A few months back, I shared the experience of measuring up my Canali Su Misura (Made-to-Measure) suit, via appointment at the London menswear shop – Richard Gelding part of baltzar.com. I was delighted to receive a message 4 weeks later telling me that my suit had made it over from Italy and landed in London.
I returned to the store for a final fitting, excited to see the result of the various changes and choices done when ordering. I was instantly pleased to see the soft textures and deep blue colour of the beautiful fabric. I had already seen the fabric on the sample, but when it unfolds in front of you as a full suit it always becomes more true to its colour and slightly lighter than on a small sample piece. Something which had been pointed out and highlighted to me during the process of choosing.
Next up was trying on the suit. By now having had several pieces made, by routine I scanned the suit for potential need of finishing touches. I was happy to conclude that the seam of the structured shoulder fit perfectly on the edge of my shoulder bone, the sleeve length was sublime and it had a very nice v-shape on my waist. Looking at the trousers; the waist fitted nicely on my hips and the drape was just impeccable, potentially I am going to let out the waist just a fraction, something which always has to be considered a possibility due to the nature of a waist circumference. The trousers came unfinished, meaning that the length would be adjusted and altered by Richard Gelding’s in-house tailor. Due to how the rest of the trousers is fitting the final length may vary slightly, since we did quite a lot of changes in the waist, seat and leg area, it is the safer option to finish the trousers when everything else is in place; also I am quite particular about the length and tend to have slightly different length depending on the characteristics off the trousers.
Another important detail on the trousers are the double reverse pleats, these folds of fabric adds flexibility to the front of the trousers as it allows to expand slightly when sitting down, as well as an aesthetically pleasing effect of drape to the trouser legs.
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The final result came out very satisfying. We strived to make a classic formal lounge suit the Milanese way (the Canali way). The No.1 suit in a man’s wardrobe should be a classic dark navy suit and this we definitely achieved. I am particularly happy with all the visible design attributes of the suit. Due to the plain nature of the fabric we added quite a few details to make sure if still felt exciting and distinguished, which I think really worked out well. The structured shoulder together with the peak lapel giving the suit a powerful silhouette. The ticket pocket disrupting the otherwise completely symmetrical design.
The side adjuster and buttons for braces is eliminating the need of belt loops, which helps enhance the clean look of the waistline of the suit. The trousers was finished with a turn-up to highlight the short but perfect finishing of the trousers.
Overall my interaction with the store Richard Gelding has indeed been happy and pleasant experience, a good start to a happy relation. Their combination of relaxed, yet knowledgeable approach makes shopping easy and enjoyable.
Yours sincerely, Mathias le Fèvre