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Frequently Asked Questions
We have grouped the most frequently asked questions together in topics. To find the answer to any of these questions, just click on the question
If you have any other questions that are not answered here, please do not hesitate to contact us
Reasons for choosing Tamara Kanes bespoke tailoring service
Why should I buy personally-tailored garments rather than off-the-rack?
Why Tamara Kanes?
Bookings and logistics
Can we organise a group consultation?
My initial consultation and fitting
How long will my initial consultation take?
How long between my consultation and subsequent fitting?
Styles
What types of garments can I have made for me?
For what occasions can your suits, dresses and shirts be worn for?
What if I have no idea what style I should be getting?
I’ve seen a style I like elsewhere – can I have it copied?
Fabrics
What colours/patterns do you have?
Why are there different price levels?
Payment
Timing
When can I expect my personally-tailored garments to be ready?
I really need my order to arrive sooner, what can I do?
How will I receive my final order?
Terms and conditions
Can I cancel my order and request a refund?
Can I get further work done on my garments after the final delivery?
Reasons for choosing Tamara Kanes bespoke tailoring service
Why should I buy a personally-tailored suit or shirt rather than off-the-rack?
In brief, personal tailoring ensures every element of the suit is tailored to your requirements (whilst off-the-rack is catering to the ‘average woman’ – we believe there is no such thing). The dimensions will fit the contours of your body, whatever your body shape. The styles, fabrics and every last detail will be of your choosing. No-one else will have the same suit or shirt as you. Your suit will be individually handmade by master tailors who have extensive experience in women’s tailoring and are focused on detail, quality of product and craftsmanship. And finally, your consultation and fitting appointments will be to your convenience
Why Tamara Kanes?
We were founded by women, for women, not as a sideline to a men’s range – meaning every last detail of what we do is designed with you in mind. Our female tailoring consultants are all qualified tailors and trained in image advice to provide a personal touch and individual advice on every aspect of designing your wardrobe and helping you choose from the huge selection of fabrics and colours that we offer. We also understand the need for convenience, which is why we come to you rather than expect you to come to is. Our tailors are highly skilled craftsmen and craftswomen who have extensive experience in women’s bespoke tailoring, truly understanding women’s tailoring needs
Bookings and logistics
How far away can I be based?
For individual consultations, currently you must have a home or office location we can visit within Zones 1-6 in London. For any location in Zone 1-4, we come to you free of charge. For Zone 5 and 6 we charge a £10 surcharge to cover the extra travel costs. For group consultations or office bookings, we can travel further afield to your homes or offices, so please contact us for further information
Can we organise a group consultation? I have a group of interested friends / colleagues or I belong to my company’s womens’ group, and we would like to arrange a group event. What do I need to do?
Often it’s more fun and easier if you have friends or colleagues helping you choose your favourite fabric or style. We can conduct consultations for any group size. Just contact us and we’ll work with you to set it up at your convenience
I’m an employer and would like to offer my employees personally tailored suits as their uniform. Is this possible?
Yes it is. Contact us and we will help you select the fabrics and styles, organise a consultation day, and discuss our special corporate pricing, to give your employees the most professional of appearances
My initial consultation and fitting
How long will my initial consultation take?
Approximately 1 hour. We find the largest proportion of time is taken up with selecting your fabrics and styles, and so this can be flexible depending how time-pressured you are
What do I need to wear?
We will send you full instructions after you’ve scheduled your appointment, but we ask that you wear a slightly fitted top, trousers that you like the fit of, a bra that you would normally wear to work and bring shoes with the height of heel you prefer. Please don’t wear jeans or skirts. Even if you want a skirt suit, please wear work trousers as this makes taking measurements much easier. If you have a particular skirt that you like, please bring this along as well
How long between my consultation and fitting?
It takes approximately 4-6 weeks for the basic construction of your garments. During this time, the cloth is cut to your exact measurements, stitched to your chosen style and customised in whatever way you requested. As soon as this is completed, we will contact you to begin your fittings
Styles
What types of garments can I have made for me?
