There is something about making an entrance in a bespoke suit. You’re making a statement, an announcement to the world, that you care about the details. That you appreciate the finer things in life, and that you’re willing to work for them. A custom suit has the power to imbue a sense of confidence and prominence, to make you feel like a king amongst men.
No one ever said you could become king overnight. But, with the help of Alton Lane, you could rule in just 4-6 weeks (pretty incredible turnaround time in the bespoke world). The term “bespoke,” dating back to 18th-century England, literally meant that a selection of fabric was ‘bespoken for’ a customer. Today, the term refers to a garment that is custom made for a customer without the use of a pre-existing pattern.
It starts with a visit to someone who really knows what they’re doing. There are plenty of made-to-measure, off the rack, and generally mediocre suit options out there. But who wants to impress the mediocre crowd? Go big, go bespoke, or go home.
Alton Lane has been revolutionizing the menswear industry since 2009, and has managed to marry the old Savile Row sense of style and quality with the ever fast paced and increasingly impatient marketplace. They use modern technology, like their 3-D body scanner, with master craftsman for a suit that screams custom.
Start with your first visit to the NYC Flatiron District showroom and get cozy. It’s a British hunting lodge with a little whiskey world inspiration, translating to ‘mancave’ perfection with leather sofas and scotch everywhere you look.
It’s a very intimate private appointment, so you get comfortable and start flipping through their rather intense books of fabric options—if you can dream it, they can sew it. Don’t worry, they’ll help you with the dreaming too. Zulfi was our dedicated stylist, spending an entire afternoon just discussing vision, taking measurements, and helping to find the exact right fabrics to achieve a stunning suit.
The world’s best clothing starts with the world’s best materials, and the booklets are just chock full of world class lovely silk, wool, and linens and linings with premium finishings that are oh so suit worthy.
Hard to make a wrong choice here, but the beauty of having such one on one service is that their attention to detail is impeccable as well and they really work as a stylist to help you look like that king amongst men. The craftsmanship of master pattern makers and tailors who construct the clothing with the utmost care and precision is evident in every single stitch.
The devil is in the details here, so only once the initial design is approved and measurements are taken the fabric is cut and the anticipation begins.
Each suit has its own identity, quirks and occasional complications so don’t fret if it takes a few visits to get it just right—the guys here are absolute perfectionists, and won’t let you leave until every surgeon cuff is buttoned and every thread snipped.
The final day of the suit delivery was full of excitement, tinged with anticipation. Would it fit perfectly? Would it really not need any further alterations? Would it really look like we went to London and back?
Yes, yes, and yes. No more middleman, no more pushy salesmen, and no more having to compromise style or integrity for a lower price tag.
Be your best, most well-groomed self, and the world will be the oyster it promised to be for you.
