bespoke beâ‹…spoke
–verb
1. a pt. and pp. of bespeak.
–adjective
2. British.
a. (of clothes) made to individual order; custom-made: a bespoke jacket.
b. making or selling such clothes: a bespoke tailor.
3. Older Use. engaged to be married; spoken for.

remember those days when going to the tailors to make a pair of trousers were as commonplace as going to the barber’s for a haircut? i remembered having a bundle of olive green cloth given to us by an aunt, and my late mom astutely suggested we get a tailor to make trousers for school. just a couple of doors from ismail, next to the kamahl barbers, was this tailorshop called texco. i remembered the shop sign which had the drawing of a dapper chap with sideboards and a magnum PI moustache to boot, posing in his smart striped shirt and bell bottom trousers. the tailor said there was enough cloth to make two pairs, and i agreed, provided he followed my instructions to the T – the circumference of the trouser leg at the ankles to be no bigger than 13 inches and to not have the shop label stitched on the back pocket. those of you who were hip lads in the mid-80’s would understand this bizarre request. demi fesyen, beb.

those days are now gone. clothes are pretty much prêt-à-porter, and going to your local tailor in these days either mean you are getting a baju melayu/suit made (both of which are now widely available at your local jayajusco) or you’ve got money to burn, especially here in the UK. just before raya, i took dad around jermyn street in london to see the bastion of british shirtmaking, like turnbull & asser and TM lewin, to name two. as i knew that there was no way in hell i could afford to make a suit at a savile row establishment, i came across this chap in sheffield. recommended by a friend, colin is one of the only three remaining practising tailors in sheffield. apparently, in the heyday of the mod movement of the 60’s, colin was well known to make suits for the lads, when looking sharp in a well-made suit was really important.

truth to be told, i was quite impressed with how much a bespoke jacket cost here. i dare say it’s similar to a non-british made austin reed on the high street! so, when i found out colin’s price tag for a bespoke sports jacket, i immediately told ayah that he should get one made.

it took two weeks – the fitting was done a week after measurements were taken. bespoke tailoring is a dying art in sheffield, as colin himself does not have an apprentice. we chose a fantastic-looking prince of wales check, which was made in west yorkshire. the textile industry in the UK is also diminishing, sadly, what with people opting for ready-to-made suits which doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

colin’s good with tips, too. for the longest time i was told that brown shoes should be worn with navy suits, which is wrong – the shoes have to be black! and have you seen how some jackets have two pockets on one side? the top one is called a ticket pocket (for tickets, obviously!). in yorkshire, they were also called tab-ends, where men used to keep their ciggies.

i’ve been getting stuff altered here for a little over a year now. i don’t pay retail (read: outlets) and it only cost a small amount to get a slightly oversized suit made to look like its measured just for you, with the final total still way cheaper than getting it retail. if you actually think about it, suits are meant to properly fit you, hence the rationale for going bespoke.

and nothing is worse than wearing an ill-fitting suit. hey, just look at jebon, i mean, james bond.