Women's Tailoring

You might be surprised to learn that not all tailors make suits for women. The tailoring industry has traditionally been very male-centric. The plurality of women's body shapes and the differences in construction methods have been cited as a reason for tailors not wanting to make female suits, with the added complexity being off-putting for a lot of businesses. At King & Allen, we've been making suits for women for over a decade and have honed and developed our offering.  We asked our female staff what they loved most about working for a bespoke tailors and what their favourite piece of tailoring is.

CHLOE TEDFORD-JONES

Chloe joined King & Allen in 2021 and has become an invaluable member of our team, working as both a tailoring consultant and an alterations tailor at our Surbiton and Liverpool Street venues. 'I love working with the clients at King & Allen,' she says, 'helping them to feel confident, no matter their shape or size, in a garment that is entirely their own.' Her first suit with us was a berry three-piece suit in Holland & Sherry's Sherry Stretch range. 'As some one with a more awkward body shape, the first time I put the suit on was the first time I felt like a garment truly fit, and the confidence of wearing a brightly coloured suit is unparalleled.' She is a strong supporter of bespoke tailoring for women and the chance to 'step away from the patriarchal bounds of women's high street sizing - a woman's worth can not be summed up by a number on a hanger, and every woman deserves to feel comfortable and confident in a garment that is truly them.' We couldn't agree more! 

GWEN FAGAN

Gwen is our amazing tailoring consultant at both our Liverpool Street and Surbiton stores and has years of expertise in the tailoring industry. Gwen says 'The best thing about working for a bespoke tailors for me is the client interaction while still being able to feel I am truly creating something special for someone at the same time. Going through the entire process and offering my skills and expertise, to end up with a one of a kind garment that makes a client feel great, is unparalleled.' Gwen has had numerous suits made for her at King & Allen over the years. One her favourites is her 'very first fully-bespoke jacket. It has been worn more than any other item in my wardrobe. A charcoal 9oz worsted wool, with the widest peak lapels imaginable, and a comic strip flash lining' (the middle picture above). 'Women generally don't realise how fantastic it is to have a bespoke garment, that they will keep for life,' she says, 'to see the work that goes into these pieces, as well as the sheer amount of options, you're taking away an amazing piece. As well as the aspect of investing in slow fashion, which more women should do as it's far too easy to go down the fast fashion route!'

MARY-CAIT BRISTOW

Mary-Cait is a marketing assistant and tailoring consultant, based at our Knutsford store. Like Gwen, she has several years of experience and she says that she loves working 'with customers to build their perfect suit/s whether it's for a wedding, the boardroom or a weekend in the country. No day is ever the same, and the variety of creativity is wonderful.' From a classic grey two-piece to a three-piece with contrasting check waistcoat, Mary-Cait has also had a number of suits made with King & Allen over the years. 'The feeling of wearing a suit to me exudes confidence and power, she says, 'It makes you feel invincible like you can take on anything and I think every woman deserves to feel like that!' 

ALEXIS BODDY

Alexis is the General Manager of King & Allen and has been with us since 2017, starting out as a sales and marketing assistant. 'I absolutely loved my first suit,' she says of her three-piece navy pinstripe, 'I couldn't quite believe it when I first put the suit on and it just fitted. It's like nothing else!' I love working at King & Allen because of our fantastic team, who I would be lost without. I'm so proud of what we've achieved, especially when it comes to tailoring for women and the LGBTQ+ community, and look forward to what we can accomplish in the future.' 

If you would like to find out more about our women's tailoring options, please contact us, or arrange a free, no-obligation consultation here.