After nearly four decades of fitting clients into tailored looks, Working Style founder Chris Dobbs understands the value of a made to measure suit — both in terms of cost per wear, and the value of feeling perfectly confident at every significant occasion.
No one’s quite sure who said it, but there’s a quote that goes something like, ‘A good suit doesn’t just make a man look successful; it also makes him look composed and sophisticated’.
It’s a sentiment that Chris Dobbs, founder and managing director of contemporary men and womenswear retailer Working Style, fully leans into.
Chris, who started the business in 1987 from a Marton garage before selling shirts door-to-door in Auckland, has always been a big believer in the power of a well-cut suit.
“A good suit can make you not only look good but also feel good,” he says. “And if you feel good in it, you’ll want to wear it for work, but also for ceremonial occasions such as 21sts, graduations, engagements and, of course, weddings.”
With seven stores around New Zealand, Chris’ team of 33, which includes specialised tailors, offers both a ready-to-wear collection and a made-to- measure service for both women and men, which is particularly popular with grooms.
“Customers come to us for a made-to-measure suit because they want a good fit that looks great in their wedding photos. The other reason is because they’re after a garment that expresses who they are, and they can’t find that off the rack.”
Chris says often a groom will have a suit made to measure, while the rest of the wedding party might buy from the ready-to-wear collection.
“Increasingly, wedding parties are dotted around the world, so we collate the party’s measurements, work with them to find a style from the collection that works for them, and then send the suit to them, wherever they are in the world.”
The made-to-measure experience includes meeting with the customer at Working Style’s in- store consultation room to determine the style the customer wants, as well as looking through fabric swatches and obtaining exact measurements.
The process usually takes around four to eight weeks for a made-to-measure suit.
“We’ll then have a couple of fittings with the groom for our tailors to ensure a perfect fit, which they can also do if they’re buying a ready-to-wear suit.”
While it can be slightly more expensive to have a suit custom-made, Chris believes the per-wear cost more than mitigates that.
“Think of it as an investment, but one that you can wear again and again. A suit is slightly different from a bride’s dress — she might pull it out once in a while to have a look at it before putting it back in its box, but it would be unusual for a groom to have a suit he only wore on his wedding day.”
Whether buying from the ready-to-wear collection or having a suit tailored, Working Style suits are all made from fabric sourced from “some of the best mills in Europe,” says Chris.
“We have relationships with fabric mills in Italy, France, Belgium and the UK, mills that have a long and proud history of supplying high-quality fabric for clients all over the world. The ones we choose to partner with for our suits and shirts include Canclini, Ariston and Loro Piana in Italy and Dormeuil in France.”
Working Style’s garment patterns are developed by an in-house design team, with made-to-measure suits then crafted by master tailors at ateliers in Portugal, artisans known for their attention to detail. More than 40 measurements and adjustments are made to create a suit pattern that includes customised options such as jacket, shoulder, lapel, pocket, cuff and waistband styles as well as linings and buttonholes.
Chris isn’t a betting man but if he were to put money on where the menswear market, particular for wedding and occasion wear, is heading, he predicts there will continue to be an uptick in ceremonial wear.
That’s largely a reaction to the casualisation of the workplace and associated attire, given the working from home trend.
“People are keen to dress up and enjoy more formal dressing when they go out. Some young guys have never worn a suit and tie before so they don’t know how to wear special clothes for a special day. Things like tying a tie, which was passed onto me from my father, doesn’t appear to happen anymore
Check out one of our favourite Working Style weddings to date. Charlie and Madeline, below
MADELEINE + CHARLIE by Jonny Scott Photography
because shorts and t-shirts have become the order of the day for a lot of people. So it’s exciting to be able to help men on their journey into formal wear.”
The trend for weddings that involve multiple events is also fuelling further growth in the market, as evidenced by recent weddings the Working Style team has assisted with.
“There was the night-before event, then the actual wedding and then an event the day after. Another wedding we worked on featured two different ceremonies and a dance party. Working Style offers a more casual range of trousers, shirts, t-shirts and shorts so we can dress wedding parties for all related events.”
Chris is picking natural fabrics such as linen to continue to increase in popularity, as will the trend for personalisation of garments.
“I’ve seen a lot of custom details lately, like grooms having their initials or something special embroidered on their suits.”
Ask Chris what makes the business he’s helmed for 37 years so successful and he’ll barely pause for breath.
“It’s the level of service we provide. We go above and beyond. We have staff who’ve been with Working Style for coming up on 20 years. It’s not always fashionable to work for the same company for so long but we have an amazing ability to retain staff and keep our core management people. Because of that, customers keep coming back.”
‘Working Style’s garment patterns are developed by an in-house design team, with made-to-measure suits then crafted by master tailors at ateliers in Portugal, artisans known for their attention to detail.’
See the real wedding of Jena + Tyler where Tyler wears Working Style below
Jena + Tyler by Sapphire Studios
Words by Sharon Stephenson – For more information visit workingstyle.co.nz or @workingstylenz
