Bespoke Tailoring: A Heart Warming Experience
Posted: Jul 30 2013
Owning a tailor shop is a bit like being a barber or bartender. You hear everyone’s stories, help them with their problems, rejoice in their triumphs and revel in their comedic misfortune. Enter Kevin and Valda, two intrepid travellers from Darwin, Australia and definitely not short of a story!
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Kevin is our oldest client, at 73 he’s no spring chicken, but he was one of our best. A true gentleman, really old school and an engineer from way back. Kevin and Valda have been married for nearly 50 years and in all that time he hasn’t bought a tailored suit. It is something that he has wanted to do for a very long time. Well, all that was about to change and we are very grateful that we were able to help him tick this box. It was a real honour.
Now, Kevin was certainly not the most adventurous chap when it comes to fashion. He doesn’t really have that many occasions to don a suit anymore and wanted something that was good for all occasions. So we stuck to the classics, with maybe a hint of Tailor On Ten flair for good measure;
- Charcoal Grey Holland & Sherry 2 Piece. Standard fit, slightly slanted pockets, notch lapel, double vents, maroon bemberg lining and horn buttons with a sneaky contrast button hole on each sleeve.
- Blue Thomas Mason shirt, cutaway collar, placket front, double button standard cuffs, mother of pearl buttons and Kevin's handle tucked away in a cuff.
The suit choice was a clear winner. It can be hard to visualise what a suit is going to look like when it is just fabric on a table but Kevin was pretty chuffed with his choice. You could tell it was exactly what he wanted as soon as he put it on. The fit was pretty much spot on in his first fitting and Kevin was very impressed with the look. It is standard practise at Tailor On Ten to need 1 fitting for shirts and at least 3 for suits but we pretty much nailed the fit for Kevin on both counts on the first go.
On their return from Chiang Mai, Kevin and Valda were both excited to get in for the second fitting and see the ‘possibly’ finished suit. Well, as expected the suit fit and drape was perfect on the second fitting and Kevin informed us he had never owned or worn a suit that fit or felt better than his Holland & Sherry / Thomas Mason combination. We can’t take credit for his excellent choice in fabric, being two of the finest mills in the world it should have felt good! But we were really stoked that he was happy with his suit, it really made us feel good that he loved it. The occasion actually made us nervous, having this old timer in the store for his first suit, we really wanted to deliver for him. I am not saying that we treat any of our clients differently, we take pride in showing everyone that walks in our door the same level of professionalism and service, but this was something special.
Kevin is a champion and now he will look like one too! Can’t wait to see the suit in action and we wish he and his wife Valda all the best in the rest of their travels on the way back to Australia. Kevin sent us a short email, being the man of many words that he is, and we thought we would include it.
Dear Ben,
Thank you very much to you and your team, especially my tailor Arun, for all of your hard work and understanding in making my suit. I really enjoyed the whole experience, you should be proud of the service you provide. If life ever sees fit to get me back to Bangkok I shall be sure to visit you again.
Kind Regards,
Kevin
Thanks Kevin, you are a legend and we want some pictures of your dapper self in your new suit! If you want to go through the Tailor On Ten experience yourself please click here to send us an email and we will get started!
