How to read a suit.

1 · The collar never leaves the neck

Watch someone reach for a glass. On a hand-cut jacket the collar stays against the shirt through the whole gesture; on a factory jacket it lifts and gaps. The collar is sewn on by hand, curved to the neck it was measured against — it is the first thing a tailor looks at on a stranger.

2 · The sleeve hangs the way the arm does

Arms do not hang straight — they pitch slightly forward. A bespoke sleeve is set to your pitch, so the sleeve is clean when your arm is at rest. Ripples at the front or back of a sleeve mean it is set at the wrong pitch.

3 · The lapel rolls, it is not pressed

A hand-padded lapel curves up from the button in a soft curve; a fused lapel is creased flat like a folded letter. Look at the lapel side-on. The roll is the visible signature of the canvas you cannot see.

4 · The pattern agrees with itself

On a striped or checked cloth, look where the sleeve meets the shoulder and where the pocket meets the body. Matching a pattern across those seams wastes cloth and takes time, which is exactly why it is done — or not done.

5 · The buttonhole was made by a hand

A hand-sewn buttonhole is dense, slightly irregular, finished with a knot of thread like a full stop. A machine buttonhole is flat and even. The lapel buttonhole is the place every tailor checks another tailor.

None of this is decoration. Each sign marks a decision made against one person’s body rather than a size chart — which is the whole argument for a bespoke suit, made visible.

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