The rise of made-to-measure suiting
As Ayo Edebiri showed at the Golden Globes, the suit has never looked so good. Especially, say local tailors, when it’s made just for you.
Do you know where your natural waist is? How about if you prefer notch or peak lapels? What about pockets, where do you want them? Jersey or wool? How do you like the swing of your jacket? What about the height of an arm hole? And if you move anything by a millimetre you might just change the whole thing, so be precise.
These are the kinds of things to consider when getting fitted for a custom-suit. Increasingly it’s something women are investing in.
One only needs to look to the female tailors setting up shop, and outfits such as The Deck catering to women only, on the world’s most famous and certainly the toniest tailoring strip – Savile Row in London – to realise this. There’s been a rise of tailors catering specifically to Australia too, and men’s tailors such as Christian Kimber, which recently opened a new flagship in Melbourne, is seeing more women than ever through his incredibly dapper store.
Co-founder Renuka Kimber says the business has experienced enormous growth in its female clientele. “As a business, we’re witnessing a fascinating shift in the tailoring landscape. Women’s suiting at Christian Kimber has grown exponentially – just a year ago, it was nearly non-existent, and now it makes up 10 per cent of our made-to-measure sales,” she says.
“This dramatic shift reflects a wider trend in the industry: women are not only investing in tailoring again, they’re actively seeking it.”
To cope with the demand the business is bringing in more fabric options specifically designed for women’s suiting.
Christian Kimber thinks women’s suiting is having a renaissance more broadly.
“Much of that is thanks to the continued influence of icons like Yves Saint Laurent, whose 2024 Paris Fashion Week show reaffirmed the enduring strength of sharp tailoring. There’s a clear shift toward borrowing from menswear: oversized blazers, high-waisted trousers and impeccably structured coats are defining the conversation,” he says.
Female clients, he says, tend to want to reimagine masculine silhouettes for strong, bold and useful pieces in their wardrobe.
“Today’s woman is reclaiming the suit in a way that feels fresh, modern and unmistakably her own … The combination of structure and fluidity makes tailoring the perfect antidote to the chaos of modern life, and it’s no surprise that more women are reaching for tailoring as a tool to define both their look and their voice,” he says.
Indeed despite athleisure’s best efforts, the suit has never been more relevant. Albeit probably more for outside the 9-5 than in it. The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, one of the world’s best-dressed women, wearing a custom grey Loewe suit to the Golden Globes this month, is all the proof required that a suit made just for you is the eternal power move. Meanwhile, model and beauty mogul Hailey Bieber was just noted by GQ as one of its menswear icons, pointing to a recent night out in a double-breasted grey suit and tie from Saint Laurent as an example. Suits have dominated recent runways at the likes of Saint Laurent, The Row and Max Mara. Dressing up is back.
Chloe McCormack last year launched ChloeMonique, a made-to-measure suiting atelier that uses fabrics from the likes of Loro Piana – “quiet luxury” brand of choice to the 1 per cent – to fill what she perceived as a gap in the suiting market for women.
“The industry has long been male-focused, even though suiting has become a timeless staple for women’s fashion and such a classic wardrobe investment,” says McCormack.
“The response has been amazing, my clients have been thrilled to have a space that’s dedicated to providing a personalised service for women in this category.”
Many of her clients, says Melbourne-based McCormack, who travels around Australia to meet them, feel transformed by the experience of having clothes made to fit them exactly. Partly, she says, because it takes one decision – and sometimes a point of misery – out of their lives. What’s more, a made-to-measure suit fits with shifts toward rejecting ephemeral trends and finding real personal style, and buying clothes you’ll wear for a lifetime.
It’s something Jenna Lyons, the former creative director and president of American brand J Crew, longtime style icon and surprisingly fantastic cast member on the Real Housewives of New York, can attest to.
On a recent episode of the The Good Buy podcast, Lyons spoke about how getting her clothes custom-made has improved her wardrobe, and maybe her life.
“I have all my dress shirts custom-made because I’m an unusual size. That bespoke experience is something that is often reserved for men, which I think is a total shame. The truth of the matter is if you’re making one garment (for a wide range of body types), you’re inevitably having to make things not as specific,” she said.
“When you start to really get connected to fit and cut, and have something made just for you, it is game-changing. Though more expensive, the pieces that I’ve had made I wear 10 times more than the pieces that I’m constantly trying to find something that’s close to what I want.
“Once I stopped buying a bunch of shirts that were almost there, I probably, per wear, spend less, because I pull them out over and over again.”
Beyond being measured for a suit, shirts, dresses or casual attire, deciding on placement of pockets, fabric and colour of lining, McCormack says she helps clients with choosing colours that complement their skin tone, and discusses their specific lifestyles and needs.
“For some, this means adding distinctive custom pieces that seamlessly integrate with their existing wardrobe, while for others, we craft a complete, versatile wardrobe that takes the guesswork out of getting dressed each morning,” she says.
Making the lives of women easier is something sisters Ebony and Ashlee Booth spend a lot of time thinking about. The founders of Australian womenswear label Eupheme, which also uses luxury fabrics from European mills, will tailor clients’ purchases so the fit is just right, are big believers in pockets and also, crucially, have shirts that don’t need to be ironed.
According to Ebony, the shirts need only be taken out of the washing machine and air-dried on a hanger. Eupheme also treats its cotton knitwear with a botanical deodorising treatment, co-developed with outdoor brand Patagonia, to reduce odours and therefore the need for frequent washing.
“We design with the intent to reduce the mental, and often physical load women bear because the traditional fashion industry typically doesn’t consider a garment beyond its form,” she says.
The siblings believe corporate women especially need more from their clothes.
“I think corporate women are under-served because garments are often not designed to withstand the enduring and dynamic days that the corporate woman currently experiences. It’s a day that might include a school drop-off, a board meeting, a lunch and back-to-back meetings, and then an after work dinner or a school concert, and most garments are simply not designed for that intensity,” Ebony says.
The multifaceted lives of women is something Melbourne-based tailor Emily Nolan cares deeply about.
Nolan launched her tailoring atelier, E Nolan, in 2018, catering to women and the LGBTQIA+ community. Every year, she says, she sees more and more clients.
“Currently, I cap my appointments at 32 fittings per week … Before starting E Nolan there was very little in the landscape of made-to-measure tailoring for anyone that wasn’t a man,” she says.
“Made-to-measure or made-to-order was a bridal experience. E Nolan started as a way for me to challenge the tired, restrictive and often robotic ways we’ve been taught to think about getting dressed, especially for work.”
Something she loves about the job, she says, is the joy her clients find in clothes made just for them – to be worn over again, and in any way they like.
“I am not reinventing the wheel but by working one on one with my clients, it means I get to experience such localised joy,” she says.
“I love that everything I create is going to be well-loved and well-worn. I have been thinking a lot about how we interact with our armour, I adore that E Nolan is a vehicle for my clients to explore this.”
