Being an old and even possibly out of touch codger:-

My 15 year-old son wants to go to this summer’s Prom at the British School here in Muscat. He hasn’t been to one yet. He doesn’t want a kilt. So, there are gents’ outfitters here in Muscat but I suspect their Prêt-À-Porter may be ill-fitting and need various adjustments. So I think it is cheaper and more buyer-friendly to use one of the numerous Indian bespoke tailors here to get a MTM suit.

He has a definite overall look he wants to emulate which he calls James Bond (his hero) suit – it’s a black and white look, uncluttered and I agree is rather quietly elegant. Looking through the internet, the most likely suit will be Daniel Craig’s dinner suit, which “suits” this current age.

It’s a peaked-collar single-breasted DJ with one button front, ribbed satin- silk lapels (not too wide), matching silk-covered buttons (front and cuffs), horizontal jetted pockets, un-vented at rear. The jacket looks to have a jetted outside left-breast pocket and looks to be mildly waisted rather than box-style or waisted/flared.

Question – how many cuff buttons on each cuff and are they operating buttons/buttonholes ?

Question - I can’t tell if there’s a lapel button-hole. Would it be normal to have one ?
The trousers I think are flat-fronted (no inverted pleats) and have side fasteners in lieu of belt loops. I cannot tell if the fly opening would be vertical up to the waist-line fastening (fastened with wide metal hook and eye or a silk-covered button or have an extending waistband tab going to the right with wide metal hook and eye fastenings.

Question - What would be more normal ?
The trousers have vertical slit pockets.
Question – would they be jetted ?
Question – None, one or two internal rear pockets ? With jetting ? With flat closure buttons ?

The trousers also seem to have black ribbed satin-silk braid on each outer leg – not wide, not narrow ? How wide ?

Straight leg or slightly flared (I prefer straight) Width of leg bottoms ? Not too wide for my son, but not like a Teddy-Boy either. Maybe 17” you think ?

Length of trouser – I like resting on shoe but not “bumfled” as if too long. But not too short as in the famous old Glasgow “Ah see yir shoes are hae’in’ a pairty an’ they’re askin’ yir troozers doon !”

Leg bottoms – hemmed bottom edge or raw edge ?

Leg bottoms – straight cut front to back or sloping (slight front down to back for slip-ons and dress oxfords/ sloping down back to front for Chelsea/Beatle boots ?)

I guess shirts are a matter of taste but white dress shirt I think. Perhaps pleated front plastron or covered fly-front with stud buttons ? Wing or normal collar ? What would Bond do ?

Black bow-tie I believe.

Last but not least, cummerbund or no ? Would Bond wear one ?

…. and pocket kerchief – yes or no ? White or coloured ? Plain or patterned ?

The decisions you need to make when you’re an 00 !

What do you think chaps and chapesses ?