Bespoke tailoring in Zollikofen near Bern – CICIPEEL® - Journal

The bespoke suit: for business, weddings and leisure

2024-08-28T00:00:00+00:00

A suit that fits hardly draws attention – and that is precisely the point. If you don’t have to worry about sleeve length or straining buttons, you can concentrate on the meeting, the celebration or your day off. That is what the bespoke suit from CICIPEEL® is about.</p>

The occasion comes first</h2>
Before we talk about fabrics, we talk about the occasion.</p>
Business.</strong> A suit for everyday working life is worn often and has to stand up to a lot: sitting, travelling, long days. What counts here is a hard-wearing cloth and a cut that allows you to move.</p>
Wedding.</strong> For your own big day, or as a guest, the suit may be more festive – in cloth, colour and details. Because the date is fixed, we plan the making of the suit around it from the very beginning.</p>
Leisure.</strong> A suit does not have to be formal. Lighter cloths, softer shoulders, a jacket that can also be worn with a shirt and no tie, or with knitwear: that, too, is made to measure.</p>
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From the collection: double-breasted velvet jacket with bow tie – an example for a festive occasion.</figcaption> </figure>
Classics, reimagined</h2>
The double-breasted suit is a classic of menswear. We like to combine traditional cuts with modern cloths and favour clean lines: little ornament, and a clean silhouette instead. The result is a suit that works at the office just as well as at a private occasion.</p>
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From the collection: brown double-breasted suit with band-collar shirt.</figcaption> </figure>
Measuring at 21 points</h2>
For the bespoke suit, we work with a 21-point measuring system. It helps to fit the suit to your body and your posture rather than to a standard size. The fitting adds the finishing touches: that is where the suit is adjusted until it fits.</p>
Bring your own ideas</h2>
You have a clear idea but cannot find the right suit anywhere? Then bring your idea along – a sketch, a photo, a detail you like. Barbara Pluskat, the designer behind CICIPEEL®, will develop a design with you that suits you and the occasion.</p>
How the making of the suit proceeds, step by step, is described in From the first conversation to the finished piece</a>.</p>

From the first conversation to the finished piece

2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

A made-to-measure piece is not created in an afternoon. It comes about in several steps, and each of them has its reason. This is how we work in the CICIPEEL® atelier in Zollikofen near Bern.</p>
1. The conversation</h2>
It all begins with a thorough conversation. What is the piece for – for work, for a wedding, for every day? What do you like to wear, and what would you never wear? Is there a model, a photo or an old favourite you would like to take as a starting point? The clearer the picture at the beginning, the less needs correcting later.</p>
Feel free to bring along what you have: a garment that fits well, or one you would like to have reworked.</p>
2. The fabric</h2>
Which fabric is right depends on the occasion and the season. A suit for everyday working life has to meet different demands from a summer dress or a winter coat. That is why choosing the fabric is part of the consultation: weight, drape and handle all help decide how a piece will wear later on.</p>
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In the atelier: the fabric is cut to the pattern.</figcaption> </figure>
3. Taking measurements</h2>
Then come the measurements. For the bespoke suit, we use a 21-point measuring system. After all, a jacket should not only look good while you stand in front of the mirror, but also when you sit down or reach for something.</p>
4. Pattern and cutting</h2>
The measurements are used to draft the pattern, to which the fabric is then cut. With a restyle, it is the other way round: the piece already exists, and we consider how it can be brought back into shape.</p>
5. Fitting and finishing</h2>
The fitting reveals what cannot be seen on paper. This is where the piece is adjusted until it fits. How many fittings are needed and how long the making takes depends on the piece. We discuss both at the first conversation, so that you know where you stand – especially if the piece has to be ready for a fixed date.</p>
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Finally: label, ribbon and buttons.</figcaption> </figure>
All the steps at a glance are on the page How your piece is made</a>. Why the effort can be worthwhile is explained in the article Why made-to-measure clothing?</a></p>

Why made-to-measure clothing?

2023-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

Off-the-peg clothing is made for an average. That works surprisingly often – and then again it doesn’t: the sleeves are too long, the shoulders too wide, the waistband fits but the hips don’t. A made-to-measure piece takes the opposite route. It starts with you, not with a size chart.</p>
Fit starts with the body, not with the size</h2>
At CICIPEEL®, every piece is made or altered to your measurements. For the bespoke suit, we work with a 21-point measuring system. More measurements alone do not make a good garment – but they make it possible to respond to things a standard size knows nothing about: a shoulder that sits slightly lower, an upright or slightly forward-leaning posture, arms of different lengths.</p>
The aim is easy to describe: a piece that fits without you having to think about it. No tugging at the hem, no pulling across the button.</p>
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Details such as buttons, belt and buckle are decided together in conversation.</figcaption> </figure>
You have a say: fabric, cut, details</h2>
With a made-to-measure piece, you are not choosing from whatever happens to be hanging in the shop. We discuss fabric, cut and details together – with an eye to what you will wear the piece for: at the office, at a celebration or every day. The result is clothing that suits your style, rather than you adapting to a cut.</p>
Restyle: something new from what you already own</h2>
Not every good piece has to be made from scratch. Often there is a blazer, a coat or a dress in the wardrobe that you like but no longer wear – because the shape is no longer right, or because it never quite fitted. CICIPEEL® stands for restyle, for women and for men: favourite pieces you already own are reworked in the atelier and brought back into shape. What is possible depends on the piece; that is best decided once we have it in front of us.</p>
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From the collection: camel blouse with light pleated trousers.</figcaption> </figure>
Fewer pieces, but ones that fit</h2>
A made-to-measure piece takes more time than a shopping trip. It is worthwhile above all for clothes you wear often, or that need to be exactly right for a special occasion. Our view: better to have fewer pieces in the wardrobe that really fit and that you enjoy wearing.</p>
How a made-to-measure piece comes about with us, step by step, is described in the article From the first conversation to the finished piece</a>. Everything about the men’s suit is in The bespoke suit</a>.</p>

Bespoke tailoring in Zollikofen near Bern – CICIPEEL® - Journal

The bespoke suit: for business, weddings and leisure

Measuring at 21 points</h2> For the bespoke suit, we work with a 21-point measuring system. It helps to fit the suit to your body and your posture rather than to a standard size. The fitting adds the finishing touches: that is where the suit is adjusted until it fits.</p>

From the first conversation to the finished piece

3. Taking measurements</h2> Then come the measurements. For the bespoke suit, we use a 21-point measuring system. After all, a jacket should not only look good while you stand in front of the mirror, but also when you sit down or reach for something.</p>

4. Pattern and cutting</h2> The measurements are used to draft the pattern, to which the fabric is then cut. With a restyle, it is the other way round: the piece already exists, and we consider how it can be brought back into shape.</p>

Why made-to-measure clothing?

Measuring at 21 points</h2>
For the bespoke suit, we work with a 21-point measuring system. It helps to fit the suit to your body and your posture rather than to a standard size. The fitting adds the finishing touches: that is where the suit is adjusted until it fits.</p>

3. Taking measurements</h2>
Then come the measurements. For the bespoke suit, we use a 21-point measuring system. After all, a jacket should not only look good while you stand in front of the mirror, but also when you sit down or reach for something.</p>

4. Pattern and cutting</h2>
The measurements are used to draft the pattern, to which the fabric is then cut. With a restyle, it is the other way round: the piece already exists, and we consider how it can be brought back into shape.</p>