Review: Belvest Made-to-Measure Suit

A few weeks ago, I was invited to Piazzola sul Brenta, in the province of Padua, to the Belvest HQ to try out the Veneto brand’s made-to-measure services. From the range, I chose a cashmere Prince of Wales check on a dark background, ideal for eveningwear. Although the carded nature of the fabric might lead you to believe it is destined for less formal occasions, I decided to transform it into a classic six-button double-breasted suit with the traditional double darts on the trousers and a turn-up of 5 cm. 

The Belvest made-to-measure service offers the customer the chance to personalise the suit, with the starting point being a pre-established pattern which varies depending on the formality/structure of the jacket: from the CEO model – whose formality lies in the canvas layered shoulder pads – to the Jacketinthebox – sportily free of any internal structure – the client can select from a wide range of models to fit his tastes and needs. Once the main composition of the suit has been chosen, the client can personalise it with a choice of pockets, trouser darts and turn-ups.

For my suit, I opted for the base model of the CEO, with a light shoulder pad, but relative stiffness on the frontal part. A few days after my measurements were taken, a further fitting session helped ensure widths and lengths were in order, and any eventual defects were ironed out, so to speak, before the suit was completed. The jacket I tried on in the fitting session already had the pockets cut, the buttonholes had yet to be cut and embroidered, and the lining was missing. The cut of the back was very clean, leading to a perfect neckline, which never descended into the hellish ranks of those horizontal folds that can form under the collar when a jacket is too structured. There was, truth be told, one defect – a common recurrence for those with my body shape – which I found, even in the jacket made by a specialist such as Belvest: the lapel rode on my chest, due to the width of my shoulders. To counteract this, the tape which supports the curve of the collar from within was reinforced : this operation pushes the collar down, thereby eliminating that movement on my chest.

Moving on to the trousers: they had an excellent cut, both at the waistline and on the rear, with traditional closed darts and American style pockets that perfectly followed my hip line without curving. The central crease did not break up at the knee, partly because a rather wide leg was selected, as well as a leg hem circumference of 22cm, both factors which help to disguise any eventual asymmetries of the wearer.

All in all, I would say that the suit passed the test with flying colours, with much of the credit going to the immaculate buttoning on the front and the perfect drop of the trousers, which left no room for unsightly bunching, number one on the list of phobias for sartorial purists. The starting price of the Belvest made-to-measure suit is €2,800, there is one fitting session and the suit is completed within 20 days of the fabric being selected. For further information, I invite you to contact the tailors directly, at belvest@belvest.com. 

Bespoke hugs,
Fabio