Hello everyone – welcome back to another of my reviews. In today’s article, I’ll be reviewing my latest suit from local tailor Ehkay Corner Tailors.
I’ve previously commissioned a tuxedo from Ehkay Corner, and wrote about my experience tailoring with Dinesh here. I’ve also reviewed a three-piece suit with them here. However, that was two years ago, and with pandemic measures scaling back – finally, no more masks (except in public transport) – I decided it was time to do another suit.
Even though Ehkay Corner is considered an “older” tailor (they have been in operations since the 1980s) they have never been afraid to experiment with bolder styles – Dinesh himself was interviewed by Straits Times wearing a Liverpool-themed suit. Taking inspiration from that, I conveyed my desire to do a rakish, eye-catching suit this time around. With over 20 suits in my wardrobe already, I wanted something different.
After hearing my request, Dinesh promptly recommended a mixed-wool maroon Windowpane fabric from the Italian mill Medici. I’ve never made a windowpane suit before, so I heartily went along with the recommendation. I requested it to be done in the style of a 4 by 1 double-breasted suit – once again a style that I’ve yet to try. Go big or go home, right?
Update: I’m pleased to offer curated tailoring packages from Ehkay Corner Tailors on The Shiok Shop. If you’re looking for bang-for-buck deals, do check out the webstore.
Ehkay Corner Tailors – the Fit
Let’s briefly examine the fit.
The front of the suit fits well, with the jacket comfortably hugging my shoulders without any wrinkling. You can see the shoulders lying flat without any bunching. The jacket is of the right tightness as well – tight enough to look fitted (important for a double-breasted) but tapered enough to look modern and not baggy. In addition, the suit jacket is of the correct length, ending at the middle of my crotch/the middle of my palms. Lastly, there are none of the dreaded shoulder divots here – one of the cardinal sins of tailoring.
From the side, one can see that the sleeve pitch is good too, with minimal wrinkling at my arm’s natural resting position. I would say they are of the correct length too, coming up to just past my wristbone.
The fit of the back is also pretty decent, without much wrinkling save for the upper portion of my right back (left side in the photo above). As mentioned in my previous reviews, I have a severely concaved back, which usually results in bunching in the middle (where the arch of my spine/back is) if not properly accounted for by the tailor. I’m glad to see that was not an issue here.
Last but not least, the trousers drape well without excessive bunching at the bottom. Despite being a double-breasted suit, I didn’t want it to feel too stuffy or formal (thus the white tee pairing). As such, we decided to go for cuffs on the pants, which lends itself to loafers beautifully. However, the half-break length (as opposed to a Korean-esque no-break look) ensures that it still looks relatively dressy, therefore achieving the best of both worlds.
Ehkay Corner Tailors – the Suit
I’ve previously examined at length the workmanship of Ehkay Corner’s suits in my previous reviews (here and here). As such, I’ll mainly focus on this Medici suit’s unique details in this review.
Firstly, I actually grew to appreciate the windowpane patterning. I had the preconception that a windowpane suit would be loud and ostentatious, but found the end result here to be subtly restrained. The golden windowpane texture does pop, but not in an overtly striking manner. I also appreciated other details such as the wide peak lapel (perfect for a double-breasted), pic stitching on said lapels, an Italian-esque barchetta pocket, wooden buttons for a rakish look, as well as the red stitching on the lapel buttonhole. These are all details that separate this Medici suit from the previous suits I’ve gotten from Ehkay Corner, and I’m pleasantly surprised that Ehkay Corner was able to execute such details in a complementary manner. There’s even an integrated pocket square for added aplomb.
The sleeve buttonholes are functional – a detail otherwise known as surgeon’s cuffs – which is usually only seen in higher-end suits. The sleeve buttons are also wooden to complement those on the suit. However, I do wish that the cutting was cleaner as fraying threading can be seen around the buttonhole.
For the lining, we decided to go for one from the esteemed Huddersfield Flash lining collection. After pouring through the fabric book, we selected an orange tiger print lining that’s emblematic of the striking Flash collection (sharp-eyed readers might notice that the same lining was used for the abovementioned integrated pocket square). It’s undoubtedly flashy, but the orange colour theme complements the red Medici fabric nicely. For the same reason, Dinesh also elected to have my name monogrammed in orange – attention to detail indeed.
And to add more pizzazz, Dinesh also decided to change things up for the trousers. For one, there’s an extended waistband with two buttons for a more striking appearance. Secondly, we went with side adjusters for a cleaner look – belt loops would have destroyed the aesthetic of the double-button extended waistband. Lastly, we also elected to have pleats for a dapper touch. It’s certainly an atypical pair of trousers!
However, I did decide to pair it with a white tee to dress it down. Donning a double-breasted suit is usually a highly formal affair but I wanted to break the norms a little. Combined with the cuffed pants and loafers, I think the dressed-down look is great for a night out at the bar.
I also decided to leave the jacket unbuttoned at times. If you’re a traditional sartorialist, this is a fashion faux pas. For example, you will never see the newly minted King Charles wearing his trademark double-breasted unbuttoned. But I’m not a King, nor a stickler for tradition. Rules are meant to be broken anyway – I personally don’t see why the double-breasted can’t be worn unbuttoned. In fact, I was inspired by a look for HeSpokeStyle (around 10:00 in the video), where he too wore his double-breasted unbuttoned. I also particularly like how the natural curl of the lapels is emphasized (this is a canvassed suit after all) when the jacket is unbuttoned.
Conclusion – so Ehkay Corner Tailors “shiok” or not?
I would say Ehkay Corner Tailors outdid themselves with this Medici suit. The fit of the suit is great, though that’s no surprise considering how my previous suit from them fits well too – Dinesh has almost three decades of experience in the industry, and it shows. However, what I was really impressed by was the sheer amount of aesthetic details that were present on this suit. Both the suit jacket (pic stitching, integrated pocket square, Huddersfield Flash lining, wooden buttons, surgeon cuffs) and the trousers (double button extended waistband, side-adjusters, pleats, cuffed hem) all featured details that set them apart from your run-of-the-mill tailored suits. The maroon Medici fabric felt premium to the touch as well, though those with a preference for “brand name” might be more comfortable with more famous Italian alternatives such as Reda, VBC or even Piacenza. I was initially worried that an older tailor like Ehkay Corner might not be able to deliver a fashion-forward suit, but I’m happy to report that those worries were unfounded – this is definitely my favourite suit from them thus far.
For those interested in commissioning garments from Ehkay Corner Tailors, simply flash this post for a 10% discount. After the discount, a standard mixed-wool two-piece suit would start at $342, while this particular Medici suit would cost $1152. That’s a substantial difference, but the quality of the fabric is significantly better. Otherwise, other “branded” Italian fabrics such Reda/VBC/Piacenza are also in the same ballpark.
Curated package deals from Ehkay Corner can be found here. In particular, I recommend the $580 Three-piece Suit + Shirt package, as well as the $980 Tuxedo Suit package.
Book your appointment here.
Ehkay Corner Tailors’ location: 150 Orchard Rd, #01-57 Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841
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P.P.P.P.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
