25 years ago when we placed ladies' garments onto our mannequins in the windows of our Savile Row store, it caused something of a stir. As far as Savile Row is concerned, it has not traditionally been a ladies' domain and even today it is seen as the street of mens' tailoring.
But at Maurice Sedwell our Master Tailor Andrew Ramroop enjoys the creativity which comes with tailoring exquisite suits for women.
"I enjoy the flexibility to be creative and opportunities to design outfits in a vast array of colours, textures and fabrics. Women bring a sartorial freshness to the boardroom, whereas men tend to conform to a traditional image. Women express their sartorial needs in a way that makes my job more desirable and encourages me to give them more than they expect from an outfit."
Beside the artistic licence that women can enjoy compared to their male counterparts in regards to sartorial choices, ladies' tailoring differs principally in its construction. In men's tailoring we try to create an optical illusion of a small waist by styling the cut to enhance or flatter the figure. For women however, there is no need to create an illusion as ladies more often than not have shapely figures.
"I am very much against women dressing in a masculine cut suit or selecting a cloth that looks like a man's suit," Andrew Ramroop continues. "Ladies can express their individuality in the way they dress and not attempt to have suits styled like men to be taken seriously."
Women often feel freer to take full advantage of the full array of luxurious cloths and fabulous colours which are available. But the most important difference in having Ultra Bespoke tailoring for ladies is that they can wear their suits again and again because immaculately created, hand tailored garments made individually for you to your specifications stand the test of time. Ladies want value for their sartorial investment and deserve comfort and fit which sadly most ready-to-wear items do not offer.
A woman's suit should last at least ten years. And we are able to adjust suits to accommodate figure changes, renew linings and adjust lengths in response to fashion changes.
When we meet a new customer at Maurice Sedwell it is never just a simple business transaction - it is a consultation. We need to know all about them - their personality, lifestyle and career - characteristics that must be reflected in their garments. The customer has the unique opportunity to create exactly the items they require.
So although a woman's three piece suit traditionally consists of a jacket, a dress and a skirt, we design and create each garment individually, and our customers guide us in this process so that they get pieces that they will enjoy for many years.
Please contact us at Maurice Sedwell on 020 7734 0824, at info@savilerowtailor.com or drop into our store at 19 Savile Row with any queries.
