Skip to content

Bespoke Tailoring Process

If you're about to embark on your first bespoke tailoring experience, here's a helpful step-by-step guide so you know what to expect. All our bespoke clothing is designed, cut and made here at Number 10 Savile Row.

01

Initial
Meeting

Firstly, we’ll discuss where and how the clothing will be worn to help us select the best fabric bunches for whatever you wish to have made. This meeting can take place at our Savile Row shop, at your home, office or during one of our trunk shows.

Secondly, we’ll take your measurements. Approximately 35 measures and figuration notes, as well as photographs are taken.

02

Pattern
Creation

Using all of the information gathered during our meeting a unique personal paper pattern is then constructed by your cutter.

One cutter is dedicated to each individual customer and is responsible for overseeing the entire making process, from the initial consultation to the delivery of the finished garments.

Your paper pattern, personal measurements and full details of all your orders are available to view at any subsequent appointments. Viewing these will give you a rare insight into a normally unseen part of the bespoke tailoring process.

Your own highly skilled cutter will work closely with his or her specialist coat maker, trouser maker and waistcoat maker to create exactly what each customer might desire.

03

Cut
by hand

Once all parts of the paper pattern are complete they’re laid onto the cloth you chose, then drawn around using tailoring chalk. Cutting along these chalk lines using large tailoring shears, we create the individual panels of each garment.

At this stage all the internal canvases, lining and other components such as fixings and fasteners are selected and ‘bundled’ together in the cutting room.

This ‘bundle’ is now ready for one of our specialist in-house tailors to sew together for what is known as a ‘baste fitting’. This work is done in our modern workroom, located underneath the shop.

04

Baste
fitting

At the first baste fitting you’ll try the garments on. This enables your cutter to analyse the fit, balance, size and shape, based on the original measures taken for the construction of paper pattern. All parts of this process are discussed to help you get a sense of how the clothes are going to look once the agreed alterations have been made.

Your unique fitting notes and paper pattern are then adjusted accordingly using the information gathered and the chalk marks made during this baste fitting.

The tried-on garments are taken apart and flattened again. Then the adjusted paper pattern is used to make adjustments to the original pattern.

05

Handstitching

At this stage, garments are returned to the workshop and taken to a further stage of completion with hand-sewing of the linings, pockets and much of the internal details.

Our team of ‘makers’ are specialists. They each train in either coat-making, trouser-making or waistcoat making, taking between two and six years to become fully trained, depending on the discipline they chose to learn.

06

Forward
fitting

A ‘forward fitting’ is then carried out and all garments are tried on with any adjustments noted and discussed. Any further alterations are again initiated on the paper pattern and then the clothes themselves.

Once you’ve had your forward fitting, the final stages of hand-stitching can take place, including handmade button holes. Your bespoke clothing is then given a final hand-press before the buttons are sewn on by hand.

07

Order Ready

Your bespoke order is now complete and ready for collection or delivery to an address of your choosing.

And, we have an exact two-dimensional pattern unique to you, that can be used in the future to create new clothing or can be adjusted for future orders.

Simon Crompton from leading menswear blog ‘Permanent Style’ asked us to make a tobacco coloured, linen suit which he first wore in Florence, saying “There will always be a place in my wardrobe for this type of sharp English tailoring. And Dege & Skinner is perhaps my favourite of such English tailors I have tried…”.

Simon’s suit was cut by Head Bespoke Cutter, Nicholas De’Ath in 2016.

Book an Appointment