Last week, it was finally time to visit Léon Klaver. That day, I had quite the schedule. I had to quickly sand the last part of a woodworking project before bringing it to the paint sprayer. Then, I had to visit a friend and get into the shower, hopefully to remove all the dust from everywhere.

I dressed up in my most formal attire to expose any gaps in my current wardrobe and knowledge. This would be part of a talk about what would be best for a first proper wardrobe suit. I rushed a little but was just on time. I parked my bike outside the store and went in.

One of the first and probably most important steps is finding a tailor whom you think is best for you. I have to admit, in the Netherlands, this is actually pretty hard. The bespoke tailors like Chifonelli, Anderson & Sheppard, Antonio Liverano, whom we see in videos in famous places like France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, are not found everywhere. (Pardon me if I forget to mention others.) Aside from that, buying my first suit on Savile Row may be a bit out of my league after owning two less-than-ideal off-the-rack suits. So I decide to find my tailor closer to home.

This post will be the first in a series about getting my first suit. A suit looks so simple to the eye. Pay a few hundred euros, get one off the rack, and you’re all set, right? Or not? In this first post, I’m going to make a plan for my first suit and provide some insights into where I’m coming from.