The best suit I'll never wear

Classy bespoke tailoring leaves one feeling pampered.

I pictured myself with the likes of Daniel Craig (better known as 007) or John Gotti, the late patriarch of one of the five "families" of New York, as I walked into Delhi's new Brioni store at The Oberoi.

Clearing my throat, I said: "I'm looking to order a suit." "Sure, sir," was the crisp response, followed by: "Would you like to see our ready-to-wear selection or do you want one tailored?"

I opted for the latter. "Very good, sir," said my guide for the session, Samrat Singh. I gave Singh my concocted story. I was to be the best man at the society wedding of my cousin in London and needed to look my very best.

I was a student, and clueless about formalwear.

I told Singh I thought black might be it. He couched his disagreement in generous subtlety, walking me to the chic VIP lounge. "Would you like coffee or tea?" There was Dom Perignon on request, chocolates and cookies.

While we were flipping through the swatch book, Eric, the Brioni representative from Las Vegas, stepped in to help. The store was just a couple of days old and he was putting finishing touches to it. Eric was quick to realise my tastes veered towards the darker tones and that beige wouldn't do for me. He convinced me to find a balance while pointing out subtly that black wasn't quite "in".

The fabric we arrived at was Vatican Priest Cloth, said to be used in the papal robes, in two shades of charcoal. Then I tried on a ready-to-wear blazer in the size nearest my own. The blazer lived up to its billing "" literally.

I had to swallow the lump in my throat at the price tag of Rs 2,40,000, but I enjoyed every second of probably the best suit I can never afford.

The closest size is used as the starting point so that the tailor can get a mental picture of his client. The measurements go into an idiot-proof form. Your suit is hand-made in Italy in six weeks. I marvelled at the professional touches, which included the exact same measuring tape used by the tailors! But Eric sounded a fair note of caution: "We are good, but it's only the frame. It's up to the wearer to carry the look."

The local staff, said to be trained in Italy, will get up to speed with time. One letdown is that the store lighting is yellow, white light would help while choosing fabrics.

Brioni covers a broad range. The only limit is the depth of your pockets. Eric helpfully added, they specialise in customised pockets.

Score: 8/10, the new staff needs a little more time.

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