What is a basted fitting for a suit? Is it important?

When Ron and Brett and I founded Bespoke Edge back in 2012, it was very important to all of us that we offered a true bespoke tailoring experience to our clients. In this article, I want to discuss our basted fitting option.

A basted fitting is when you try on your custom suit jacket that has been temporarily stitched together with white basting thread. Initial measurements that were carefully taken during your first fitting were used to create this “working” jacket. We then use this jacket to fine tune the fitting.

The basted fitting is also your first opportunity to try on your custom suit. It may not look like much. There are loose threads, somewhat scratchy fabric, and no buttons. But it will still feel like it was made for you.

Making those small adjustments

This is a chance to look in the mirror and verify the fit. Maybe after seeing the jacket on, you decide that you want a more snug fit? Or a more relaxed fit, perhaps? Maybe the front button placement looks to be a little higher than you had expected? These are all adjustments that can easily be made halfway through the build process. Therefore eliminating, or mitigating, the potential need for any downstream alterations.

And on our end, we’re taking careful note of the jacket’s drape. Are the shoulders warping at all? Should the sleeve pitch be adjusted? These are examples of the kind of adjustments that we make on the backend to ensure a perfect fit.

Presently, we offer the basted fitting option on our hand-made suits only (we offer two lines of suiting). It may take more time to schedule another fitting, but it can sure be a fun experience. Also, key to our goal as a company, we are guiding you through a revered and time honored process that gentleman have been enjoying for a very long time.

Saville Row in London enjoys a well deserved reputation as where many of the world’s finest suits come from. It is our hope that one day we can help to put Denver on the map.

Basted fitting: Further reading

Bespoke Edge: What is a men’s clothier?

Forbes: Made-to-measure and Bespoke