On this second installment of his bespoke journey over the previous 37 years, the creator of Gentleman tells us how he gave up on Savile Row, however sampled tailors in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Spain and Italy. 

By Bernhard Roetzel.

In Half 1 of this text I wrote about my first experiences with bespoke tailoring, and my early life on Savile Row. From 2003 on my enthusiasm for Savile Row and English tailoring dwindled, nonetheless, for a few causes. 

One in every of them was that I acquired to know Italy higher. I began experimenting with a number of makers of top of the range RTW and MTM and was very pleased with the fits I acquired there. My favourites had been Belvest and d’Avenza.

The opposite was that Tobias Tailors closed in 2003, and I hardly visited England after that as a result of I did no extra England-related books. John Coggin additionally stopped doing trunk reveals in Frankfurt as a result of the shoe store he used closed down. 

I didn’t order something from a tailor for a few years as a result of I didn’t want something, but in addition as a result of my nice past love for bespoke died when Tobias Tailors closed. I nonetheless love bespoke tailoring, however by no means once more as a lot as I did within the first years with them. 

In Europe, I felt torn between the completely different worlds of tailoring that I found. I used to be typically tempted to order one thing once I appreciated the craftsman and the ambiance, however I at all times stopped myself on the final second as a result of I didn’t really feel like beginning another time with a brand new tailor.

In 2005, for instance, I visited Kathrin Emmer (above) in Berlin whereas I used to be there for the Congress of the World Federation of Grasp Tailors. Kathrin confirmed me her workroom and I appreciated her work. She had skilled in Munich and labored for Volkmar Arnulf, essentially the most famend German bespoke tailor of the previous era.

I moved to Berlin in 2007 and visited Kathrin a few instances for a chat over a cup of espresso. In 2011 I used to be lastly able to order a jacket, however the material that I had picked wasn’t out there anymore (a worsted Alsport). A bit of later I got here again as a result of I now wished a swimsuit. It was a double-breasted made out of a gray flannel with somewhat houndstooth sample.

I had a really exact I concept of what I wished: a Thirties-inspired reduce with pleated trousers, wider within the leg than I had worn earlier than, no vents and a bit extra V-shaped. I confirmed Kathrin a few photographs and on the first becoming I noticed how nicely she had understood me and the way nicely she had constructed the sample. 

There have been no sleeves within the coat at that stage. On the subsequent becoming there was hardly something to appropriate. I believe the sleeves had been a bit too lengthy however she may alter that from the shoulder, because the buttonholes had been open already.

A bit of later I had one other double-breasted swimsuit made based mostly on the primary one. I requested her to copy the primary one, simply with the coat somewhat nearer to the physique. I picked a light-grey wool with mohair in a medium weight for spring and summer time. The material was very good but it surely turned out to be too heavy – however that was my fault.

On the becoming of the second swimsuit I used to be pleasantly shocked that Kathrin actually had managed to copy the match of the primary swimsuit – a problem I had discovered previously. It fitted a bit nearer to the physique however the look was very a lot the identical. She defined that she at all times measures the completed swimsuit and writes the measures in her guide.

After the primary two double-breasted fits Kathrin made two extra single-breasted ones for me. One was in darkish blue with a faint overcheck and one was a mid-grey glen test. The latter was imagined to be extra Italian and I gave her an Italian RTW swimsuit as a reference. 

She did nicely however nonetheless I learnt the lesson that it’s no good to ask tailors to emulate a method from one other nation. The issue is, even when the fits suits nicely (because the one from Kathrin does) it’ll lack id. 

For this reason I additionally advise readers to get a swimsuit from a tailor who lives or was skilled within the nation you need (like James Whitfield who’s English and skilled at Anderson & Sheppard, however lives and works in Berlin).

In 2016 I made the acquaintance of the Viennese tailor Michel Possanner (above). A number of mates had beneficial him each time I had requested for tailors apart from the same old suspects. He invited me to talk at an occasion in his store and I seized the chance to order a blazer.

We selected a blue material from Minnis. We agreed on a double-breasted with a basic button configuration. The primary becoming befell a few weeks afterwards and the match was already superb. 

