Shant's First Suit Fitting at JB Clothiers

We recently had the opportunity to experience the process of custom suit fitting and received two bespoke suits by JB Clothiers and were truly impressed by the entire experience. Foremost, after this experience, it's fair to say that every man deserves a bespoke suit! Our two partakers, Garen and Shant, went through the entire process from the initial meeting, first and second fitting, to wearing their custom suits and we're excited to share their experience and thoughts in 2 separate blogs.

From Left: Garen, Jerry, and Shant 

First, meet Shant! Shant is a lawyer and wears suits often both at work and special occasions. He owns numerous suits and knows a lot about men's fashion. He had never had a custom suit – measured exactly to his body. Here's our interview with Shant about his first fitting visit at JB Clothiers:

Q. Describe the suit that you designed. Why did you pick those colors, fabrics, and other details?

Shant: I have always wanted a Mad Men suit. You know, the ones Don Draper wore. Suitable for work, weddings, or sipping whiskey neat at a bar. In fact, I had my eye on a Brooks Brothers suit that was aptly labeled "The Don Draper" suit. Problem was, Brooks Brothers suits don't fit me. I'm slim - slimmer than the Brooks Brothers definition of the word slim. And while I love suits, I hate shopping for suits because the ones that look great on the mannequin never fit me quite right. Also, I don't like the idea of having to do alterations other than shortening sleeves or pants, or taking in the waste because I feel that drastic alterations just kill the design of the suit. I own high-end and low-end suits, but none of them are custom. In fact, one of my favorite suits is a lower price point suit that I bought at a suit outlet for a few hundred dollars. It just fits! But the fabric is low quality. So when I heard about Jerry, I jumped at the chance to finally get the Don Draper suit I had always wanted. I originally wanted a sharkskin grey suit, but with my darker complexion, Jerry suggested I go with a darker shade of grey. I picked a fabric that felt great. There is something nice about wearing a suit that feels nice to the touch. As for the design, I kept it mid-century traditional: 2 button, side vents, standard pockets. For the jacket liner, I picked a nice pink, psychedelic acid-trip paisley.  The pattern just looked cool and went well with the grey. Nobody is ever going to see the liner, but if my jacket is hanging on the back of a chair, I can easily pick it out from the crowd. And it just screams, "Hey, I'm custom!".  

Photo Source: AMC's Mad Men

Q. What occasions do you think you will wear your suit to?

Shant: I'm planning on wearing the suit for the first time at my son's baptism. I definitely plan on wearing it to weddings as I still have a few coming up. And I also plan to wear the suit to client meetings, work-related events, or other events requiring a suit.  

Q. What are a few things you learned about custom suits and/or men's fashion through your experience working with Jerry?

Shant: During this experience, I learned quite a bit about custom suits. You can customize the width of the lapel. This sounds like a really insignificant point, but it is not. The width and shape of the lapel can affect the overall balance of the jacket. It changes the amount of shirt that is exposed. A lapel that is too wide makes a man look smaller, and a lapel that is too thin can make a man look too big. Just a small detail that makes the difference between a suit that fits and a suit that almost fits. I also learned that my arms aren't the same length (most people's aren't!), but Jerry can customize the sleeves to fit each arm perfectly. He can also adjust the suit as I gain or lose weight without affecting the overall silhouette of the suit.

Q. What was your favorite or most memorable part of the experience?

Shant: My most memorable part of the experience was picking out fabrics. Jerry has a library of fabric samples to choose from. Different colors and weights. Some fabrics are better for cold weather, others for warm weather, and year-round fabrics as well. It was fun just feeling the fabrics. They felt nothing like the off-the rack suits found at department stores. They were soft to the touch, not rough and scratchy.

Q. Did you have any expectations when you first walked into this experience? How did you feel afterwards?

Shant: Walking into this experience I expected to be impressed, given his 5 star reviews on Yelp. I was hoping the reviews were accurate and that Jerry would live up to my expectations. I was very impressed. I felt like he knew his craft, really enjoys doing what he does, and had a sense of style that aligned with mine. Sense of style was important to me, since I wanted a slim, modern look, not an old fashioned suit with cuffed, pleated pants and a more baggy silhouette. It was good to learn that Jerry understood how to make such a suit.

In our next blog, Shant will be sharing his second fitting experience with Jerry as well as his final custom suit from JB Clothiers!

Men, considering getting a custom suit for yourself? And ladies, considering having your groom look fabulously stylish on your wedding day? Schedule a free consultation with Jerry now and find out what type of suit he recommends based on body shape and your preferences. We promise you'll get the 5-star treatment in his beautiful showroom in Downtown Los Angeles!