I recently took delivery of an Anthony Sinclair Conduit Cut Special Order suit from Mason & Sons. Since the proprietor David Mason travels to New York frequently, I met with him there so he could fit me with a Special Order suit. A speedy four weeks later my suit was ready, just in time for his next visit to New York, so I met him to retrieve the suit.
The Conduit Cut
The Conduit Cut suit was developed by tailor Anthony Sinclair of Conduit Street in London in the 1950s, which had a Savile Row-style cut but was lighter and felt more natural than a stiff Savile Row suit. Because he worked on Conduit Street off of Savile Row, his suit was later dubbed the “Conduit Cut”. Sinclair tailored suits in this style for Sean Connery to wear as James Bond in his six Bond films throughout the 1960s and 1970s. David Mason of Mason & Sons is now in control of Anthony Sinclair’s name and a few years ago developed updated ready-to-wear and “Special Order” versions of the Conduit Cut to make Sinclair’s legacy more easily available. This line is no longer sold under the “Anthony Sinclair” moniker, which is saved for clothes made in England, and is now sold under the “Mason & Sons” brand.
Sinclair’s original suit that Sean Connery wore was about having a soft and light feel that draped with clean, elegant lines. The new ready-to-wear and Special Order Anthony Sinclair Conduit Cut suits that Mr Mason developed capture Sinclair’s ethos in a more modern way. Though Sean Connery’s suits were lightweight, they were only so by 1960s English tailoring standards. Globalisation has shown people what a lightweight suit properly means by way of tailors in southern Italy, who use lighter cloths and lighter and softer canvases than English tailors traditionally use.
The modern Conduit Cut suit, particularly with the Special Order option for a full canvas (a £125 upgrade), is now light by Italian standards, but it still has the classic English cut and style. If Anthony Sinclair were still alive and making suits today, his suits would most likely be as lightweight as the new Conduit Cut suits. Like the shoulder on Connery’s suit jackets, the shoulder on the modern suit jacket is soft—though unfortunately, but understandably, not as soft—with roped sleeve heads. However, the body of the modern suit jacket is updated with leaner cut than the rather full cut that Connery wore, particularly in his earlier Bond films. It is also updated with timeless medium-width lapels and a considerably higher button stance to appeal to today’s audience, though these can be changed on a Special Order suit. The modern suit trousers have a slimmer cut with a lower rise than Connery suit trousers have, and they have a flat front instead of Connery’s double forward pleats. The Special Order system, however, can make trousers closer to Connery’s fuller, pleated cut.
Don’t let the name “Special Order” fool you. This is a true made-to-measure suit, not simply a ready-to-wear suit in your choice of cloth. It can be the latter if you like the fit and style of the ready-to-wear Anthony Sinclair suit, but it can also be so much more, as my suit demonstrates. The pattern for a Special Order suit starts with a ready-to-wear Anthony Sinclair Conduit Cut suit and is modified for your measurements before it is made at the factory in Italy. It is not a ready-to-wear suit that is altered afterwards. Through the Special Order service I was able to bring my suit slightly closer to Sean Connery’s James Bond suits that served as the primary inspiration of the modern Conduit Cut suit, but I also wanted to keep some of the flavour of Mr Mason’s updated version.
Choosing My Suit
I knew exactly what I wanted to get before I met with Mr Mason, which helped to make the whole process a lot easier. My main inspiration I wanted came from Sean Connery’s blue button one suit in You Only Live Twice, Roger Moore’s marine blue suit in The Man with the Golden Gun and Daniel Craig’s blue sharkskin suit in Spectre.
I went for the button one style like what Sean Connery’s blue suit from Anthony Sinclair in You Only Live Twice has, but I was also inspired by the single-breasted suits that many 1960s British and American television spies like John Steed (Patrick Macnee), John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) wore. My love for the button one style is also influenced by the styles worn by other 1960s television characters, such as Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Oliver Wendell Douglas, played by Eddie Albert on Green Acres. Jazz musicians like Miles Davis who wore the button one style in the 1960s were also an influence on my love for it.
Since I do not wear a suit for business, I wanted something that did not give the impression of a business suit. This had to be a suit that I could wear day or night for weddings or the opera. Roger Moore’s marine blue mohair and wool suit made by Cyril Castle, Anthony Sinclair’s Conduit Street neighbour, came to mind as the perfect suit for going out in rather than for conducting business in. The vibrant marine blue colour certainly makes a statement. During the day such a colour shines under the sun. In the evening it becomes darker and richer.
Daniel Craig’s blue sharkskin suit from Tom Ford in Spectre is a similar colour to Roger Moore’s marine blue suit, and when I saw the suit at the Tom Ford shop I was amazed at how different it looks in real life to the way it looks on film. In Spectre it’s a dark, muted blue but under the bright lights of the shop it’s a vibrant medium blue. In dim lighting during the evening, it keeps its rich, vibrant qualities but appears considerably darker. It’s a suit that still looks blue—not black—in the evening, but never obnoxiously so. This was the kind of cloth I wanted, and luckily Anthony Sinclair offers just that.
