Hello everyone! In this article, I’ll be reviewing my recent outfit tailored by Perfect Attire.
Based in the heart of CBD, Perfect Attire is perhaps best known for offering well-crafted, value-for-money tailored clothing. Due to their location, most of their orders used to be for work. In fact, I previously tailored a grey Drago “work” suit with them – I chronicled my experience here, as well as the fit and workmanship of the resulting suit here.
Update: I’m pleased to offer curated tailoring packages from Perfect Attire on The Shiok Shop. If you’re looking for bang-for-buck deals, do check out the webstore.
When P2HA ended and dining-in was once again permitted, I approached Perfect Attire to commission a new outfit. I had already done a casual ensemble with Meiko Tailor, but I also wanted something more formal and sophisticated that I could wear to dates, or evenings out drinking cocktails at bars (Long Bar is currently running a one-for-one promotion on its Singapore Slings).
Initially, I wanted to do a three-piece suit. However, Tulsi disagreed as she felt that a three-piece suit would be too formal for my needs. Instead, she suggested commissioning a contrasting vest+trousers combination first, with the option of adding a matching suit jacket later on if necessary.
We selected a grey fabric for the vest, which contrasted beautifully with a pair of navy blue pants. Navy and grey are the two most common colours in tailored menswear, but I’ve never mixed both palettes until now. Combined, there’s a sharp juxtaposition that’s eminently striking. As the icing on the cake, a crisp white shirt anchors the entire look.
When donning a vest, there’s a chance that one would end up looking like a waiter, and that’s the last thing anyone wants. To add some stylistic flair, Tulsi and I decided upon a Peaky Blinders-esque double-breasted vest, a spread collar for the shirt, and cuffed pants with buttoned side adjusters for a rakish touch. It’s an ensemble that befits the owner of a restaurant, not a part-time server.
For further visual intrigue, the fabric chosen for the vest features subtle blue checks that are only evident upon closer inspection. I love it – it adds a dose of refinement to the outfit. In addition, Perfect Attire’s trademark hand-stitched corners are visible in the picture above, serving as evidence of the handcrafted nature of its garments.
Adorning the vest are natural horn buttons, which complements the retro-modern look of the outfit perfectly. One can also see that the buttons are shanked by hand for greater durability.
With the front of the outfit looking formal and sophisticated, I wanted to inject some fun by having a brightly coloured fabric lining for the back of the vest. Tulsi suggested a purple paisley print, which I felt gave an interesting bohemian character to the garment.
The raison d’etre of tailoring is personalisation, and as such I opted to have my initials embroidered on the left cuff of the dress shirt. Bespoke tailoring is all about making the clothing your own, and having embroidered initials is a subtle way of making your mark on the garments that you wear.
In my usual tailoring reviews, I tend to focus on the fit of the garments. Don’t get me wrong, the fit is important. But as I’ve already reviewed the fit of my previous Perfect Attire outfit, I decided to instead focus on the style of the attire (no pun intended) in this article. Nevertheless, I have to say that I’m pleased by the fit of this latest ensemble – everything drapes nicely, as seen in the photo above. The vest is long enough so that the waistband isn’t exposed, while the cuffed pants are perfect in length, just brushing the tip of my dress shoes ever so slightly. The same goes for the shirt, which is specifically cut to accentuate my shoulders and torso, making me look more muscular than I actually am. Overall, it’s very clean tailoring that complements my natural body shape.
There’s an assumption that tailored clothing is meant either for work or wedding, functional rather than fun. Personally, I don’t think that’s true – why can’t one wear tailored clothing simply to look good? Our personal confidence stems a lot from our appearance, and nothing boosts one’s self-esteem (for me anyway) like sharply tailored outfits do. When an attire is done right like here, the result is magical.
Conclusion – so Perfect Attire “shiok” or not?
Overall, I absolutely love this outfit by Perfect Attire. In my previous tailoring reviews, I used to think that the clothing, not me, was the star of the show – that’s why I rarely showed my face in the articles. However, I’ve come to realise that the most important aspect of tailoring is how it makes the wearer feel. I’ve done multiple tailored ensembles before, but this in particular attracted the most compliments. Without a doubt, this is one of my current favourites in the wardrobe. I’m still debating on whether to do a matching navy suit jacket, just so I have the option to turn this into a three-piece suit if necessary – if I do, I’ll update this article.
Just for Wah So Shiok readers, Perfect Attire has kindly extended a 10% discount on any shirt, trousers and waistcoat purchase from its Elite collection. The Elite collection comprises cotton, linen, as well as wool blends, so there’s a great variety of fabrics available. After the discount, tailored shirts, trousers and vests would start at just $162 each. Simply quote “WAHSOSHIOK” while making the online appointment, or flash this post if you’re a walk-in.
If you’re planning to tailor a suit, you still can use the existing “WAHSOSHIOK” promotion to enjoy a free shirt with every suit purchase. Readers are entitled to a complimentary house fabric shirt with a purchase of a 2-piece suit. In other words, quoting “WAHSOSHIOK” nets you a promotion on virtually all purchases, so be sure to make use of it to stretch your dollar!
Curated package deals from Perfect Attire can be found here. In particular, I recommend the $950 Full Canvassed Drago Suit + Shirt package, and the $720 Back to Work package.
Interested customers are recommended to book an appointment online here prior to dropping by.
Location:
Oxley Tower Unit 03-38, 138 Robinson Road, Singapore 068906.
Photography – TLGraphy
Longtime readers might notice that the photography in this article is substantially different in style from my previous tailoring reviews – that’s because I’ve tied up with wedding photographer TLGraphy for this shoot. With many readers commissioning tailored suits for their weddings, I sometimes get the question: “Do you know of any wedding photographers that you would recommend?” To me, that would be TLGraphy, which currently has a perfect 5-star rating on Google. I think the photos in this article turned out terrifically, and if TLGraphy can make me look good, they can definitely make you and your fiance shine as well.
Readers can enjoy a 5% discount on actual day wedding shoots with TLGraphy. After the discount, a 10-hour wedding shoot would cost roughly $1500, which is well under the market rate of $2000-4000. Like Perfect Attire, I find TLGraphy to be a great value proposition, and would wholeheartedly recommend them.
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.S.S.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.
