Bespoke: it’s one of the 21st century’s luxury buzzwords. From cars, motorcycles, planes and helicopters to fragrances, furniture and items of clothing, whether it’s handcrafted scarves, shoes or exquisitely tailored suits, there’s nothing quite like digging deep into your pockets for something – anything – that’s unique to you. To truly stand out these days, you need to go further, to look beyond the off-the-peg, prêt-à-porter lines that are so last century, dahhling.
You need to go bespoke.
But surely you can “go bespoke” down at Karama in Dubai, or in the bustling side streets of Abu Dhabi, where any one of a thousand tailors will gladly take your measurements and craft a suit to your liking within a couple of days, usually for the price of a second-hand laptop? Yes, that’s true, but it’s a bit like saying you can place an order for the world’s cheapest car (a Tata Nano) and be able to choose what colour it’s supplied to you in. Compare that with the service you would receive at Rolls-Royce, where the assistants will gladly match the colour of your new (bespoke, naturally) car to the jewels in your cufflinks – there’s no comparison, really, is there? And when it comes to the ultimate in luxury goods, clothing, even crockery, one name rises above practically all others in the desirability stakes: Hermès.
The Parisian purveyor of all things exquisite was founded in 1837 by its namesake, Thierry Hermès, initially as a maker of high-quality horse harnesses and bridles (hence the horse and cart on the logo) for the European nobility of the time. These leather goods set the standard and the company’s good name soon spread throughout the aristocracy, meaning expansion was inevitable if the company was to keep up with increasing demand, not only for equine accessories but for clothing and bags, too.
In 1929, Hermès’s first couture collection for women was previewed in Paris and, when actress and actual royalty, Grace Kelly, clasped one of the company’s bags close to her bump to hide the fact that she was pregnant, the world went nuts for this most storied brand. That bag, renamed the “Kelly bag” in 1977, had already been in production for a quarter of a century when Kelly was introduced to it while working on the set for Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief. It had been designed by Hermès in conjunction with one Ettore Bugatti (yes, the founder of that car company) to fit inside a car door pocket and, to this day, it’s the company’s bestseller. This is the history – the magic – of the brand (which is still majority owned by the descendants of the founder, Thierry) and just one of the reasons its products are so coveted.
It will come as no surprise, then, to know that Hermès is big in the UAE. But one recent development should be of particular interest to this region’s well-heeled menfolk: the addition of made-to-measure, bespoke suits at its incredible store in The Dubai Mall. When, just two years ago, Hermès committed its Madison Avenue boutique in New York to bespoke menswear, it created some serious ripples – this is a company that doesn’t really do change – so the addition of the facility in Dubai is nothing if not a vote of confidence in this region’s spending power. When a tailored suit can set you back as much as Dh130,000, Hermès Bespoke is clearly not a service for everyone and it’s perhaps timely to mention that there is a huge difference between “bespoke” here and “made-to-measure”. Made-to-measure is simply taking an existing style and having it tailored to fit your frame, while bespoke means everything is unique, not just the fit. Made-to-measure doesn’t necessarily mean bespoke, but bespoke is always made-to-measure.
As befitting such stratospheric prices, the process of having a suit individually handmade for you is an exercise in fastidious attentiveness. Arrive at the store by appointment (when it’s closed to the public, if you absolutely must) and an expert from the company’s Mens Universe personally greets you before ushering you through to the dedicated room for explaining the process and guiding you through the astonishing selection of available fabrics and options.
If you think you’re limited to traditional materials, then think again. Hermès Special Orders, as our expert explains, can craft anything you like, in any colour you like, using lambskin, lizard, crocodile hide – you name it. If it’s legal, it can probably be done. These items can take a significant amount of time, depending on the availability of the skins, but today we’re happy to stick with the norm and go for some luxuriant lambswool.
Wool is a most remarkable material, able to both warm you in the winter and keep you cooler than you might otherwise be in the summer months, and Hermès has carefully considered what works for this region in terms of fabric. Super 250s and 200s wools are traditional favourites, able to form garments that will last a lifetime. And men are becoming more particular about the designs they choose, erring on the side of cautious longevity rather than up-to-the-minute fashion statements. An Hermès is an investment, after all, and one wouldn’t want it to become out of style within months of it being created.
A suit is an expression of its wearer’s personality. That might seem like an odd thing to say about such a ubiquitous item of clothing, but it’s true and here you can really go to town, not only regarding the cut and general external appearance, but also with the lining of your suit. “How about using one of our scarves to line it?” suggests our assistant. You’ll no doubt know all about Hermès scarves, even if that knowledge stems only from the fact that Sharon Stone used one to immobilise Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct.
These scarves – icons of the fashion industry – have been a staple of the brand’s identity since they were introduced in 1937. Often brightly coloured or featuring the company logo and other identifiable Hermès artefacts, using them to line a suit is both an ultimate extravagance and an immediate identifier – after all, the scarf itself often costs thousands of dirhams to buy in the first place. It’s a brilliant touch and one that adds a great deal to the specialness of what’s happening when you specify a bespoke item for your wardrobe.
Once the difficulty of choosing the right fabrics is over and done with, you’re measured, extensively, before trying on a “canvas”, from which the tailor creates the actual patterns that will be used back in Paris by the craftsmen and women in Hermès’s factory (not that it deserves such a mundane title), although we’re assured that only one person crafts each item of clothing, making for supreme quality control.
After this first fitting, it might be prudent to revisit your initial fabric choices and your expert assistant should be intently listened to, in order to avoid any potential pitfalls. Your size and shape might mean you’re more suited to certain colours or patterns and, with more than 5,000 fabrics to choose from, you should be able to find some that keep you and your observers satisfied. Buttonholes, pockets, vents – everything is measured for, and, once you’re happy with your decision, the painstaking process of crafting your suit, shirts, ties, personalised leather wallet and whatever else you’ve decided to splash out on, can commence – in Paris, not Karama.
It takes roughly nine weeks from start to finish and includes a final fitting, which can take place in your office if you don’t have the time, or inclination, to revisit the store. So you have to be patient but, let’s be honest here, the best things in life are worth waiting for, aren’t they?
At first glance the finished garments may look similar to any other suit but it’s the details that mark a bespoke Hermès as truly special. Even just the seams between the sleeves and the shoulders that lie flush with the rest of the arm, without rope or ribbing underneath to hold them up – once you’ve experienced bespoke tailoring at this level there’s probably no going back.
“It’s important to be able to wear your suit all day,” remarks our expert, “for it to be comfortable and always look immaculate.” He’s right, of course, and if you scan your present location and are able to see any man wearing an ill-fitting suit, you’ll immediately appreciate why made-to-measure makes such a difference. We’re all differently built, differently sized, and the resurgence of the suit in the workplace (the Don Draper effect?) has made it more important than ever to look one’s best at all times. Yet, while our physical dimensions might differ, one thing remains constant: the unparalleled desirability of a bespoke Hermès suit.
khackett@thenational.ae