We offer 2 and 3 piece suits, shirts and dresses as our standard garments. However, if there is something that you are after specifically, we are happy to work with you to design your garment just as you want it.
For what occasions can your suits, dresses and shirts be worn for?
Our designs and fabrics have been selected so that they are suitable for formal occasions. These include work and business occasions, such as interviews, weddings, other social occasions and any other event where you want to look and feel your best and very smart.
What if I have no idea what style I should be getting?
Don’t worry. Your tailoring consultant will discuss with you the style that would best suit your body shape, colouring, profession and existing wardrobe.
I’ve seen a style I like elsewhere – can I have it copied?
Yes you can! Please bring a picture to your initial consultation, or make arrangements with your tailoring consultant to e-mail it directly to us. We are very flexible in our designs and out tailors can alter these as appropriate
Fabrics
What are the fabrics made of?
The suit fabrics are wools, cashmere, and blends of the two, as well as a collection of tweeds and linen. Our range of coloured suit linings are a beautiful silk blend. For shirt fabrics, we have a variety of cottons in different weights, textures and colours. There are more detailed fabric descriptions available with the fabric sample books
What colours/patterns do you have?
A huge selection for every fabric. It’s hard to do justice in words but for suits we have traditional shades of black, charcoal, navy, brown and grey in both solids and pinstripes to something different like olive, sage or slate. Shirt fabrics range from solids in every colour you can imagine - pink, lavender, blue and white, to herringbone and muted patterns, to bright stripes
Where are they sourced from?
Our fabrics come from mills around the world – England, Italy, North Africa and Asia
Payment
When is payment due?
Similar to any purchase, we ask for 100% payment upfront at your initial consultation and once you have decided on your order. Your tailoring consultant will calculate your total due and leave you with a receipt after payment
How can I pay?
You can pay at the time of your initial consultation using either cash or cheque, made out to Tamara Kanes. Alternatively, you can pay by bank transfer. Your order will not be processed by the tailors until the balance has reached our bank account
Timing
When can I expect my personally-tailored garments to be ready?
Obviously every order varies according to order size and complexity of the requirements, but you can expect your first fitting to be around 4-6 weeks after your initial consultation. We will work with you to arrange your fittings as soon as possible after your garment construction is complete
How many fittings will I have?
Typically, a client has 2-3 fittings to ensure that the garments are fitting just as they should be. Once a garment is actually on the client, they often request small changes to make it just right. We want to ensure that you are happy with the garment so offer as many fittings as necessary.
I really need my order to arrive sooner, what can I do?
We do offer a rush service for an additional fee. You can discuss details of this with your tailoring consultant at your initial consultation
How will I receive my final order?
At your final fitting session you will provide us with a delivery address, and your order will arrive as soon as any final tweaks have been done, , beautifully packaged, with a complimentary suit carrier. If there are no final tweaks necessary, we will leave the suit with you at the fitting session
Terms and conditions
Can I cancel my order and request a refund?
As each order is personally tailored, it is not possible to cancel your order after it has been placed. Our tailors begin working on your order as soon as it is placed, and therefore we cannot offer a refund
Can I change my order?
In most cases, it is not possible to change your order after it has been placed as production would most likely already begun. Please do get in touch as soon as possible and we will see if it is still possible to change, but we cannot guarantee this. The sooner after ordering that you inform us, the greater the likelihood that we will be able to change your order.
Can I return my order and receive a refund if I have changed my mind about the garments after they have been delivered to me?
As each order is personally tailored, we are unable to resell your order to any other customer, and as such we cannot accept returns
Can I get further work done on my garments after the final delivery?
Our service includes all necessary adjustments which will be made in between your fitting and the final delivery. Should you choose to make further adjustments after you have received your final order, these will be your responsibility. We do however offer a very competitively-priced alterations service just for our clients.