Edwin and Matthew DeBoise from Steed Tailors were in San Francisco this past weekend as part of their US tour. I stopped by their hotel on Sunday to say hello, as well as to get fitted for two new sport coats – one being a dark brown Donegal from W. Bill, the other a tan glen plaid tweed from The London Lounge. Both single breasted jackets with three-two-roll fronts, patched hip pockets, and some funky sleeve button configurations.
Fittings are nice time to catch up with your tailor. Edwin and Matthew tell me they’re planning to introduce a new line of Scottish knitwear and scarves, as well as handmade ties and pocket squares. The latter will be made by a woman who produces for another Savile Row firm – all hand stitched from English silks and wools, and made in Northampton. I forgot to confirm whether they’ll take custom orders for the ties, but they’ll have made-to-order knitwear if the stock options don’t suit you. The last photo below shows some of the prototypes.
I also had a chance to flip through some swatch books. I don’t know how other clients of bespoke tailors are able to arrive at their decisions so quickly (assuming they do). I take months to settle on a fabric, so fittings are a nice time to look at options. Two bunches that caught my eye: the lightweight, porous wool-silk-linen blends from Portofino, and the new Harris Tweeds. The first looks to be a great source for patterned summer jacketings, while the second has some rather nice patterned tweeds that go beyond your usual herringbones. As usual, I favored the slightly more conservative designs.