed article.
The bespoke shirt making service is available exclusively in Chancery Lane , by appointment. Shirts start at £295 and there is no minimum order required.
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