Does a bespoke suit really fit perfectly and last forever? Bernhard Roetzel addresses the most common myths about custom clothing, from the idea of perfect fit to the timeless look and how long a Savile Row suit really holds up.
Brooks Brothers, J. Press, Haspel: Bernhard Roetzel on the American roots of the seersucker suit, the puckered weave that traps cooling pockets of air, and why the fabric was so hard to find in Europe.
The American cotton sack suit, the Neapolitan linen from Rubinacci, the striped seersucker: Bernhard Roetzel walks through the summer-suit classics, with cuts, fabrics and the context that gave each its character.
Over years of fittings, customer and tailor often grow close. Sometimes the relationship turns into friendship. Bernhard Roetzel weighs whether that is good for the work or quietly gets in its way.
Bernhard Roetzel presents three suits for early summer 2020: a grey single-breasted from Anton Meyer in Hamburg, cut from Vitale Barberis Canonico worsted, plus two lighter pieces that also work casually.
Trench coat or slip-on in cotton gabardine, Swiss Etaproof, the old English Ventile: Bernhard Roetzel lays out the spring overcoat classics, including a Ventile Mac by Private White VC and the Amity Jackets piece in Etaproof.
After more than 20 years Bernhard Roetzel has ordered trousers with belt-loops again, made by Salon Hartl in Prague. A look back over three decades of trouser cuts, from narrow flat-fronts in Hanover to pleated styles on the Pitti Uomo.
