Suits you, Sir

Last week, Heather went with Marceline to buy material and get measured for a couple of African outfits - so she can be a Proper African Lady, what with her hair and everything. We were due to pick them up on Saturday, and while anticipating this over the week, the subject of me getting a suit made came up.

I'd wondered if it would be possible to have a suit tailored while I was here, as I figured it would be cheaper than in England. I've always wanted to have a suit tailored, as I don't much like the tapered trousers that seem to come with every suit, regardless of style:

"would you like a 3-button single breasted black suit with standard tapered eighties style trousers sir? Or would you prefer a green double breasted suit with the same rubbish tapered eighties style trousers? We have them in Navy too!"

Ah the agony of choice.

So on Saturday, before going to the tailors, we went to the market to get me some cloth. I selected some black cloth and some cream cloth, with the aim of getting a dark and light suit made (that's two suits, not some Othello-esque sartorial abomination).

Apparently, you need about 3.25m² of material for a suit. Both materials were CFA3,000 a metre, so that's CFA19,500 for the two suits (except that at the time I worked it out incorrectly as CFA21,000 and Mr. Marketman was more than happy to accept my inflated calculation, so that's what we paid. If only I could add up...).

We then proceeded to the tailors, where Hev tried on her new outfits. One is an African print skirt and top, the other a pink and black trouser-outfit-thing (I'm not up on my women's clothing terminology, just as it should be.) Both fitted perfectly, and they look great. Photos up on Hev's blog by now, I'm sure.

Hev had told me that there was a poster full of suit styles to choose from in the tailors, ans so there were. Hev had also said that she hadn't looked too closely at them. Most of them, to be frank, were awful. Fortunately, there was one which was pretty much what I had in mind. So he measured me up, and I pick it up next Saturday: Simple. I'm only getting one done (black), and see how that goes. The Tailoring for one suit is CFA16,000. So the total for one suit is going to be CFA25,750, which is just less than ?30. that's not bad for a tailored suit, so I probably will get the cream one done as well. So if anyone wants to come and visit us and get a suit tailored? (Dad?, Mike?)

I have to admit I'm absurdly excited about getting the suit. It's partly that commisioning tailored clothes seems so extravagant (I could never afford to do so in England). Also, it's great to be able to choose the style you want. But mostly, I know that it's because I'm a short-arse who's clothes never quite fit, and now I can finally escape that oft-repeated mantra:

you'll grow into it...