What Makes a World-Class Suit?

Words by Tony Wilkes

All men’s suits may, on first glance, look the same. After all, they’re each made up of a blazer and trousers. But it goes without saying that all suits are not made equal. Below, we outline the three aspects that up make a world-class suit, with help from one of the greats: Gianluca Isaia, CEO of namesake tailoring house Isaia. You may want to have your notebook at the ready.

“Fit is the starting point,” says Isaia. “A great suit follows the body naturally. It moves with you. It never forces you. The suit adapts to the man, never the other way around.” Luckily, Harrods offers a specialist made-to-measure service in-store, allowing you to create a customised and comfortable suit across a range of brands, from TOM FORD and Brioni to Isaia and many more. Even down to having your initials inside.

Founded in Naples in 1920, Isaia began not as a tailor but as a fabric specialist. “Fabric literacy is still at the core of Isaia’s identity,” says the brand. “The way a jacket would move, the way it would fall, the way it would endure.” Textile expertise underpins the greatest tailoring houses, such as Kiton, Loro Piana and Colombo – brands that create the finest exclusive fabrics themselves.

“The quiet sartorial details are essential,” Isaia advises. These are as small as hand-worked seams, functional button cuffs, a hand-set collar, a smooth lapel roll. “They give the suit life, comfort and a sense of ease,” he adds. “These are details you may not notice immediately, but you feel them the moment you put the suit on. Elegance comes when a man feels at ease in what he’s wearing.”