Tailoring time :
Suit 3-piece: 40 hrs +
Jacket: 25 hrs +
Trousers: 8 hrs +
Waistcoat: 8 hrs +
Shirt: 8 hrs +

There are several construction methods for the tailoring of a suit, jacket or overcoat. We wil explain the 4 different methods De Oost uses and the differences between them.

To create added value for your self and the people you meet we would like to enlighten the role canvas plays when tailoring a suit. The correct use and processing of the canvas makes the difference in comfort and appearance.

Canvas often is a mixture of wool, cotton and primarily horse and camel hair. The big advantage of working with animal hair is that these can be formed by using moisture, pressure and heat. Think of a lady who had her hair styled with a curling iron to form and give body to the haircut. Thereby, horse and camel hair is light and very strong. The hair from the manes are the most soft and supple where the hair of the tail is more rugged and stiff. The real connoisseur has his or her canvas specially made tuned to the specific garment, fabric, desired drape and fit. For example, it is possible to make the canvas “virtually fluid” by giving it a special mineral bath altering the characteristics of the materials used. Different types of fibres in combination with wool and cotton are woven to create different qualities of canvas. This in combination with the hair canvas forms the foundation to build your suit on.

The woollen canvas forms the most important layer of the suit, furthermore, smaller pieces of canvas or rolled-up hairs are added to give structure to the chest and shoulder. So has each tailor their own tools of the trade to add their signature to the garments they craft. These canvases are then covered with a layer of felt, domette or flannel in order to prevent the rugged hairs from chafing. It is possible, depending on the weave of the fabric used and the stiffness of the hairs, that the hairs protrude through the fabric. This is however easily solved by trimming the hairs.

Full Canvas Jackets

Traditionally, men’s suits were constructed with a layer of horsehair canvas underneath the wool fabric shell. This canvas holds the shape of the suit and keeps it from sagging or deforming, much like the foundation of a house keeps it upright. The canvas is cut to the jacket’s shape, then the wool is stitched to the canvas. Over time, as you wear the jacket, the canvas conforms to your body’s shape, creating an excellent fit.
The canvas lining allows the suit fabric to drape naturally, allowing a clean, well put-together look. It takes years of training and additional hours of handwork for a tailor to be able to craft this the correct way.

Half Canvas Jackets

Between the two extremes (fused and full canvas) lies a compromise – the half-canvassed jacket. Half-canvassed jackets have canvas material running only through the chest and lapels of the coat. Past that point, the jacket is fused.

Half-canvassed jackets have several benefits. First, they generally have a lower price than a similar fully canvassed jacket. Less handcraft means a lower overall cost to you. And because the top half of the jacket is not fused you’ll not run into any bubbling problems as you might in a fused jacket. This adds to the lifespan of the garment. Finally, the canvassing provides the proper base for the jacket to drape naturally across your chest, rather than appearing stiff and lifeless as many fused jackets do.

Unlined - Unstructured Jackets

When your suits aren't just for business and formal occasions then having them tailored Unlined or Unstructured is a good option. It gives the wearer the most natural look and freedom of personal expression.

By removing the interior lining, shoulder pads, and the canvassing, the jacket wears more like a shirt than a suit coat. This allows for more movement - comfort, a more casual appearance, and a more natural silhouette for the wearer - all of which help bringing the jacket down to the less formal level of the wardrobe. More often than not it is seen on lighter, summer-weight fabrics. Part of it because lighter weights of wool and materials like cotton and linen are more prone to wrinkle in the first place, another reason is that by removing the lining it allows the jacket to wear much cooler. Natural fibers breath but this is obstructed by the satin lining, even a light-weight jacket with a full-canvas construction wears much warmer in the summer.

Deconstructed - Fused Jackets

Many suit manufacturers no longer use a canvas interlining in their jackets. Rather, a fusible interlining is glued to the wool shell of the suit. And while this does an adequate job of keeping a jacket’s shape, it often creates an unnatural stiffness in the jacket, making a fused jacket appear lifeless compared to a similar canvassed coat.

What is sometimes problematic with fused jackets is the fact that the glue degrades over time, or may come unstuck during the dry-cleaning/pressing process. Where the wool detaches from the fused backing, the fabric ripples around the chest and lapels, a phenomenon known as “bubbling.”

Differences: In the full canvas Jacket, you can see how the jacket is composed entirely of cloth and horsehair canvas. The fabric is stitched directly to the canvas. In a half-canvassed garment, fusible extends the entire length of the coat. However, the garment is stitched to the canvas material, assisting in the proper shaping and providing life to the coat. In the fused jacket all the way to the right, the fusible interlining is glued the entire length of the coat.

Bespoke Tailoring is so much more then a method. It is about passion, respect and creating a unique experience. This so you look and feel as you wish and prefer.