Finally, a bespoke suit for me?! (I)

I took a hard look at my closet and determined that I was in urgent need of at least one suit that would fit me really well. After seeing so many beautifully made men's suits on wall street, I realized that the suit options for women are pathetic: The best we can do are off the rack suits from designers such as Jil Sander and Gucci. Worse yet, at price tags of $3,000 and up, they are fused (the wool fabric is essentially glued with the canvas lining, as opposed to stitched to the canvas lining).

I went so far as to register at Styleforum.net, a men's fashion forum, to learn the ins and the outs about a good suit. I understand that a good suit needs to be fully canvased and with the right fit, so obviously I, a French size 34, can never find anything in America that will fit me right. And I'm not even talking about the construction yet.

Then I paid a visit to Jil Sander where the sales associate assured me that I can order my made to measure suit from the men's MTM collection. Hmm......I like the idea, but I'm not sure how I will look in a men's jacket, albeit to my measurements. Can I handle the shoulder pads?

So now, Seize sur Vingt is my last chance.

To my surprise, the shirts at Seize sur Vingt almost fit me. The arm length is just right (first time in my career) and the collar actually comes with collar stays!

I went through their fabric swatches and liked some of the Super 130s. After being assured that they will make fully canvased jackets for women, I made an appointment for next Saturday. Let's see how the measurement process works. I'm excited.