I chose the Super 110s lightweight navy sharkskin (also known as pick-and-pick), which is woven in Italy. The cloth is woven with alternating medium blue and black threads in both the warp and the weft. The high contrast between the two colours woven together gives the cloth an iridescent quality while still being a pure worsted wool. It is far more interesting than a solid blue, but it’s showier and thus less versatile.
At 8 oz the suiting is indeed very lightweight and wears so comfortably that I feel as if I have nothing on, but because it is so lightweight it does not drape as well as something slightly heavier. On the other hand, being only Super 110s means it is hearty and resilient rather than delicate like most lightweight suitings, and it has an excellent hand for Super 110s. Because of the low Super number it drapes better than many other cloths so lightweight, though with the standard half-canvas construction (which has fusing in addition to a partially canvassed front) it may drape better—but not as softly, as naturally or as comfortably—as the unfused full-canvas construction of my suit. The full-canvas construction will conform better to my body than the half-canvas construction would over time, so I may be too quick to judge. Though full-canvas is ultimately better than half-canvas because it lacks fusing, and worth the upgrade for Special Order, the half-canvas suit is still a fine suit for ready-to-wear.
Fitting My Suit
Because the Special Order Conduit Cut suit is a variation on the ready-to-wear suits, there are a large number of sizes in three lengths and in both Classic and Slim fits to start with to be modified. At the shop in London you can try on all of the sizes. Since I met Mr Mason overseas in New York City, I let him know the size I usually wear, the measurements of the suits I usually wear and how I like my suits to fit so he was able to bring me the closest size to try on. In my case at 5’10” (177 cm) and 145 lbs (65 1/2 kg), Mr Mason brought a 38 L Slim fit in both the jacket and the trousers to base my Special Order suit on. This is considering that I like a traditional fit along the lines of what Sean Connery wears in Thunderball, which is not as full-cut as the suits he wears in his first three James Bond films. Though I’m not a tall person and usually take a regular length, the long fitting in the Slim fit is the same length as a regular length in the Classic fit.
Basing the fit of a Special Order suit on a ready-to-wear size gives the client a good idea of what he is getting, and there is less room for error when you know how the suit is being altered to fit you rather than starting purely from measurements. In my case, I already fit into the 38 L Slim Fit very well, but adjustments were made to both the fit and the style—the lines between what is considered fit and what is considered style have blurred these days—to make the suit completely right for me.
Mr Mason pinned up the 38 L Slim suit jacket to make basic fit changes, such as shortening the sleeve length half an inch and taking in the back a little. Mr Mason also corrected the sleeve pitch, and we decided to shorten the jacket half an inch.
I also wanted a lower button stance than what the ready-to-wear suit has—I think it is too high not just for me but for any body type—so Mr Mason pinned the jacket closed where we thought the waist button should be for me. I highly recommend that anyone getting a Special Order suit should lower the button stance, whether the jacket has two buttons or one. With my single button on the front of the jacket, the high button stance of the ready-to-wear suit would look especially unbalanced, but I also feel the button stance should be lowered just the same for a button two jacket. Connery’s suit jackets have an even lower button stance than what I went for, but we have different body types and different heights. I am not Sean Connery and I did not expect this suit to turn me into him.
Though the lapel width can be altered for those who want the narrow From Russia with Love look or for those who want the wide Diamonds Are Forever look, I chose to stick with the standard lapel width. I kept the standard double vents and slanted pockets but omitted the ready-to-wear suit’s ticket pocket. The suit’s buttons are a beautiful blue corozo to match the suit, which are finer and have more interest than the plastic buttons that Sean Connery’s suits have while still having the same idea of matching the buttons to the suit. Corozo can match the suit better than horn can, particularly in a blue suit. There are four working buttons on each cuff, in both the ready-to-wear and Special Order Anthony Sinclair suits. The lapels are finished with pick stitching.
For the 38 L Slim trousers I let out the fork and the seat, raised the rise a little so the trousers comfortably sit at my waist, and widened the trouser legs 3/4 inch. I kept with the ready-to-wear model’s flat front style instead of Connery’s double-forward pleats, which are also available. I chose slanted side pockets and a button-through pocket only on the right side of the rear, though other pocket configurations available. The waistband has an extension with a hook-and-eye closure, a coin pocket under the waistband and slide-buckle strap side-adjusters (the same style that is on Daniel Craig’s Tom Ford suits in his Bond films), which do an excellent job at holding up the trousers.
