Bespoke · Mumbai
Cotton suits
Crisp, matte and quiet. The suit you wear from a meeting to dinner.
The quiet cloth
A cotton suit does not announce itself. It has no sheen, it does not crease the way linen does, and in a stone or olive it reads as a man who dresses well without trying. In Mumbai between March and October it is what we recommend to a man who must be in a suit all day and would rather not think about it.
Cotton is less forgiving than wool. It has no stretch and no recovery, so a cotton suit that is a little tight stays tight, and a ready one that is a little wrong looks wrong by noon. That is exactly why it should be made to your pattern. With the shoulder and the chest right, a cotton twill or a cotton drill holds a clean line through the day.
What it is for
The office in the hot months. Travel, because it packs flat and does not crush. A cocktail evening that is not black tie. A groom's second suit, for the day after the wedding, in olive or stone with a knitted tie.
Twill, drill, seersucker
Twill is the all-rounder. Drill is heavier and sharper, the cloth of the old colonial suit. Seersucker is puckered on purpose so it never touches the skin; it is the coolest cloth there is and it takes a certain man to wear it. We will tell you which one you are.
In practice
What we decide together
Weave
Twill for most days, drill for a sharper line, seersucker for the hottest weeks.
Construction
Half-canvas, a natural shoulder; cotton does not want a roped sleeve head.
Colours
Stone, olive, navy, a chalk stripe if you want the one suit people remember.
Care
Cotton presses hard and crisp; one press a week keeps it sharp.
Book an appointment
A consultation costs nothing. Tell us the occasion and the date, and we take it from there.
Questions
What people ask us
Is a cotton suit formal enough for the office?
In a dark colour with a proper canvas, yes. Navy cotton reads as a suit; stone cotton reads as summer. We cut both with the same care.
Cotton or wool for a Mumbai office?
A light worsted wool still drapes better and recovers from a crease overnight. Cotton is cooler and quieter. Many clients have one of each.
Does a cotton suit shrink?
The cloth is pre-shrunk before we cut, and we allow for the little movement a first press brings. Dry clean sparingly; press often.
Can a cotton suit be a three-piece?
Yes, and a cotton waistcoat in a contrasting colour is one of the better ways to wear colour in the day.