Finding the shop again was a breeze thanks to my having saved the location in my SatNav system, and we arrived precisely at the appointed time. Elliot was clearly looking forward to the fitting: two tailor-made suits at age 16... why wouldn't he be pleased? I was feeling a little more apathetic I have to say. At this price I'm not expecting Saville Row quality, so although I'm expecting the thing to fit I have an open mind about the quality of the finished article and how long it will last.
We go in to be met by... I'm ashamed to say even though I asked him his name twice I can't remember it. I know it was similar to Abdulrahman but wasn't. Anyway, our Indian tailor met us and escorted us up the stairs in the middle of the shop to the single fitting room.
I went first and changed into my new trousers, which fitted perfectly although they were clearly not finished cosmetically. I then tried on the jacket, which was part-made: no lining yet, no collar, no buttons or other stitching. Again it was a pretty good fit and the tailor marked where the two halves should meet at the front when buttoned with a series of chalk lines.
Next it was Elliot's turn. His trousers were a bit tight around the waist, and also looked a little short.
We agreed that once the waist was the right fit they would 'sit' better and the length would probably sort itself out. His jacket was a little short in the sleeve and a bit tight around the body: made him look even slimmer than he really is. The tailor made the necessary notes and adjustments, and we were in and out in only around 15 minutes.
We go back on Saturday to collect our finished suits, and if we like them enough we'll pose for RiyadhCam so you can see for yourselves how sartorially elegant we look. If not, well... I'd rather not think about that at the moment.
1 comment:
Good to hear about the tailor made suits. It's something I'll be taking advantage of in Hong Kong before the year is out. My dad had a jacket made whilst he was over, so one of the local Novell guys was able to point us in the direction of a recommended tailor. I'm told I should get a suit for HK$2000 - which is just about £120 at the moment. Typically, two fittings is the norm, although more can be done as needed. You sounds like you've had experience of a Saville Row suit - I'll be interested to hear the comparison...
You are of course right about comparing the Bourne books to the films with the times they are written/filmed in. I felt the film (first one anyway... got to read Supremacy yet) cut away some of the chaff in the novel whilst keeping a lot of it's spirit (and the whole Carlos terrorist plot seemed a bit too far fetched). And Ludlum clearly can't write romance - those scenes of Bourne and Marie together felt horribly clunky. (An example of a book and film from that era that would be done badly today though: Jaws)
Jonny
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