I remember in the Senior year at Otis, we spent 6 weeks in studio tailoring and hand sewing a tailored jacket. I remember my fingers raw and destroyed from the countless hours of feather stitching and the many hours I spent in front of the industrial iron refining steaming techniques so I can get the wool to mold and shape just the right way gave my face a semi permanent blush.
Steps I naively thought were made work like thread tracing and tailor tacking turned out to save my life and resulted in the perfect hang. Did you know to let a wool relax after a good steam could take up to 24 hours? Also, did you know that if you put an INVISIBLE prick stitch with a Japanese silk thread on the outside edge the jacket is a million times more tailored than if you didn't (well, a million may be a bit much)? As my haute couture trained studio teacher said to me, "You don't see it, but you DO see it. Do you see?" I learned so much on this project about menswear and the fine points of a tailored piece.
My jacket, in the end, turned out to be a masterpiece (A!) and all the hardwork was worth it.
The video above was released from Oxxford Clothing. I have the highest respect for these craftsmen and what's better is they are US based. Since 1916, leading men have worn Oxxford and many consider them to be the finest tailored suits with the highest quality. My hat goes off to you.