There are limitations to the special order suit because it’s not a bespoke suit (which Mason & Sons never says it is). Gauntlet cuffs on jackets and lapels on waistcoats are not possible. But the fit can be altered in many different ways, and that’s what matters most. These photos show the suit after only the initial fitting, and no alterations (which Mr Mason would ordinarily do if necessary) were performed after I received the suit. Alterations after receiving a made-to-measure suit are expected, and even bespoke suits have a final fitting before they are delivered. For a first try with an Anthony Sinclair Special Order suit, the results of the fit of my suit are exceptional. The back of the jacket may have just a little too much fullness, and the trouser waist is a little large, but I felt it was best to wear the suit a few times to allow it to break in before performing alterations. The factory that makes the Anthony Sinclair suits is highly accurate with the Special Order modifications, but David Mason (as well as Elliot Mason, from what I’ve been told) has an excellent understanding of made-to-measure system that he uses, which is very important for getting reliable results.
A Suit for Everyone
The Anthony Sinclair Conduit Cut Special Order suit is a suit for all types of men, from those who want to wear to have fun with their suits to those simply need a suit. At its core, the suit has the unassuming, pared-down look that Sean Connery was so well-known for wearing in his Bond films. Starting with a cut so basic means that through the Special Order system the suit can be turned into many different things for many different people. The system is so versatile that it can make a suit for those who want Connery’s graceful 1960s look with narrow lapels and sophisticated forward-pleat trousers, while it can also make a suit for those who want Daniel Craig’s 2010s shrunken look that is too tight at the chest and has low-rise trousers. There is so little else available that captures the essence of a James Bond suit as well as the Anthony Sinclair Conduit Cut suit does.
The Conduit Cut is also far more than just a James Bond suit. Because the Conduit Cut suit is so elegantly simple at its heart, it is truly a suit for anyone who wants or needs to wear suit. The Special Order system makes this a reality through all of the adjustments that can be made. I don’t feel like James Bond when I wear this suit; I feel like myself, and that’s the only thing I should feel when I wear a suit.
This is not a sponsored post, and no material compensation was given to me in exchange for this review.
Find out more about the suits at Mason & Sons.
I am wearing the Anthony Sinclair suit with a light blue fine twill shirt made by Hemrajani Brothers, a burgundy grenadine tie from Turnbull & Asser and black quarter-brogue oxfords from Brooks Brothers Peal & Co made by Crockett & Jones.
Photos by Janna Levin
That’s a beautiful suit Matt and a great colour, David did some outstanding work. The colour looks great on you, I myself would have to go for something in a bit darker blue and maybe in a grey even, with my complexion. Great purchase, a great suit for social occasions.
Fantastic! I really should try a button one suit at some point. But I still need to get a two button peak lapel as well.
An elegant and smart looking suit, accompanied with nice accessoires – compliments!
Best, Renard
Wow, just wow Matt! The turnout of the suit is awesome and I like the look.
An interesting thing I noticed is that I unconsciously asked for a very similar silhouette (such as the one button just above the natural waist, very slightly slanted hip pockets and slight skirt flare) to your AS suit in my most recent bespoke three piece commissioned almost half a year ago. I believe mine has slightly more chest fullness compared to what I see in your photos, with mine more resembling the drape cut and with extended front darts. I also have lapels for the waistcoat. I am about to pick up the suit once all stitching work is done.
Just wondering, since I notice you usually tie your four-in-hand right handed (with the larger tie blade starting on the right side), why did you tie this grenadine tie left handed (i.e. with the larger tie blade starting on your left side)?
I’m actually not sure! The knot is a double-four-in-hand.
Can i ask, which Watch you weared?
It’s an Omega Speedmaster Day-Date.
A fantastic post! Considering the very few glimpses of your personal wardrobe we have seen, not to mention given your incredible wealth of knowledge about and passion for traditional menswear, I am very curious about your personal style. This suit looks absolutely stunning and the fit is remarkable, it looks totally right on you in terms of balance and proportions (not so strange considering your insight). I find that the lower one-button style looks great on us slightly shorter men and has a bit of an elongating, flowing effect. The colour and style of this suit is probably one of the most versatile one could own. Just changing between the (very nice) burgundy tie and a navy tie (like in YOLT) would transition the look from festive to bussiness effortlessly. Wonderful and inspirational post and I for one hope we get to see more of your personal style in examples such as this in the future!
Very beautiful suit Matt! I love the colour and details and the fit is excellent! Last year after our email conversations I ordered a similar suit from Suitsupply’s MTM program. Although I’m not a fan of most of their RTW clothing (fit), their MTM program in the Netherlands (Rotterdam) is excellent. As you might remember, my inspiration came from Roger Moore’s marine blue suit as well and I mixed it with my own preferences.
I think the colour of your suit is very close to mine, but the weave is different and I opt for other details (2 button jacket, single reverse pleats trousers, 2 inch cuffs). This kind of suits are indeed very suited for social events and I wore it well to my best friends wedding last summer. On the moment I’m waiting for almost the same suit in charcoal wool.
