When you’re forced to stare at yourself in a full-length mirror for three minutes, you begin to see faults you never noticed. For example, I had been walking around for the last 25 years under the delusion that my arms were the same length. But during the first fitting of a new suit, I discovered that this wasn’t actually the case. Well, sort of.
As Apsley’s owner Arshad Mahmood took his trusty tape measure to my sleeve I realised that the baste garment needed some work.
“Doesn’t my right arm look longer than the left?” I tentatively voiced my concern.
“Don’t worry, sir. We’ll fix that up for you.”
Visions of Sweeney-style amputation flashed through my mind before Arshad put me at ease.
“You see, your right shoulder sits in a more elevated position than your left, therefore the sleeve sits higher and makes your arm look stretched. We’ll lengthen it to counteract the imbalance in your posture.” Simple.
There I was thinking hours of expensive and torturous bone-cracking by a osteopath was the only way forward. No need now – my tailor can fix the problem for me instead.
And this isn’t just any old tailor. Apsley of Pall Mall makes bespoke suits for some of the most illustrious men in today’s society. Its proximity to St James’s private members’ clubs helps out considerably with the extensive customer base. And a strong following from Westminster means a day at the Commons doesn’t go by without at least one MP strolling to the Chamber in an Apsley two-piece.
Such a demand doesn’t happen overnight, or indeed in one city. Apsley’s parent company Punjab House was established in 1889 and quickly became one of Hong Kong’s premium military outfitters. After the hand-over of Hong Kong in 1997, many of Punjab House’s loyal British customers returned home. Arshad and his team found that the demand from these devotees – mainly officers and international diplomats – was such that they were spending as much time in London as in the SAR.
It wasn’t long before Arshad decided to bring all the expertise that 118 years of family tailoring affords and set up shop in London.
As he sticks the final pin into my sleeve, I still can’t believe the efficiency of the process. I only chose the cloth a week earlier, and by the end of next week I’ll have my completed one-button super-130s suit. Apsley has brought military precision and timing to the otherwise regressively unhurried process of suit making. Amble into some tailors in Savile Row, and you’ll have had three kids and drawn your pension (to pay for the suit) before you actually receive the final piece. At Apsley you’ll be good to go in less than a month. In Hong Kong they were open for 24 hours a day, so they’re used to working every hour God gives, and then some.
And best of all it won’t cost you an arm or a leg. Suits begin at a very reasonable £500.

For more info go to: www.apsleytailors.com, call 0800 043 0888, or email info@apsleytailors.com
Apsley, 13-13a Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5LU