Every year, as autumn turns to winter and Coming of Age Day draws near (the ceremony held each January for those turning 20), I get the same enquiry.
“It’s December already, but is there still time to get a suit made for the ceremony…?”
I’m genuinely sorry about this, but my answer never changes.
“I’m sorry, but once we’re into December there’s simply no way to make it in time. I stop taking coming-of-age suit orders completely in mid-November.”
So why do I close orders so early?
Some of you may be thinking, “But the chain stores said they can do it in two or three weeks.”
The thing is, this is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone, and that is exactly why a tailor has reasons he will never compromise on.
The Real Reason I Ask for “Six to Eight Weeks” Until the Suit Is Ready
At my shop, I ask for six to eight weeks as standard, from the moment you order a suit to the moment it’s finished.
That’s so you can try on the finished suit here in the shop, and so that, if it does need any alterations, it will still be ready for the ceremony, without fail.
I don’t just hand over a suit on its hanger and call it a day.
I have you put it on, stand up, sit down and move your arms, while I check one last time, with a professional’s critical eye:
“Do the shoulders fall perfectly?”
“Does the crease in the trousers fall dead straight?”
“Does the trouser length sit just right on the shoes?”
Those are the things I look at.
If, at that point, I want to take something in by a few more millimetres, I absolutely need some spare time to send it back for alterations.
Mid-November is the deadline that builds in even that “just in case” alteration time, so that every customer walks into the ceremony in a suit that’s a perfect ten.
Can You Start Too Early? Why I Recommend Starting “From September”
So, is earlier always better? Actually, not really.
People start looking for a coming-of-age suit at all sorts of times. Some get going right after New Year, or in early spring.
But here’s what I always tell people.
“If you’re having a suit made for the ceremony, the best time to get started is from September!”
Why? Because a 20-year-old lad’s body is still changing.
He takes up weight training and his chest and shoulders suddenly bulk up. Or he retires from his school or university sports club after the summer and slims down a little. Or living on his own, his weight goes up and down with what he eats.
Have a suit tailored to an exact, snug fit too far ahead, and the tragedy really does happen: by the time January and the ceremony come round, his build has changed and the suit is bursting at the seams (or hanging off him).
You want his build to have settled, while still leaving plenty of room for the six to eight weeks of tailoring and the time for alterations.
That golden window is September to October.
Living Away and Can’t Come Home? Aim for “Golden Week” and “Obon”!
One thing parents in Sasa and Sasebo ask me about especially often is this:
“Our son is at university or college outside the prefecture, so he’s hardly ever at home. What should we do?”
If he has left Nagasaki and lives on his own in Fukuoka, the Kansai region around Osaka, Tokyo or elsewhere, coming home just to be measured isn’t easy.
For students living away like this, I recommend a schedule built around their trips home.
- Step 1: Browse, talk it over and choose the cloth when he’s home for Golden Week While he’s back for Golden Week, the string of public holidays in early May, come in once with the family and take your time looking at colours, patterns and how much you’d like to spend.
- Step 2: Measurements and the actual order when he’s home for Obon in August! When he’s back for the summer holidays at Obon, the mid-August festival when families gather, I take his measurements properly and the tailoring officially begins.
- Finished: The final fitting when he’s home at the end of the year! When he comes home in late December, he tries on the finished suit in the shop, I make any final tweaks, and he’s ready to go straight to the ceremony.
Plan it around the long holidays like this, and even if your son lives outside the prefecture, he can have a made-to-measure suit he’ll keep for life tailored right here at home in Sasa, with no strain at all.
Parents are welcome to come in on their own beforehand. Just let me know, “Our son’s home for Obon, and we’d like him measured then”, and since I work by appointment only, I’ll keep a slot free and be ready for you.
In Short: A Ceremony with No Regrets Starts with “a Schedule with Room to Spare”
- Tailoring takes six to eight weeks
- Allowing for possible alterations, the final order deadline is mid-November
- Given how much a young man’s build can change, the best time to start is from September
- Students living away can make it work perfectly by using their trips home for Golden Week and Obon!
Coming of age is a special occasion that happens only once in a lifetime.
Scrambling at the last minute because “there’s nothing to wear!” or “it doesn’t fit!” would be such a waste.
If you find yourself thinking, “It’s nearly our son’s turn this year,” you’re very welcome to come in just to talk about timing.
Let’s plan the schedule together, so he can have the best day possible.
More on coming-of-age suits
An Expensive Suit Isn’t Automatically a Good One: Where to Buy Shirts and Shoes, and a Tailor’s Honest Guide to Budgeting for Coming of Age Day
Grandfather’s Buttons on the Cuff: Why a 20-Year-Old Who Barely Talks to His Parents Ends Up Laughing with Them
Coming of Age Is Your Debut as an Adult: The One Rule for Looking Sharp, and Why It Starts with Your Shoes
A suit made to your measurements
Sleeves, trouser hem, jacket length, shoulders and arms are all cut to your own body, not a size chart. Fittings are by appointment only. Tell us the dates you are in Japan and we will propose a time.