Love to see more in the future!
Wow. If he’d like to give me a suit, too, I’d happily not review it for him! :)
£700 is a good deal for something that iconic. It looks terrific, especially with that colour tie.
Very nice suit Matt.
David Mason was also spot on with the fit of my special order suit, maybe a tad wide on the waist of the trousers just like yours I guess but this is easily solved with a small tug on the side adjusters.
When I received the finished suit I had a little doubt about the fit or drape on the front of the jacket, but somehow I couldn’t see what was bothering me.
After wearing it three times the breaking in had apparently completed because when I look in the mirror now there is no doubt left.
The conduit cut suit -as provided by Mason & Sons- is exactly what I wanted.
Don’t like
single button
slanted pockets
Like
Overall fit of the suit
The drape of the suit
The length of the jacket
The fit of the the trousers especially
The suit looks comfortable and nice to wear without being baggy (just as I like it!), not the tight and constricting crap that you buy off the rack/ suit supply/ so-called satorialist crap.
Maybe take in the sleeves a wee bit?
Congratulations Matt! That is one beautiful looking suit. The proportions work very well with your body type. I do have one question regarding the length of the coat. When you had your original consultation with David were you able to try on a 38 Regular coat in a slim fit? If you were able to then what was the length difference between the Long and Regular coat? My assumption is that since you wear your trousers higher just like myself you could easily pull off a Regular length coat.
I tried on the regular length in a Slim but it was too short by half an inch. The fit of the 38L Slim in both the jacket and trousers was superior. I could sooner weae the long fitting without alteration than the regular in a Slim.
Thanks Matt! Once again what a magnificent suit.
Beautiful suit, very nice choice.
Quick question, you mentioned that the special order suits cannot have lapels on the waistcoat, are you 100% sure on this as I do believe one can have lapels on the waistcoat under the special order system.
I believe Mr Mason told me they couldn’t, but check with him if you’re interested.
Mr. Spaiser would you recommend Mason and Son’s over tom ford or ralph Lauren for a dinner suit? Considering relative pricing and quality?
Mason & Sons can do bespoke at a similar price to Tom Ford, and I think bespoke is worth it over ready-to-wear or made-to-measure from Tom Ford. Mason is very familiar with the shoulders from Tommy Nutter’s designs that Ford uses, so I’m sure he could make you something in that style if its what you want. And you’ll get a more personal experience from Mason. Mason & Sons’ Anthony Sinclair Special Order is nowhere near the quality and price that Ford makes. You’ll get a much better suit from Mason & Sons than from Ralph Lauren at the same price, if comparing the Anthony Sinclair ready-to-wear and Special Order suits with Polo.
Thanks
Was the decision to go with flat front trousers over double forward pleats yours or a recommendation from David Mason? I know your a fan of the double forward style with tapering like Connery wore.
This was my choice, but next time I may go for the pleats.
Beautiful,elegant suit Matt.
Some question:
1-If one knows what ask, can with special order get exactly (or roughly) a true Bond/Connery suit in 60s style?
I mean narrow lapels,straight pockets without flaps,high rise trousers with forwards pleats with the early 60s widht.
2-Anthony Sinclair make a true bespoke?
Thanks.
Thank you, Carmelo. You can get narrow lapels, straight pockets without flaps and high-rise trousers with forward pleats. But I don’t think you’ll be able to get the same kind of full chest that a bespoke tailor can make.
Mason & Sons also does true bespoke, but I know very little about the bespoke they offer. I have seen the bespoke made for Designing 007 and Madame Tussauds, and it looks fantastic.
I do not who makes the suits in Italy.
Anthony Sinclair does do true bespoke. I had a “Dr. No” midnight blue, shawl collar evening suit made by David a couple of years ago. It was the price of a TF suit, but beautifully done, and made precisely for me. It’s my favorite.
P.S.
Yoy know where in Italy make these suits for Anthony Sinclair?
( is a simple curiosity,as Italian i’m proud that cloth and suit are from my country).
My father favours the double forward pleats style. He finds them more comfortable, especially when sitting. I think it looks good with tapering and a rise like Connery had in From Russia With Love. In the later Connery films like Thunderball, you wouldn’t really know that the trousers had pleats as they are so well fitted to him.
When you take a photo in a suit you look like true professional. When i take a photo in a suit i look like i got caught wearing a suit in a place that does not allow loitering. Tom ford himself says he tries to be intimate with the camera. Do you have a certain technique when taking photos?
Thank you, but it’s not me, it’s the photographer.
Hi Matt,
I wonder how it feels for you to wear a more european cut suit compared to a more loose fit american style.
I bought a suit in Los Angeles because I loved the Asian (Dr No) cut on the jacket. When I got home I only wear it twice before I sold it. The trousers looked nothing like I as a european wanted them.
