Musician Stephen Gormley, also known as Moon Looks On, is a man on good terms with his clothes. He tends to wear Barbour waxed jackets, a peaked cap (from Mulvilhills in Sligo), jeans and boots. He doesn’t like sneakers. “I cycle everywhere so I like functionality, and when I play music, I wear a collar, shirt and waistcoat,” he says when we meet in Magee’s flagship in Dublin.
The reason for the meeting is that he is about to be measured for a suit – the second he has ever owned and the first made to measure, to fit his shape. “I love clothes, but I find it hard to find stuff off the peg because I am 6′4″ and 100 kilos. I have long legs and long arms and am broad in the shoulders and still quite slim, so it’s always difficult to find suits that fit, and I always end up mixing and matching for my height,” he says.
Ray Hawkins, who manages the shop and has extensive tailoring experience, is doing the measuring. He says there are generally three types of men who come in for a made-to-measure suit. The first “is the groom who wants a wedding suit to be special and has a picture in his head of what he wants. He is the special occasion guy who wants something he can wear again, so sustainability and fabrics that last are key.”
What we do is semi-bespoke. We make from scratch to your measurements based on two tailoring blocks – classic or tailored
— Ray Hawkins, Magee
The second customer is “one who has exhausted every avenue off the peg for his style but can’t find trousers that fit. The third is simply concerned with fit – some may be small in stature or very very tall, typically a guy who is wide in the chest and narrow in the waist because of the gym.”
He also describes the difference between made-to-measure and bespoke – the latter is about creating a very specific pattern based on the client’s measurements. “What we do is semi-bespoke. We make from scratch to your measurements based on two tailoring blocks – classic or tailored; you choose the fabric [there are more than 500 of these] and select the finer details.” These details require answers to more than 50 questions, and is definitely the fun part.
Decisions have to be made on lapel style, two- or three-button closures, straight or slanted pockets, vent options, trim (buttons, hundreds from which to choose), fancy or plain interior design, trousers – width, single or no pleat, hem circumference, cuffs (a working cuff, a surgeon’s cuff), and so on. In addition, the customer gets his own piece of embroidery on the inside of the jacket and collar.
As the trend for formal wear softens, casual wear is at the same time smartening up. Gormley’s first suit was bought from Magee in his 20s while he was studying music – a mix of rock, blues and folk – in BIMM, Dublin. “I was asked to represent the college and play at an event and told to wear something nice for the gig. My song lyrics had to be submitted in advance, which made me a bit suspicious. I was then told it was a gig for Prince Harry and Meghan at the Famine Memorial. As for the suit, it was a classic style in light navy,” he recalls. “But I love tweedy stuff and I am going for a dark green tweed with a single-breasted jacket and a double-breasted waistcoat for gigging and for interviews.”
The suit feels light compared to what I have worn before, and natural and easy to move in. I feel I could pick up my guitar and play away easily
— Stephen Gormley
From Coolaney, Co Sligo, Gormley divides his time between Dublin and an old converted barn in the Ox Mountains, 6km from Knocknasee, which explains the title of his new single, Four Miles as the Crow Flies. Music is in his blood – his grandfather Mick Gormley was a flute player, and his grandmother was a whistle player and singer. Though he feels most at home in Sligo where he loves biking, hiking and surfing, he currently works in Windmill Lane.
His new suit will have personalised embroidery with the words “I found myself drifting out at sea” on the inside collar, drawn from the folklore of Selkie, the mythical seal people, half fish, half human, and Coney Island, Sligo.
It takes seven weeks after the fitting for the suit to arrive. It fits to perfection. Gormley has chosen a Donegal handwoven salt and pepper tweed in green from Magee’s Eske collection. “For me it embodies classic Irishness,” he says. He chose the lining because of its turtle motif and connection to the sea. The double-breasted waistcoat has a six-button closure, and the suit comes with a tiny Irish wolfhound lapel pin, standard on all made-to-measure suits. “The suit feels light compared to what I have worn before, and natural and easy to move in. I feel I could pick up my guitar and play away easily, [which is] not always the case.”
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The suit will get its first outing at a wedding in Sligo later this month, and the waistcoat and trousers will be worn at venues in June and July connected with the launch of his first album release.
The cost of a made-to-measure suit starts from €750 without a waistcoat up to €1,000 for a three piece. magee1866.com
Stephen Gormley’s Four Miles as the Crow Flies is the first single from his new album of contemporary folk and roots music, Way Out West. @moon_looks_on