Michel unpicked the shoulder sleeve and pinned it following the contour of my determine. On the second becoming I can’t bear in mind any points and the blazer was completed afterwards with none want for an additional becoming.

Michel makes a really smooth coat with pure shoulders. He skilled at Knize and makes an analogous silhouette with a reasonably low notch. The size of the coat may be very basic, much like the English style and the chest pocket is decrease than most tailors these days (which fits my style). 

In accordance with Michel his tailoring is softer than Knize’s but it surely does incorporate issues he has realized there. For example the cuffs of the sleeves are made with a little bit of linen inside to provide them extra form.

Later I ordered a pair of cavalry twills and once more Michel did a superb job. Michel sticks to his personal fashion – he is not going to ship something that he feels just isn’t elegant or flattering. He does have an excellent style and sense of favor, one thing that many tailors lack. 

Two years later I met Zdenek Hartl from Prague (above). He had skilled at certainly one of Prague’s most famed homes within the Sixties, which had been established within the golden pre-war age of tailoring. After 1989 he opened his personal enterprise. For the reason that late Nineteen Nineties he has been coming to Vienna for trunkshows on the fabric service provider Jungmann & Neffe.

Mr Hartl has an enormous variety of prospects in Vienna due to the worth he affords. He fees a lot lower than the native homes, which could clarify why a lot of them look down their noses at him. I believe that he’s glorious not least due to the large expertise he has gained over a long time of constructing for slightly demanding prospects.

Many purchasers present him previous Knize fits that they had made previously, or present in second hand shops, and ask him to copy them. Others use him along with different tailors. I met one Brit who lives in London and Vienna; he stated he’s an Anderson & Sheppard buyer however has double-breasted fits made of their fashion by Mr Hartl whereas he’s in Vienna.

I used to be hesitant to strive Mr Hartl due to the space to Vienna however he invited me to return to Prague for a becoming. Prague is 5 hours by practice for Berlin so I agreed (versus 9 hours to Vienna).

I had a really exact concept of the swimsuit I wished and I sketched it on a chunk of paper after I used to be measured within the becoming room at Jungmann & Neffe. I picked a heavy British houndstooth tweed from their cabinets.

I travelled to Prague and met Mr Hartl in his store in Verdunska avenue. Most Viennese prospects have by no means been there and I had heard a few unusual tales a few dingy workroom someplace in Prague. 

What I discovered was a typical tailor’s store in a quiet residential space. Very tidy and good, similar to some other tailor’s store in Europe. The workroom is behind the constructing in a small construction within the yard: additionally very gentle and tidy with about six absolutely employed tailors working there.

My becoming was ready for me on a gown dummy and it seemed promising. I wasn’t disillusioned once I first tried on the trousers after which the jacket. Each had been spot on.

Mr Hartl advised that he proceed straightaway to the completed swimsuit. Regardless of being slightly euphoric after the becoming I attempted to utter my doubts in essentially the most well mannered method attainable. 

Mr Hartl has such an air of pleasant authority that I felt like a schoolboy asking an previous trainer if he was positive about what he stated.

As a solution he led to the wall and pointed to {a photograph} that confirmed Arnold Schwarzenegger with Mr Hartl on the becoming of a sports activities jacket. In his damaged English Mr Hartl stated that he did one becoming for this buyer too as a result of Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t keep lengthy sufficient in Prague for an additional. This satisfied me, so I agreed.

We met a few weeks later in Dresden, midway between Berlin and Prague. We did the becoming within the foyer of a lodge. I used to be handed the swimsuit in a bag and I put it on within the lavatory. Even earlier than seeing myself within the mirror above the wash basin, I felt that the swimsuit was excellent.

Within the foyer I discovered a much bigger mirror and it confirmed my impression. The swimsuit fitted very nicely after just one becoming and it seemed precisely as I had envisioned it earlier than. The heavy tweed in all probability helped, however I’ve seen different fits on me made out of heavy fabric which clearly confirmed points.

After that first profitable swimsuit I ordered 4 extra outfits and all had been superb. On the subsequent conferences I observed that Mr Hartl begins at zero each time. He doesn’t appear to make use of the earlier patterns or measurements. I’ve seen a video of him putting the sample on the material immediately with out utilizing a paper sample as a stencil.