For others reading this blog post they can compare a Donald Trump suit to a David Beckham suit to understand what I am saying.
Love the article..!
Thanks Stephan. Most American suits aren’t so loose any more, and this suit is more traditionally fitted than most things I can find now in New York.
I got the sharkskin special order too Matt, would you consider getting turn ups on your next order?. First time I’ve ever spent that much money on anything but definitely worth it. David and Elliot are two of the best blokes in the business and I look forward to dealing with them again in the future. There’s quite a few well dressed 18 year old lads in the city of London and this whistle makes me feel like one of them. You can walk into a bar or pub and almost always get a compliment from either another bloke or a bird if that’s what you’re after.
Honestly cannot recommend enough
Yes, I would consider turn-ups. I have them on some of my suit trousers.
Hey Matt,
First off, Capital Suit! Roger Moore’s Blue suit is also one of my favorites, and your suit looks every bit as good. I would’ve gotten pleats and turn-ups myself but other than that, it looks awesome.
Second, have you tried Oliver Wicks? I know you did a collaboration with them, but did you ever get a suit made by them? I’m curious to see how it compares to this Anthony Sinclair Suit.
Yes, I got a jacket and trousers from Oliver Wicks, and the difference is reflected in the price. Anthony Sinclair is significantly better in both construction and cut.
A lot of the suit makers in Australia are following slim-fit trends at the moment. Mostly suit with a lean chest, slightly short length and a suppressed waist. The trend at the moment seems to be less padding in the shoulders. Is the waist on your jacket more a gently suppressed waist ?, rather than a more aggressive suppression like on Tom Ford suits Matt ?
Yes, the waist on the jacket has a gentler suppression, more in line with Connery’s Sinclair cuts.
Matt,
I am also a proud owner of an Anthony Sinclair Special Order suit. The fit, sizing – or measurement, rather – is amazing! The customizations had limits, but for MTM block, that is to be expected.
There is also a handmade option (I have milanese buttonhole on my lapel), to which I wonder what your thoughts are on that.
The Handmade option allows for fit adjustments that the normal Special Order does not, but since I did not need those adjustments, and I don’t feel that the handmade details are necessary, I can’t see myself getting it. But I know some people who may need the additional fit adjustments of the Handmade suit to get something that fits well.
Very interesting observation, Matt. Indeed, my back is odd enough for me to get the handmade option. The craftsmanship of the handmade option is also amazing as well.
You say the suit does not make you feel like james bond; then what brand or type of suit does?
No clothes can make any man feel like James Bond. That comes from the guilt of killing for a living and excessive drinking.
When you were being fitted, did you give mr. Mason instructions of what you wanted or did he know exactly what needed to be done?
There was a bit of both. We have known each other for quite a while, and he understands my preferences. He brought up lowering the button stance, because he knew I would want it lower, but we lowered slightly more than where he first pinned it. He also made the call for how much to bring up the rise of the trousers, since he knew what I would like, but he also knew the correct amount as it’s a difficult thing to determine without being able to try on trousers with the correct rise. He also made the choice to take in the back at the chest. He asks the right questions to get a better idea of what the customer wants, and he listens to what the customer has to say. I suspect that if someone came in asking for a suit just like Connery’s, he might not go full Connery because the cuts of Connery’s suits are so different from what people are used to now. The full Connery look compared to mine would have a fuller jacket with narrower lapels and a lower button stance and fuller trousers with pleats. My suit already has a more traditional look compared to what most people are pushing, and most people might not expect something even further from today’s trends than what I’m wearing. Going full Connery on someone who doesn’t have Connery’s body type may also look too much like costume.
It’s a great looking suit, Matt. I would probably go
for something with a little more shape in the waste and a slightly heavier fabric.
Hopefully Mason will open up his shop in New York soon. I will have to hold off on my next visit to the city in anticipation!
Hi Matt, as usual amazing article.
Have you ever thought of change your current haircut? If you shorten the side and the back, not only you will look younger, but also the new haircut will suit your face shape in a better way than your current haircut
Yes, I just haven’t had a chance to get to the barber in a little while.
That suit looks great! I really like the button one, and the color.
It’s nice. For some reason I do not feel at ease with the marine blue. Perhaps, I am a little too conservative.
Is this the same blue of the James Stewart suits in some of the Hitchcock films?
That colour seem to stay in my memory, but somehow worked for me.
Yes, James Stewart wore a similarly coloured suit in Vertigo, though perhaps a little darker. Marine blue was more popular in the 1960s.
Does the Anthony Sinclair Conduit Cut Special Order suit have high armholes? Also, is it possible to order the trousers with a button fly? Lastly, is the fullness in the back part of the Conduit Cut?
Thanks for posting this review and experience with Special Order through Anthony Sinclair.
