Having followed Kirby Allison's bespoke shirt journey with Wil Whiting over the past couple of years, I jumped at the opportunity to work with him with his visit to Miami last year (circa June 2023).
Under Wil's guidance, I commissioned some bespoke button-down shirts resembling old Brooks Brother Shirts. The experience was nothing short of incredible.
Here are my thoughts on the bespoke experience with Wil.
The Fitting Process with Wil
In the words of Simon Crompton, Wil's cutting is very good. This comment by Simon made excited to work with Wil since I have always had issues with off-the-rack and even made-to-measure shirts, especially around the cuff circumference and the collar.
Wil takes the fitting process as seriously as any bespoke tailor. From the start he takes copious measurements and photos. Months later we had our first fitting and he created what we shall call his first test shirt for me. We tried it on and he worked over the fit. I was impressed with the attention to detail he has over the fitting process. He worked on everything until he was happy with it -- be it the position of the collar, the shoulder slope, the wrist circumference.
He then mailed me another test shirt (call it the first trial shirt), so I can wear it and wash it prior to our next appointment. The shirt was fantastic but Wil, being the perfectionist, worked over the pattern even more and asked questions about the styling. He simply doesn't stop until he is happy with the fit.
Styling
One thing that separates Wil from other bespoke tailors (be it British or Neapolitan) is his versatility. He can cut you a very formal shirt or an informal one. For example, he is currently cutting me a new-collar pattern for a medium spread dress shirt in our next meeting.
The Craftmanship
The handiwork on Wil's shirt is as good as it gets. The only other bespoke shirtmaker's whose handiwork comes close is 100hands. He does offer three levels of finishing: machine made, machine made with some handiwork, and fully handmade. I selected the second option. I am still waiting on that batch but I will post a follow up once I have had a chance to wear them.
Overall Experience
I would say that the bespoke shirts from him are definitely worth it so long as you wear them. Too many of us bespoke customers get caught up in the craftmanship, hand-stitching and forget that clothes are meant to be worn. They shouldn't just be sitting in your closet collecting dust.
I have attached a few photos. On a follow up post, I will get an actual photographer to take good photos for me as these were taken with my iPhone.
Photo Number 1:
You can see from the photo above how the sleeve circumference hits at the angle and point. This is something I could never get right in some custom shirts before.
Photo Number 2:
You can see the beautiful roll he created in this bespoke garment. The roll will be even better on the next shirt by Wil.
CLOTHES IN PHOTO:
Trousers (Sartoria Solito)
Comentários