I seldom wear a suit. But when I do, it is always tailor made.

Every man should own at least one suit, in his wardrobe. And if he is only going to own one, it should be custom made to his body. It doesn’t matter what you need the suit for. Be it a corporate meeting or a personal occasion. And alarmingly enough, most of us shop at a high street fashion store when we decide to pick one up.

I shall lay down some basic steps to help you go about owning a suit that really fits you.

1. Find a good tailor : You have decided that you need a suit, so that is out the way. What comes next is finding yourself a good tailor. And this, is perhaps the most critical step in the entire process. Do your research, look and ask around to be pointed in the right direction. You might think at first, that it is really inconvenient going to a tailor. But what can be worse than walking into a zillion stores and malls looking for that one suit that fits you just right and returning disappointed.
2. Decide the kind of suit you want : Is it something that you will use regularly or just for special occasions? Do you want it to be proper formal or a little relaxed? That will help you determine the kind of lapel, if it will be a 2 or 3 button suit, a single or double breast, etc. If this is going to be the only suit you own, or even your first suit, keep it simple and classic. Go with a 2 button suit, because that is how it should be.
3. Pick the fabric : Where do you live? Where are you going to wear the suit most frequently? Is it a tropical climate area all year round? Or someplace cold? That could mean the difference between linen and wool. You only need to know that the feel and fall of the fabric is good. Who makes the fabric is secondary. Unless you have shit tonnes of cash that you can spend on a Zegna. In which case, by all means.
4. The fit : Measurements are everything. It will determine if you are going to swim in your suit or look like business. If your sleeves extend till you knuckles or just show under an inch of your french cuff shirt. There is no way a suit is going to fit you like it should, unless you are extremely fit and have an athletic build. Hence, off-the-rack is not really an option unless you have the ideal body type. Even then, someone who buys suits off store would look so much better when it is stitched to their exact specification.
5. Making it your own : The best part of tailoring your suit is that you can let your quirks show through. Be it in the colors, the kind of detailing, the pockets you use, whatever you choose.
6. The final output : A good option of tailor making a suit, is that you get to try it on once they make the first cut. This means, any tweaks or tucks etc can be made before the suit is finalised. This ensures that the suit that gets made is yours in the truest sense. And the pre-conceived notion about tailored suits costing a bomb is a mere myth. For the kind of money you spend tailoring a suit, the customisation levels are insane.

I got my suit made by the Bangalore based lads at Uncuffed Clothing. It was a well rounded experience. They came to my place at a pre-appointed time with their master tailor, did my measurements, showed me swatches of fabric and also discussed on the fit and minute details of the suit. They even threw in a pair of shorts when I told them I would like to dress it down at times, which is something that has never been offered to me before.

Now that you have the suit, it is only logical that you team it with a tailor made shirt. A french cuff, no less. I got my shirt tailor made from Pristine Cut. They make shirts in the most varied sizes, it is called size YOU. All I wanted from them was a basic white shirt and they managed to impress nonetheless with the fit, the concealed button down collar and perfect length of sleeve on the french cuff.

Shot by Jagath Venkat for Bowties and Bones

Venue: BLOW Café, Church Street, Bangalore.

Outfit Details:

Suit : Uncuffed Clothing, Bangalore
Shirt : Pristine Cut
Watch : Tissot Visodate
Pocket Square : Bowford Co
Belt : United Colors
Glares : American Optical Original Pilot
Shoes : Cole Haan