I have briefly touched upon my groom and his tininess. A petite little fellow, my man is five foot four and very slim indeed! He very much lives up to his Italian heritage and is actually the tallest in his family!
But the downside is that we live in England, not Italy, and dress sizes here are not favourable to men of his stature.
We went off to look at suits for him the other day at a very very beautiful shop in Brighton called Gresham Blake—a place which has created suits for various celebrities, such as Eddie Izzard, Ray Winstone, Matt Lucas, Plan B, Christian Slater, Richard E Grant, and Tom Felton, to name but a few!
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Image via Gresham Blake Ltd on Facebook
An expensive shop, but we had to go here for a specific reason—Jack has to have a bespoke suit. We tried on the off-the-peg suits, but none of them fit. Even if he had the sleeves shortened to fit, it would still be too long, and he couldn’t be wearing clothes that didn’t fit him on his wedding day.
Years ago we used to laugh that his suit would cost more than my dress, and the reality is looking very close. Bespoke suits are rare outside Savile Row, and Gresham Blake was the only place in our area that we knew would make a fully custom suite from scratch.
The store is just wonderful. Situated on a corner in Brighton’s North Laine district, it is the display window that catches most eyes.
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Image via Gresham Blake blog
I don’t have a clue about suits, so it was quite fascinating going in. Straight away the girl who helped us noticed that Jack’s petite frame would need something different to the standard suits they had downstairs. We were taken upstairs to a lovely room so he could look at fabrics and try on a few jackets to determine what sort of style he’d go for.
We quickly found out that darker colours were more favourable and he preferred a small pattern. Nothing that could be noticeably seen from far away, but enough detail to make it interesting. The real “bespoke” bit for him would be in the little details. He has his heart set on a storm collar and really fancies a bright coloured lining, such as bright orange or lime green.
I’m really looking forward to him getting his suit made. After all, this won’t just be a suit he’ll wear to our wedding—he’ll get to wear it all the time! I’m a little jealous if I’m honest…I wish I could wear my dress to meetings, parties, and other weddings! Men have it so easy sometimes!
I joke with one of my (married) girlfriends that we’ll have to have a night (or several) where we put on our dresses, drink wine, and watch movies. You know, just to get some more use out of them. 
I hope Jack enjoys his suit process!
Yes, they are lucky and what a better reason ro get a suit than for your wedding, and it’s actually nice he gets the custom made route, it sounds like a fun process.
@kbiceling: OMG that is the best idea ever!!
My FH used the occasion to splurge on a Hugo Boss suit, which seems to be the designer that looks best on his body type. The smile on his face when he showed it off to me was the cutest thing ever haha! I think it’s awesome they get to wear them again, it at least justifies the price a little more.
What, you mean it’s not normal to put on your dress sometimes after the wedding and proceed as if everything is normal? Liz Lemon lied to me…
I actually kind of wish my husband had gone the bespoke route since he’d have a really well-fitted suit for work and special occasions. Can’t wait to see how your fiance’s turns out!
It is so cool that your fiancé is having his suit made! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
That’s annoying to not be able to buy a “standard” suit for less money, but super cool to have one tailor-made to him, that he will be able to wear for other events! I can’t wait to see how it comes out!
PS. I love reading your posts because I love they way you “talk” and the different phrases you use, like “off-the-peg” tee hee!
@kbiceling: Oooh like in Friends! i LOVE that episode!
@KBCPurdue: i do think he’ll be just as excited as I was when I got my dress!
@anemonie: it’s a good way of justifying it. And a great way to stay in shape as you’re not going to want to not fit into it again! haha
@Blonde17Jess: teehee, he struggles when buying ALL clothes so it wasn’t really a surprise! HA! i love comments like that so much. I really have no idea that I’m saying ‘strange things’ so it brightens my day when someone points them out!
We had a bespoke suit made for mr archer as well, as he’s 5’7 and slim. It was actually a bit of an ordeal, but he looked incredibly handsome day of.
Miss Jackrabbit, Brighton, UK Age and Occupation: 26, Office Manager Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Songwriter Engagement Date: October 5, 2012 Wedding Date: September 2013 Venue: Fabrica Gallery, Brighton About Me: I honestly thought I'd go all Monica Geller when I started planning our wedding, but in truth, things couldn't have gone much differently. I am working my way through this venture, figuring things out as I go, and adopting a 'Que Sera, Sera,' approach to making decisions. When I'm not organising the biggest day of my life, I can usually be found drinking a glass of wine, crafting up one thing or another, or stopping my cat from head-butting me in the face.
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