The armholes are fairly high. I think a button fly may be possible, but ask the Masons to be sure. The fullness in the back is there because we didn’t adjust the fit enough for me originally, but it’s something I need to break in first before making alterations.
I think you did right by choosing that shade of blue because a darker shade would have overwhelmed your complexion (which is a rather light one if I am allowed to say). Suits you fine.
Hi Matt,
Regarding break-in of the jacket (and trousers), is there an ideal amount of time the jacket & trousers should be worn before it can be considered broken in? And therefore adjustments considered. Many thanks
I’d say after wearing it 2 to 3 times, you can get a pretty good idea of these things. Overall it takes much more time for the canvas to fully break in.
So all in all is it worth it to pay thousands more for the bespoke when the special order will do just fine?
The Special Order does more than just fine, but bespoke can do even more. There’s really no logical reason for most people to get a bespoke suit, but for very unusual bodies or bodies that need a lot of help, bespoke can do things that a made-to-measure suit can’t. And bespoke is necessary for those who want a style more out of the ordinary.
Matt,
You look terrific, as we all expected. Congratulations. Moore is clearly your favorite Bond. The tie is perfect -I didn’t know T&A was making slimmer ties, or is it a special order ? great look anyway-, and so are our cocktail cuffs, with a nice roll.
The suit looks great and understated. Your choice of a 1-button worked well, too. I just have the impression you could have asked for a slightly longer jacket (half an inch maybe) ; at 177 cm, you are not what people would call a short man. The button stance doesn’t look that low to me either, but it may be just the way the pictures are taken. The suit looks very comfortable to wear. I just missed a shot of the trousers front and waistband.
I may buy a special order suit too. However, I have several questions about the ‘customization options’ :
-Is a more structured shoulder available, like the one Brosnan used to wear ? yours seem a bit falling, like a natural one.
-Is a lower lapel gorge possible ? Yours seem rather high. I ask these two questions because I am both taller and slimmer than you. So a high gorge like this will only make me slimmer and taller, which I certainly don’t.
-You asked for a medium width lapel. It still looks rather wide to me, compared to the chest of the jacket. Did Mr. Mason took in the chest a bit compared to a ‘normal’ 38 L slim fit ?
Anyway, thanks a lot for this detailed article. With this suit on, you will certainly make quite an impression on ladies.
My Turnbull & Asser tie is not at all recent, but it the same width as the slim ties they offer now at 8 cm.
The jacket length is what it should be if it is going to cut my body in half, but the standard length could have worked. Anything from 30 to 31 inches long works for me.
I do not know if they can do a different shoulder, but I doubt it. I feel like this shoulder has the perfect amount of structure: natural but not flimsy.
I do not know if a lower gorge is possible. Mine is indeed a bit high, but I like it that way.
The lapels are 8.5 cm wide, so I wouldn’t call them wide at all. The chest was not taken in at the front, only the back.
Very nice, but why dispense with the ticket pocket?
I feel that this suit is too formal for a ticket pocket, and I prefer the cleanliness without one.
I have a few questions if I may mr.spaiser? (I know I am way passed a few)
1. My compliments to you that you made one bonds suits your own, would you happen to have anymore posts like this? (Where you take a particular bond look and make it your own)
2. I have been told that sinclair utilizes Carlo barbera as the mill of choice, your thoughts on that?
3. My tailor and I have known each other for over ten years and he recently attended a funeral. I asked if he wore black and he said he wore dark gray, he told me that black is only reserved for the family. what do you think about this?
1. I’ll see what else I can come up with.
2. The cloth is very good, though nothing extraordinary.
3. Black suits can make one look like he’s trying to hard at a funeral that isn’t for a family member. Dark grey suits are very appropriate for funerals, even if it’s your family. There’s really no reason to own a black suit.
P.s. since someone here brought up the topic of moore being your favorite bond? What actor past or present, would you choose to play 007?
Moore is indeed my favourite Bond.
P.s.s
I am 6,1 would the one button suit appear to elongate my torso unecesarily?
One button won’t elongate your torso much more than two buttons will. If Connery could wear it, so can you.
Matt, great-looking suit, it fits perfectly.
Did you ever get a bespoke suit? If not, is this the best suit you own, both fit-wise and style-wise?
I’ve never gotten a bespoke suit, only made-to-measure. This is indeed the best suit I own, for fit and for style.
Great post thank you! I have always been curious about their suits. And with Mason & Sons opening in NYC (a lot closer to me than London) this definitely makes me want to investigate further.
Thanks again
Hi Matt,
Great looking suit! Your choice of one button is really interesting. Any thoughts on the number of buttons and perceived level of formality?
