Do you know the difference btw canvassed, half canvassed and fused suits?

v638sg7k1a92bx

Seem that none of the people who sell men's suits know the difference. I don't expect the teenage staff in the large department stores to know even though they should but even in the smaller "boutique" stores who portray themselves almost as bespoke tailors. They give you the hard sell "these are fabulous suits, look at the fabric, straight from Italy, special offer €800" and when you point out that your not going to pay €800 for a fused suit, the blank look comes over their face. "What do you mean by fused"?

Or even if you just ask the staff if the suit is half canvassed, they have no idea what you're talking about. I don't expect everyone to know what a half canvassed suit is but if you own a store that sells mens suits is this not a reasonable expectation?

phantom_lord

If they give a blank look it's safe to assume it's fused :pac:

Can't speak for most shops in Dublin (I've only bought a couple of suits in my life) but the sales guys in Louis Copeland can easily explain the difference.

pwurple

Just do the pinch test yourself. There are very few clothing shops in Ireland where the staff know anything about clothes or tailoring. They are pure retail. You need to know your own stuff.

Same for 'butchers' who are only trained to hand you plastic prepackaged meat products, greengrocer's who don't know what a variety of fruit or veg means, and furniture salespeople who think a butt joint is the same as a dovetail.

andrew

Giovanni Defeated Dragonfly wrote: »

Or even if you just ask the staff if the suit is half canvassed, they have no idea what you're talking about. I don't expect everyone to know what a half canvassed suit is but if you own a store that sells mens suits is this not a reasonable expectation?

At least it's a handy enough way to seprate the crap shops from the not crap ones.

Many people seem to not care though. I got an MTM suit the other day, and had asked for it to be (half) canvassed. The tailor was surprised that I had asked, and said that most people don't mention it at all - and this is people who are already going so far as to get an MTM one.

meeeeh

I think majority of people just want something that fits them well and that they like. If you're not built according to the iso standards and still need a suit you go to the tailor. I am pretty sure my father never bothered with construction of his suits and he gets them maid by the same tailor for decades. Not everyone getting mtm suits actually overly cares about clothing. For a lot of men it eliminates the process of trying on lots of different suits.

andrew

meeeeh wrote: »

I think majority of people just want something that fits them well and that they like. If you're not built according to the iso standards and still need a suit you go to the tailor. I am pretty sure my father never bothered with construction of his suits and he gets them maid by the same tailor for decades. Not everyone getting mtm suits actually overly cares about clothing. For a lot of men it eliminates the process of trying on lots of different suits.

My thinking was/is that if you're going to go to the expense of getting a suit tailored, then you may as well make sure you're getting one that'll last a long time, which is something canvassing helps with. I hadn't really considered that getting one made might be easier for some, considering the one I've just gotten required 2 fittings and 7 weeks.

meeeeh

From my father's point of view he is required to pop five minutes away for two or three times and spend about twenty minutes there per fitting. It's actually a lot less hassle for him than go to the shop and find a suit that will fit him considering he is quite a bit heavier than he should be and has to have stuff adjusted anyway. I can guarantee you there is absolutely no thought process put into it by him, my mum has to pick the material, arrange the fittings and possibly collect the suit.

As for the cost he would be probably horrified if he discovered how much cheaper suits can be but there is no danger of him entering the clothes shop out of his own volition.