House of Parmar, one of Dubai’s most longstanding tailors, breaks down to know-hows of buying a bespoke suit for your wedding day.
The experts at House Of Parmar break down everything you need to know before buying a bespoke suit for your wedding day
When it comes to your wedding day, you have every excuse to opt for the finest of just about everything, from finding the perfect venue and seeking out the finest catering to thinking up the fitting favours to bestow upon your guests. But most of all, it’s a day when you can take time over the finest tailoring to ensure you look your very best, as all eyes will surely be on you. Yes, looking and feeling your best is as much for the groom on the big day as it is the bride.
But for those for whom buying bespoke suits isn’t your usual pastime, the experts at House of Parmar have stepped in. House of Parmar is a tailoring house that has three tailoring brands in Dubai – providing different levels of services to customers. These are Parmar Tailors, Bespoke and Suit Express.
The seventh generation tailoring company – established in the UAE in 1956 – spoke to a&e about what to know before you step inside a tailor, what makes a wedding suit unique and rule to finding the perfect suit.
a&e interviews Prakash Parmar, CEO of House of Parmar, on Buying A Bespoke Wedding Day Suit
Prakash Parmar, the CEO of House Of Parmar, shares his wisdom when it comes to finding a bespoke suit for your wedding
Why is bespoke the best option when getting a suit?
Bespoke suits are special in many ways, starting with the word ‘bespoke’ derived from ‘bespoken for’ referring to something ordered or reserved for you. Real bespoke suits are handcrafted using traditional tailoring techniques passed down generations. It’s not every day one can get trained and make a “Bespoke” suit, as it involves many complicated elements which can be perfected under expert supervision over a long period of time. A typical bespoke suit (our bespoke suit) is comprised of over 5,000 stitches and 80 man-hours
How can you distinguish a truly bespoke jacket?
In a true bespoke jacket, all the button holes on the fronts, sleeves and the lapel are crafted by hand. In fact, the button holes on the sleeves should be real – all buttons can be unfastened. The surgeons of the past operated on their patients on house calls. To keep warm during surgery they used to unfasten the buttons and roll up the sleeves; hence these ‘Working’ button holes are referred to as ‘Surgeon’s cuffs’.
A true bespoke jacket will always have the edges of the lapels, fronts and pockets hemmed by hand. If you look at them closely there will be some inconsistencies in the hemmings because of the very fact that they are made by hand. A true bespoke jacket will never have these hemmings made by a machine. To distinguish a true bespoke jacket from a fake, carry out a simple pinch test. Pinch the fabric on the lapel or the lower part of the front of the jacket; you should feel three layers (two layers of fabric and a layer in between which is the horsehair canvas). To give form and shape this canvas is hand basted to form the skeleton of the jacket. This canvas is made of all natural fabrics such as horse hair, cotton and/or wool. If you cannot feel three separate layers, then the fronts have been fused with the interlining and thus it is not a genuine bespoke jacket.
What do you need to consider when finding a suit for your wedding day?
Do your research properly, not just a look online for the best wedding suit; it won’t be effective. Research meaning, ask your friends who have done ‘real bespoke suits’ or go to the tailors and ask them if their suits are ‘real bespoke’ or if they are using just the word ‘bespoke’.
Why wear a bespoke suit for your wedding?
Personalized styling, perfect fit and durability are three key reasons one should have a bespoke wedding suit. An ‘off the rack’ or a ‘made to measure’ garment simply cannot make you look the part on the most important day of your life.
Here’s everything you need to know about looking good on the big day
What’s the main piece of advice you give to men when deciding on their suit design?
Spare a thought to the versatility of your wedding suit; the shelf life of your wedding suit is on you. There will be quite a few occasions after the day – both at work and socially – when you can button up your suit. Be it an office do, an awards function or a sit-down dinner with friends, your wedding suit steps in to complete your look and how. Give it a thought when we say that it pays to choose your wedding suit wisely. Our Style Consultants can assist in striking the right balance to look the part on the wedding day and have the flexibility to wear it again for other occasions.
Are accessories such as cufflinks and pocket squares important?
The accessories will all be depending on the type of attire you choose for your wedding. It varies from black tie to white tie, or morning suit to Italian suits. For example, a tuxedo is accessorized with matching studs and cufflinks. Accessories play an important part, hence need to be selected with a thought to the ‘Final Look’ we are aiming for.
What do you need to know about the bride’s outfit before designing a groom’s suit?
The only aspect of the bride’s outfit which needs to be kept in mind is the colour. The colour of the groom’s outfit needs to compliment the colour of the bride’s dress.
And how much do you need to know about the wedding ceremony?
Wedding suits for men are a traditional approach and unless someone really would like to experiment his clothing and match with the décor of the event (again, this has to be someone really adventurous), men usually must stick to the classic suits or attire based on where your wedding is happening. For example, if you are at the beach wedding, you do not want to wear a tuxedo; instead, you wear a cream colour or light blue colour linen suit to fit the occasion.
What you need to know about buying a bespoke suit, as told by Prakash Parmar
How do you help and advice customers looking for an outfit for their wedding day
A wedding suit is not just a suit. There’s much more to it than just that. Be it colour, fit, fabric – there’s so much to look out for. The season and time of your wedding is also a deciding factor. There are a variety of suit types that you can look at before making your choice.
On the design…
Morning Suits
Like the name suggests, is for the early birds. The traditional jacket with tails and trouser should ideally be made of the same fabric and flaunt a similar colour.
Semi-formal Suits
This is a more relaxed version of the formal, stiff collar suit. The weather should help you take a call on the type of fabric.
British Suits
They are well-fitted, single or double-breasted, traditional suits mostly stitched from a heavier fabric.
American Suits
Not too far removed from its British counterpart, this one is almost always single breasted and loose fitted.
Italian Suits
Compact and fitted, the jackets are shorter and the buttons higher than the regular suits.
On the fit…
The right fit can turn out to be quite the myth unless you’ve gone to the right consultants. If we were to decode the phrase for you, we are referring to a well-fitted suit which complements your body structure and doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb. Now there are three broad categories to the right fit:
Classic fit
A comfortable style that allows you leaves room for flexibility, without looking hideously oversize.
Slim fit
A narrow cut which tapers well, flattering those who flaunt a slimmer physique. The trousers are mostly straight legged and sit snug below the waist.
Modern fit
Streamlined to allow more movement than the classic fit, yet not cut close to the body as the slim fit.
On the fabric…
The right fabric goes a long way in making your wedding suit stand out in the melee of guests. Up the ante and make a well-informed choice.
The season and time of the day being vital deciding factors. For a day wedding in any season – be it indoor or outdoor. You can walk down the aisle in linen wedding suits. If you are looking at an evening do, especially in months when the mercury is dipping, wool suits work just fine. The naturally textured surface looks rich effortlessly and with some TLC, can last for years. Moving a step ahead, it’s hard to overlook the sheen of a cashmere or mohair suit. If you have a soft corner for texture, then this one’s for you.
What’s the one thing you wish customers knew before coming to you?
Well, customers are different and not everyone is well-educated on the nuances of fine bespoke tailoring. In fact, we have experienced in-house “style consultants” whose job is to educate the customers on various aspects of tailoring, so they really see the value in our services and bespoke tailoring in general. We recommend anyone interested to come in and have a coffee with our team & take it from there.
Prakash Parmar, CEO of House of Parmar. (Bespoke Tailors is part of House of Parmar Group). Visit any Parmar or Bespoke store in Dubai.
House Of Parmar is a family run tailors that has been operating in Dubai since the 1950s
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