So for each new piece because the first one we now have finished two fittings, even for the trousers. The standard of the making has at all times been glorious. The 2 fittings had been at all times obligatory as a result of I had modified my weight between ordering and becoming. 

Generally Mr Hartl appears to favor a barely shorter coat and narrower lapels, if the client doesn’t ask for one thing else.

The primary English bespoke swimsuit I ordered since 2003 was made by James Whitfield in Berlin (above). He got here to Berlin in 2012. He was employed by a German store referred to as Purwin & Radczun. They couldn’t discover a cutter that met their expectations in Germany so that they employed James.

I noticed the fits he made there and I at all times appreciated the concept of a real Savile Row tailor working in Berlin. I by no means acquired to strive James till he began his personal enterprise after leaving Purwin & Radczun.

James makes a swimsuit with an extended coat, pronounced shoulders and a excessive waist. As he can’t depend on outworkers like his colleagues in London, he has skilled a tailor who works for him fulltime. 

I had discovered a chunk of jacketing within the Scabal warehouse and requested James to make a sportcoat for me. The size was a bit quick as a result of I had shared it with a buddy however James managed to chop the jacket from it.

James did two fittings and the ensuing jacket was superb. When the jacket was made I used to be very skinny; once I put the load on once more later James needed to let the jacket out on the aspect seams to the max. The inlay was smaller than regular as a result of the unique size of fabric was a bit quick.

I realized from that have that I’d slightly order material from a tailor. It’s a danger to purchase reduce lengths except you recognize precisely how a lot is required. Tailors normally need extra of a patterned fabric, for instance, so do take care to purchase sufficient.

I’ve stopped ordering at trunk reveals of visiting tailors. It’s normally too difficult and time-consuming to satisfy for the fittings. Pitti Uomo is a well-liked assembly place for fittings however I discover it’s aggravating for each side. Normally the fittings happen in a rush, generally the tailors can’t focus absolutely or they lose the notes they take. 

Within the final seven years I’ve tried a few promising younger tailors from Center Europe, together with Tim Fain from Kiev (above) and Dawid Kukliński from Gdansk. Tim used to return to Berlin often earlier than the conflict in Ukraine began and he made two superb fits for me. 

Dawid visits Berlin and Leipzig often. He has made a sports activities jacket for me from linen by Maison Hellard and a swimsuit manufactured from gray covert material by Holland & Sherry. Exterior Kathrin Emmer I’ve additionally tried different German tailors, for instance Detlev Diehm and Markus Schnurr (under, first and second respectively).

I met each Detlev and Markus a very long time in the past once I had had fits made by Tobias Tailors. Detlev was then the artistic director and designer of the Bavarian maker of handmade fits Regent, typically referred to as the ‘German Brioni’. He skilled as a tailor initially earlier than he studied design. He went again to his roots a few years in the past.

Markus skilled as a dressing up tailor, which isn’t unusual in Germany. He labored for Dietl in Munich, essentially the most famend post-war tailor in Germany, after which began his personal enterprise in provincial southern Germany, the place he affords superb handwork and slicing.

Among the many southern European tailors, I’ve tried Joaquín Fernández Prats (above). I met him at Pitti Uomo. He was nonetheless working for the shirtmaker Mariano Langa in Madrid and his boss invited me to Madrid. I used to be enchanted by the ambiance of the old style store and I acquired measured by Joaquín. I got here again to Madrid for fittings twice. 

Joaquín cuts a really distinctive Spanish fashion, with a collar and lapel form which is extra French than Italian. I’ve at all times admired the fashion of stylish Spanish gentleman and the fits made by tailors from their nation, so I used to be to do this.

On the first becoming the swimsuit nonetheless confirmed traces of my fashion however on the second becoming extra of Langa’s and Joaquín’s home fashion emerged. The completed swimsuit was 100% Spanish, except for the trousers. They had been reduce very broad within the leg with ahead pleats, however even then that they had a Spanish accent as a result of I adopted Joaquín’s ideas of a large waistband and belt that fastens on the aspect.

