We’ll sit down with you and discuss what you’d like from your new suit or jacket - what aesthetic you’re looking for, how and when you’ll wear it and any specific details you’d like to bring to life. Our team will work with you to craft the style of your garment and help you select a fabric from the thousands we have on offer from the world’s finest mills. 

We’ll take detailed measurements across over thirty key dimensions, both on-body and using fit garments to simulate cut, style and drape. Once measurements are confirmed, your commission will be sketched and we’ll take a few fitting photos for our sartorial cutter to reference. Once the cloth arrives, the process begins with striking - drawing the pattern onto the fabric by hand, using your measurements and figuration as a guide. There isn’t any computer-aided drafting; just a steady hand, chalk, shears, and years of experience. Each line marks a decision: about how the cloth will fall, how it will sit on your shoulder, how it will move when you do. Once marked, the cloth is carefully cut and loosely assembled with canvas and thread.

At the this fitting, you’ll try on what’s known as a basted garment; the cloth loosely stitched together with white thread, the shape still in progress. It’s not polished, and it’s not meant to be. This stage is about structure and balance: how a coat sits on the neck, whether the pitch of a sleeve feels natural, how the trousers might fall. You’ll stand, walk, sit - and we’ll make notes on what needs adjusting. It’s an essential stage in getting the fundamentals right before anything is finished.

By the second fitting, the suit will look much closer to finished — pockets in place, linings set, shape more defined. This stage is still about refinement: we’ll check how the cloth has settled, whether any small adjustments are needed to the length, the waist, the sleeve. Sometimes the smallest tweak - a quarter inch here, a slight shift there - can make all the difference. With those adjustments in hand, the garment goes back to our tailoring workroom.

The suit is now fully shaped, pressed, and in its near-final form - but a few key elements, like buttonholes and finishing work, are still to come. This fitting gives us one last opportunity to review everything in full: the line of the jacket, the length of the trousers, the balance from every angle. Any final adjustments are made now, before the finishing touches are added by hand. It’s a quiet but important step, ensuring that when the suit is finally complete, it feels right down to every detail.

Your tailored garment is finished and packed in a J. Mueser garment bag. Many of our local clients choose to swing by one final time to make sure everything is perfect. If you are located outside of New York City, or simply have a busy schedule, we are more than happy to courier or ship your new piece to you. 

Every J. Mueser garment is the beginning of a relationship between us and you, the wearer. We are here to support your garment throughout its lifetime - if you ever need alterations, repairs or advice, please get in touch so that our team can assist. Your paper pattern will be kept on file at our workshop, ready for your next Waverly commission.