If there is one characteristic of authentic luxury homes, it is surely their extra soul. This unspeakable thing, which cannot be worked, which cannot be put into the equations of modern marketing, but which is innate, like this simplicity, all these human qualities, this experience, this professionalism, this heritage of past generations, this desire to give pleasure at the service of the customer. Guided tour of the Parisian blouse maker Courtot.
By Xavier Aubercy
If you happen to walk through the door of this store on the street of Rennes, it is all these impressions that you will feel at once. With a welcome made of a lot of modesty and kindness proper to the great ones. You will discover the third generation of a family which officiates with passion in this art since 1946 and who will explain you all the differences and all the refinements that make a true custom shirt.
To Mr. Courtot, his profession was a vocation, to be discovered near a father whose life was his measuring shop. This one transmitted to him all his knowledge, all its requirement in the desire to be at the height of the generations but above all to embody it in the respect of the customer so much by the quality of the work as well as by the very affordable prices for the details and finishes so rare today, and so far from a ready-made shirt.
A technical and personal achievement
A piece of measurement is a technical realization but especially personal in its outcome. This is reflected in every stitch, in every thread and in the special aura that surrounds the final creation. Here everything is possible. Everything is done at the customer’s request: this is one of the great characteristics in relation to the garment.
At the beginning, the client starts with a blank page. Everything is created for him. It all begins by taking measurements (about ten). This one is an art because it must to be both extremely precise and experienced. It is necessary to understand instinctively what the client’s “reach” should be, near or far. away from the body according to its desiderata but also to its morphology. Usually there is one fitting but if two or three are needed they will be done. This is the basis for the design of the pattern, so essential for the as well as for future creations. Then comes the fitting stage, in the chosen fabric. A draft is made. This one is then decoupled then reworked according to the modifications and retouches made. The final seams, different from the first stitch which had to be easy are made in the same place so as not to leave any trace. We can therefore redo everything, take it all back for an absolute perfection.
A concern for economy and ecology
It is thanks to this know-how that the company offers the possibility of change worn collars and cuffs on shirts and any other parts of this one. This makes it possible to considerably lengthen one’s life and may interest some customers concerned about economy and ecology. Once the customer takes possession of his shirt, the pattern is validated and kept preciously. It can be modified according to the evolutions of the life and a possible gain or loss of weight.
Like in all the realizations in true measure, the finishes make all the difference. All parts are assembled with a folded seam at English style are completely different from the edge-to-edge type of clothing. There is a lining in the collar and cuffs with a canvas “measure”, a specific interlining that is not glued as in the ready to wear with its appearance of cardboard, but which in this case is simply placed between the parts of the folder. Which also enhances the fabric.
Many other details like these pieces sewn into the bottom of the shirt at the level seams are present to prevent tearing. On the collar, a chevron of cotton is placed to hold the tie inside. The buttons are sewn by hand: There are several kinds, different colors of pearlescent, and the stitching can also be chosen (2 holes, 4 holes). Finally, all buttonholes can be done by hand if the customer wishes desire.
Choose the material
The great pleasure is also to be able to choose your material. This makes a beautiful fabric, is its type of yarn, like the Egyptian yarn known for its rather long fiber and excellent resistance. Then comes the frame which is associated with a number. The higher the number (which means the number of threads per cm²), the more the weaving is tight and therefore the quality is good (the average is at 120, the beautiful at 140, the very beautiful at 170 and the exceptional at 200). The different countries of origin have their importance: if in recent years the quality of English fabrics has stagnated, the Swiss rigor or the Italian fantasy know how to express themselves with very beautiful materials. The house knows how to preserve the great classics and is committed to renewing these proposals twice a year. Boxer shorts or pyjamas can also be made with the same refinement.
Four a five hours are necessary to realize a shirt in measure for a price of 270 euros for an Oxford and 310 euros for the majority of the fabrics (which is not much more and often much cheaper than many trendy ready-to-wear clothes or false measurements). Courot is part of these five or six houses of this standing that the Capital counts.
MAISON COURTOT : 113 rue de Rennes, 75006 Paris / Phone : 01 45 48 54 86