The one longer-lasting relationship I’ve had with a tailor sprung from an opportunity encounter. I met Massimo Pasinato in Milan at an occasion within the VBC showroom in 2018. Francesco Barberis Canonico made the introduction and the subsequent morning Massimo took my measurements for a three-piece swimsuit. I had chosen a medium weight dark-grey high-twist material from VBC.

We met for 2 fittings in Germany. The primary was nicely reduce and I didn’t detect something to enhance at first sight. Massimo then took off the collar and unpicked the shoulder seam. He lifted the left entrance half just a bit bit with a view to smoothen out the entrance.

The second befell a few weeks later. I don’t bear in mind the way it went, in all probability as a result of every little thing was superb. The usual of workmanship was glorious. I wore that swimsuit at Pitti on the cocktail hosted by VBC at Liverano’s store. Once I bumped into Anda Rowland she complimented me on the swimsuit. Even when I detected a level of well mannered flattery the response felt sincere.

I wished to order extra from Massimo and despatched him one other swimsuit size however Covid stopped all progress. We met a few instances after the pandemic however he by no means discovered the time to take new measurements. 

Lastly, it occurred in September 2025 in Vienna after we met at a trunkshow. We did the primary becoming in Milano a month later.

The material is a light-grey Prince of Wales with a crimson overcheck from Draper’s. Massimo someway managed to provide the swimsuit an English air. We had agreed on slanted pockets with flaps and a ticket pocket, trousers with ahead pleats and side-adjusters and buttons for braces. 

Scripting this piece and its predecessor has introduced again many recollections of bespoke and induced me to consider the errors I’ve made. The world was very completely different once I ordered my first fits as a result of there have been no good telephones, no social media, no Instagram.

The web has taken away quite a lot of the magic of bespoke, but it surely provides the novice quite a lot of info. Sadly, info can’t change information or expertise. So all people simply has to order his first swimsuit from a tailor, make proper or fallacious choices after which study from the outcomes. 

Ideally, the tailor can be expert and skilled and based mostly not too far-off. This can assist with correcting the errors. The client must also know precisely what he desires however go away the tailor sufficient freedom. In any other case he would possibly choke the keenness.

All the time bear in mind, a tailor just isn’t a magician. Don’t count on an excessive amount of; there isn’t any excellent swimsuit. Communication is an important: discover out what you need and let the tailor understand it. It’s your swimsuit so you could prefer it and really feel good sporting it. Lastly, if you happen to discover a tailor who makes this swimsuit, follow him!

Which tailor would I take advantage of as we speak? Nicely, the tailors above are all ones I’d use once more as a result of I used to be pleased with the consequence. However what number of instances will we like a meal in restaurant and but by no means return?

The tailors that I’ve been most pleased with judging by the variety of repeat orders are Zdenek Hartl from Prague, Kathrin Emmer from Potsdam, Massimo Pasinato from Vicenza and Dawid Kukliński (under) from Gdansk.

Mr Hartl affords one of the best worth for cash, this is a crucial issue. However he’s additionally extraordinarily expert and I like his fashion. And he’s a really good individual regardless that verbal change is restricted.

Kathrin Emmer is closest to my residence of all, it is solely a few 90 minutes drive to see her. She is the one that offers the smallest quantity of enter concerning fashion however she is extraordinarily versed at slicing and she will exacly replicate the fits she makes.

Massimo Pasinato has lately reached one other degree in his slicing, at the least in my commentary. His handwork was at all times glorious, however he appears extra mature and relaxed now. He’s very dependable and constant which I discover essential.

Dawid Kukliński makes a really good swimsuit, very center European within the sense of a quiet and subdued class. He admires Savile Row fashion greater than most youthful tailors from Center Europe however he would not attempt to copy it. His costs are engaging and he involves Berlin regularly.

If I had to decide on certainly one of them as my solely tailor it might in all probability be Mr Hartl.

Half 1 of Bernhard’s journey, speaking about utilizing an English and German bespoke tailor within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties, could be discovered right here. For extra on Bernhard’s writing, particularly on outlets and tailors to go to in central Europe, see his writing extra usually right here.