Hello Matt,
Thanks for the deep and interesting cut into (ha) this wonderful suit; the article was a pleasure to read. Like another commenter above (Le Chiffre, no less), I noticed and wondered about the fashion-correct height of the gorge. It’s one of the things that frustrates me about contemporary suits! I’ve never come across another (interesting) blogger with a stated preference for the higher gorge – would you be willing to elaborate on the reasons for your preference? Thanks for the continually interesting website!
I like the high gorge because of the long, sleek lapel line it creates. Most of Roger Moore’s Douglas Hayward suits in the 1980s are similar. The button stance of my jacket is higher than Moore’s is, so the effect isn’t as dramatic. However, it would be better if the gorge were slightly lower. The high gorge isn’t good for people who like a narrower collar, but it works well with spread and cutaway collars.
Matt, nice suit. Love the color. Question: Does the lightness of the fabric make the sleeves wrinkle heavily?
Yes, the sleeves end up quite wrinkled after wearing it for a while, but the wrinkles fall out after hanging for a couple days. Super 110s is very resilient.
I’ll be traveling from the U.S. to the U.K. at the end of the month and on the strength of this piece, I’ve booked an appointment with Mason & Sons in London for the end of the month. I’ve wanted a suit from them since I first read about them on this blog but didn’t realize there was a middle tier between read to wear and bespoke. Thanks for all of the education and inspiration.
I’m glad to hear that!
I’m about to receive another suit, and have two more on back order with Mr. Mason. Maybe I’ll join the About James Bond forum and posts some pictures, but honestly, though, if I ordered that many suits from him, you guys should know how good his tailoring is.
While in London in late June and on the advice of Matt, I met with Elliot Mason and was measured for a special order, full canvas suit in navy blue herringbone. My experience was excellent; I found the actual fitting quite enjoyable, and the resulting suit, which I received about a month ago, fits perfectly. And the customer service has been incomparable. I highly recommended Mason & Sons and intend to proceed with further orders.
It would be nice if they had trunk shows across the pond. …
Which pond are you talking about? They cross many ponds to meet with clients.
Yes, they impressed me with their customer service for a simple shirt order over the Internet. Really nice quality garment too.
Fit aside, how does the construction compare with a Tom Ford suit?
(seeing as you had mentioned somewhere that Ford’s suit construction is among the very best and even surpassed some modern British tailors)
This suit is not on the level of a Tom Ford suit. The quality of an Anthony Sinclair Special Order suit with full canvas is excellent, especially for the price. But it doesn’t have the kind of handwork a Tom Ford suit has. It doesn’t go the extra mile with details and doesn’t have as much work put into construction, and the cloth is workhorse-like (very well-made but not luxurious), but it’s the minimum of what I would consider to be a high-end suit. You can’t expect the quality of Tom Ford at the price of an Anthony Sinclair suit, unless you want to pay them the equivalent for a bespoke suit.
Matt, there’s a popular saying that if someone tried to sell you a bespoke suit in Saville Row for less than 4k (or 3, can’t really remember), walk away as it’s not the real deal.
This doesn’t apply here but this is the tailoring section of your blog, so I wondered; what do you reckon?
£3,500 is about where the price of a true Savile Row bespoke suit starts these days, where the suit is proper bespoke and is made on Savile Row. Many tailors now start at over £4,000 for a two-piece suit. When the suit is made off Savile Row in a workshop outside of central London, the price will be lower. And when the store front is off Savile Row too, the price even lower. Paying for the complete Savile Row experience is about prestige, not quality.
If I ever make it to London I’m definitely going mr.fleming’s route when trying to find a tailor.
Mr.Spaiser,
So now that you have a sinclair suit with your exact measurements, does mr.mason still need to measure you in case you wanted to order another suit of a different style and cloth?
I should be able to order another suit, since this is only Special Order. Even for a bespoke suit, new measurements shouldn’t be necessary if one’s previous bespoke suits still fit well.
@Matt Spaiser – Could you have gotten the button stance even lower, like what Connery wore in FRWL, and the trousers as high as in Dr. No? Or would you need to go full bespoke for that?
I don’t think I could have gotten the button stance any lower, and any lower wouldn’t work on my body anyway. The trouser rise already hits my natural waist, so it probably couldn’t be higher.
Personally I would need a slightly lower button stance and trousers from those like Dr No for the button stance and waistband to line up at my natural waist. Would I have to go bespoke to get something like that? I could save up the money for a bespoke suit but the 3-4 fittings over several months I’ve read a bespoke suit requires would definitely be a problem.
Thank you for being very patient with my questions (I hope I am not annoying). Your suit looks absolutely beautiful on you.
The button and waist of my trousers line up, so if you get something like what I got it is possible special order. I recently got a bespoke suit from Mason & Sons with only one fitting. More fittings are not always necessary.
What is the lapel width ? Also what would you consider to be a classic, timeless width ? Between which numbers ?
You said you choosed to stick with the standard lapel width. What was it ?
