After a long period of hesitation, I finally ordered myself a pair of pants with custom measurements just before Christmas. The only thing that held me back from what is such a sensible idea is the fact that I like to see things I buy (even if that means looking in a shop and then buying online). BUt after yet another frustrating and unsuccessful shopping trip looking for any 'tall' clothes, I thought I'd give it a try.
I am glad to say that the trial worked perfectly. I am now the proud owner of a comfortable and well-fitting pair of chinos and a firm convert to custom-made clothing. For 2012, I plan to extend my trial to shirts and maybe some other items. I shall share my experiences with you as I go along. Please do comment if you have your own stories about custom ordered tall clothing.
The site I used was Tailor Store, which offers two styles of chinos in different colors and two fabric types (Derby is quite a heavy, thick fabric and the lighter Nottingham) as well as shorts, shirts, polo shirts and even custom-made underwear. You can specify all of your measurements and various other options such as pockets and stitching. This means you are no longer limited to a '36 waist' or '36 inseam' - if you need a 35.5 inch waist and a 36.6 inch inseam that's exactly what you get! I also chose a slightly higher waist since I hate my shirt coming untucked from 'low rise' pants.
I liked this site partly because they are also very open about where the clothes are made (Sri Lanka) but also the use of organic textiles and information about working conditions and where the fabrics come from. Despite coming from the other side of the world, my order reached me within 2 weeks and was cheaper than I would pay for a pair of (too short) pants in my own home town.
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