Luxury Tailoring at Tom Murphy’s:
Understanding the Made-to-Measure & Bespoke Suit Process
Our grandfather was rooted in the strong suiting traditions of the past. He developed his trade at a time when Irish society was finding its voice, its unique social and cultural place in the world. In his time, the country was locked at the intersection between the old and the new, between a colonial past and our emergence as an independent nation within the European community. He built his philosophy on formalwear suiting within this brave new world, and set the scene for us to continue this journey into the world we find ourselves today. So, what have we learned and how do we see ourselves within Cork’s exclusive suiting and tailoring community?
Custom Tailoring: A Vocation Rather than a Skill
We are suiting specialists,
we’ve mastered our trade. Because of this, we see suiting is a living thing, as a set of ideas, made manifest through look and style. Each person brings their own personality to it, their own set of impressions or ideas about what fashion means to them. Over this past two decades this our clients seem to have developed a greater interest in style, a desire to choose clothing options that are more individualistic and personal. Men seem to be more comfortable asking for specifics – choices which better reflects how they see themselves and the world they live in. Where once men chose to follow trends, they now look to create them. This new-found confidence is of course a great positive, something to be welcomed. For us, this has meant that we can cater for increased choice, and importantly, use our seven decades of expertise to delight our clients.
Not all Suits are Created Equal: The Key Features of Men’s Suiting
As with all luxury products it’s always helpful to know your options. This means looking at some of the key features of suit tailoring and selecting what works best for you. We are experts in this field, and as such we can guide you through the entire process. But we believe in client empowerment, in sharing what we know with you and, in doing so, enabling you to develop confidence and pride in what you wear. Take a look at our suiting chart below [Figure 1].
Figure 1: Learning the Essentials: Key Terms and Phrases in Suiting
Bespoke & Made-to-Measure at Tom Murphy’s
We are also incredibly proud to showcase our ‘Tziacco’ Bespoke options for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2019 season. But what exactly are Bespoke and Made-to-Measure tailoring methods and why are they so important to us and our clients?
The Custom Suiting Process
Made-to-Measure is built on principles of personalised tailoring, a process where a suit is created for you, the client. You do not need to fit into a suit, we make the suit to fit you. How do we achieve this? First thing is to arrange an appointment, something that can be done at a time which best suits you. Once you are in with us we will take your exact measurements and invite you to select patterns and/or designs from our material sample brochures. This is an exciting process, it is personalised, individualistic and professional.
People often use the terms Bespoke and Made-to-Measure interchangeably. While these two approaches are indeed similar, there several differences to consider. Your Bespoke tailoring experience can be more rewarding; you will have a greater choice of options available to you. With Bespoke you can choose the textures, prints, thread counts and other intricate details to construct your fine luxury piece.
Figure 2: Made-to-Measure Fabric Samples
Detail & Difference: What to Look for when Creating your Custom Piece
So now you have a better understanding of the process and methods, what type of should you opt for? Look at our three options above. Can you notice the differences?
You might ask yourself:
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How are they different?
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How would you rank these three options?
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Which options would suit you?
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Would some looks suit some occasions better than others?
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