Elliot at Mason and Sons gave me the following measurements when I bought my first suit from them:
Narrow: 6.3cm
Slim: 7.5cm
Standard: 9cm
Wide: 10.5cm
I went with standard, and it looks great! Much more balanced, in my opinion. A shorter or slimmer man than me might want to go with slim, but narrow seems too small to me.
Thanks a lot !
Question about Navy Sharkskin. Obviously your suit has black and blue threads in the weave for significant contrast, but do all Navy Sharkskins have some variation in the color of the threads? I assume if the the colors of the threads were exactly the same it would just be a solid twill suit?
Right. Sharkskin is a pattern in two different colours, so it can’t be a solid colour.
Hi Matt,
Great suit and I’m a huge fan of your blog.
I’m getting a special order soon and still deciding on the cloth. I know I want a modernised conduit cut in a dark navy blue (more in line with how the Spectre sharkskin looks on screen via filters than yours above), and the details will be similar to yours but with straight instead of slanted pockets.
Hoping to get your advice on something, if I may?
I’m based in the UK, in London.
I’ve narrowed the cloth down to 2 choices:
1. Super 110s 9oz sharkskin.
2. Wool/mohair 7oz blend (84/16).
Either in midnight or dark navy.
I tend to run hot and wear suits mostly to formal events where I spend the majority of time indoors, with some outdoor loitering/waiting.
The concern with the 9oz sharkskin is that it may be too hot in the Summer. The concern with the 7oz mohair tonic is that it’s such a light cloth I don’t know how it’ll drape and affect the overall look; at that weight and with the mohair, it’s very much a summer suit, which also limits its versatility.
I will get more suits going forward, but just wondering what your thoughts are on the two options given British weather/temperatures and the points above.
For reference, my two favourite Bond suits (not necessarily in terms fit for the latter) are the QoS midnight blue mohair tonic in Bolivia and the Spectre navy sharkskin. Those are my main influences for this piece.
Many thanks!
For British weather, option 1 should work for at least 90% of the year. It may be too hot on the hottest days of summer, but Britain doesn’t get many very hot days. Option 2 will be more comfortable on hottest days, but it isn’t going to drape well. It’s too light. I find that 8oz is the lightest one should go with a suit, and that is already very light. I have a 9.5 oz mohair dinner suit, which is a fantastic cloth that I highly recommend. It’s perfect for the Quantum of Solace midnight blue suit look too. I’m assuming the one you’re considering is VBC? Mine is Holland & Sherry’s 284603 from the Classic Mohair book, which is a 9.5 oz fabric in 75% wool and 25% mohair.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for getting back to me.
Yes, the two options I outlined are from VBC. I’m happy to go with H&S if needed, particularly if it’s one of their mohair cloths.
I’ve checked the current H&S Classic Mohairs book – the link below appears to match the description of the cloth used for your dinner suit, but has a different number.
https://apparel.hollandandsherry.com/en/fabric/use/suits/2821503-classic-mohairs-midnight-solid
Unfortunately, it’s out of stock and won’t be available until later this year.
284603 also appears to be out of stock.
https://apparel.hollandandsherry.com/en/284603-classic-mohair-midnight-solid
Let’s discount the VBC 7oz mohair tonic, as it’s too light.
Considering H&S gives me two more options, either the 9.5oz 75/25 wool/mohair blend, but I’d have to compromise on the colour and get it in navy rather than midnight, as I can’t wait until later in the year to order as I need it sooner; or their 7.5oz 85/100 wool/mohair blend, either in midnight or dark blue:
https://apparel.hollandandsherry.com/en/fabric/use/suits/2821005-classic-mohairs-midnight-solid
https://apparel.hollandandsherry.com/en/fabric/use/suits/2821007-classic-mohairs-dark-blue-solid
Again, the concern is that 7.5oz is simply too light a cloth. The lightest I’ve had previously was a 9oz 25/75 wool/mohair blend from Smith Woollens, and even in that suit I still found myself getting hot when wearing it in the summer months. From a thermoregulation perspective, the 7.5oz cloth would suit me, but we know it won’t drape well, and it’s below your advised lower limit of 8oz.
Any further thoughts/what would you advise? It seems as if I’m going to have to compromise on something, be it weight or colour. This suit is for a summer wedding.
I have a dinner jacket in the 7.5 oz mohair, and I wish it were slightly heavier. If you’re willing to go lighter in colour, this one might be a good choice: https://apparel.hollandandsherry.com/en/fabric/use/suits/2821504-classic-mohairs-navy-solid
In terms of midnight vs navy, which colour do you think would be preferable for a daytime function extending into the evening (i.e. an afternoon wedding followed by a reception)? I’ve always liked the elegance of midnight in the evening, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts – do you think it’s too dark for daytime wear?
I would always go with navy for a suit and save midnight blue for dinner suits. During the day navy looks better, and it still looks fantastic at night.