Tailor Recommendations

Be careful here – most men are not selective in choosing their tailor, and stay with their current tailor only because they are unaware of a better option. Combined with the fact most men do not understand what proper fit is, it is very possible that a tailor who receives high praise only does so because of the cluelessness of his patrons. Do not assume because someone calls themselves a tailor or seamstress that they know anything about men’s style or can assess proper fit.

Take a critical look at your friends – who among them are smart dressers? These are the people you want to ask for tailor recommendations. You can broaden your search by asking women as well, but be careful. The way clothes fit on a man versus the way they should fit on a woman is very different. A skilled woman’s tailor does not necessarily have the right skills to tailor men’s clothing.

3. A Tailor’s Communication Skills

You now have a list of tailors – next you need to start talking with them. You can do this over the phone or even email, but your goal is to see if this is a person you can work with. Do they have good communication skills? Do they actually listen to you, or are they trying to push in a direction you know you don’t want to go down? Do they have time to talk, or are they in a rush? To be fair, you shouldn’t hold the last one against them if you call their office out of the blue – but any professional should be willing to put aside 20 minutes to speak with a potential client at a set time within a few days of calling.

You want to work with a tailor whom you feel confident in – this decision is very personal and should be based off the tailor’s knowledge and communication skills – ideally you find a tailor with strong skills in both areas. Unfortunately, a combination of the two is rare except in larger cities. You can have a very skilled tailor, but if he does not understand you or feels he should ignore your wishes and do what he thinks is right, both parties are going to be disappointed. Communication is vital, and making certain that both sides clearly understand and respect each other is key to a long term partnership.