There’s no denying that for many of us, style is a form of self-expression, and that wearing custom clothing fit specifically to you has become the ultimate expression of confidence in style.

That is why the tailored suit has been, and will always be, viewed as the holy grail of menswear. A man wearing a suit that fits him perfectly, that looks so natural on him, oozes confidence like nobody else... and has a tendency to make me a little weak in the knees.

It was with that thought in mind that I recently walked through the front door of Battaglia & Aly, a modern custom tailoring boutique on Saint Laurent Blvd. Upon entering, I was greeted by Dandy, owner Sandro Battaglia’s fittingly named pit bull (and, I was later told while Dandy lovingly gnawed at my hand, the shop’s mascot). When Battaglia slipped away to fit a customer I cheekily asked business partner Maxën Aly if he had made the light grey windowpane-check suit he was wearing (so effortlessly and with hardly a dog hair stuck to it I might add) - “of course I did!” he answered, incredulously, “who else would do it for me?”

The tone was set. Once the happy customer had walked out the door, I sat down with Battaglia, a man who knows a great deal about personal style and confidence, to talk about life in the needle trade, his vision of custom suiting, and why fit is key.

How did you get into tailoring?

My father was a tailor and I’ve always had an affinity towards clothes and fashion. My parents were immigrants, my dad came here as a tailor, but back in the day tailors were... I wouldn’t say they were a dime a dozen... but there were a lot of people that worked in the needle trade. And from what I understand, a lot of them were even exploited. Having language barriers and because there were so many of them around, they were probably underpaid for the type of work they did. But now we catch ourselves in a situation where there are not many around, there’s definitely not any young ones around, so now the rules are kind of reversing.

I wanted to design my own clothes...If I have an idea for a jacket, we can execute right away, we prototype with muslin cotton, on mannequin. This is what differentiates us from other tailors.

-Sandro Battagalia

Did you start sewing at a young age or was it something that came later in life?

I had started doing certain things with my dad, you know, basic stuff, some pattern making, and some cutting. He would make me do something like hem a pair of pants.

How old would you say you were?

Six or seven.

Really?! Were you good at it at that age? Like a Mozart of tailoring?

No, it definitely didn’t come right away. I remember doing a hem on a pair of pants – back then my dad used to do the hems of the pants for his clients by hand. It would literally take me hours to do one pant leg. Because you have to grab one strand of fabric at a time, he would let me play around and then he would usually undo it and redo it himself because the stitching was crooked.

Did you take a liking to tailoring at that age or was it something you simply wanted to try out?

I used to really enjoy sitting up on a bench in the workshop and just looking at [my dad] work. It was relaxing. It was nice. But then unfortunately, what happened is my dad got sick, stopped working and retired from making clothes. By the time I decided that I would be going into fashion he had already stopped working, but I already had a very good knowledge and background in sewing and cutting.

What is the best piece of styling advice your father ever gave you?

Oh wow. Styling advice? I don’t know if this is styling advice, but maintenance was always super key; how to maintain a suit and prolong its longevity. It was more “you take off your jacket, you put it on a hanger... The hangers can’t go past your shoulders. You get an appropriate hanger for the jacket. Pants are folded a certain way on the bar…” I’ll be quite honest with you, my dad being from the old school – although his craft was amazing and super clean and the craftsmanship of the work was awesome – I was never particularly fond of his style in the sense of what he wore. He was a short man, so the jackets would be a little too long – these guys worked super well... but didn’t really understand [style]… Look it’s a generation that said, “you have your black, your navy and your grey suit and you make sure they are really good ones. And you kept those for twenty years.” Granted my dad had more than three suits because he was of the trade, but I wouldn’t [call] him a fashionista. You know what I mean?

You had your own business tailoring before this. How did you meet Maxën and why did you partner up? Tell us the genesis story.

When I was in tailoring school, [Maxën] had come by for a visit to some old teachers – he had taken the course years earlier. When he came in, obviously me being a chatterbox, we start talking. We chit-chatted for a little bit and that was it. And then years past, and then I ran into him at the local press shop. We were both getting some suits pressed. When I ran into him I was at a point where I wanted to take the tailoring industry to another level. I wanted to design my own clothes. Not the [business model of developing] two collections per year or doing production overseas. If I have an idea for a jacket, we can execute right away, we prototype with muslin cotton, on mannequin etc. This is what differentiates us from other tailors and cookie-cutter type patterns [from] who knows how many years ago. In my experience apprenticing in other tailor shops, there hasn’t been an evolution in patterns. I knew I needed help; I knew it was a big project, I’m not saying it can’t be done alone, but I would have probably taken much longer to happen [without Maxën].

À deux, c’est mieux.

Exactly. At the time he was working for Philippe Dubuc and helping him build his collections. He had more of a knowledge around pattern making and stuff like that and I was more into sewing and doing fittings with my clients. I definitely didn’t want to be a one-man show making only a few garments a week and not have any creative side to it. There was definitely something more out there for me but I needed help. So I pitched him the idea.

Let’s talk about your work. For you, what makes a good suit?

Obviously, number one is definitely fabric. Good fit is really key, the shoulders at the right place, where the buttons are placed, where the pockets are placed.

What would you say are your strengths as a tailor?

I seem to have a really good rapport with our clientele. That’s so important. You kind of have to feel them out, see their tastes, their likes their dislikes, and obviously propose certain things to them and guide them through the whole process... when it comes to construction and what makes a really good fit of a garment and the differences between the stuff that’s manufactured and mass-produced versus individual type pieces of art, because that’s what I like to consider them. So there’s that part, then on the atelier side, there’s the cutting, which is very important, like when you’re cutting checks and you’re making sure that the checks on the jacket and pants match, and it’s like a puzzle that you have to put together.

Does that ever drive you crazy?

When I see checks that don’t match? It drives me bonkers.

What is your opinion on off-the-rack suits?

They’re terrible! No one should ever buy them! [Laughs] There are few suits that are off-the-rack that get the stamp of approval, but because we’re so different [physically]…. people say, “Oh, I’m off the rack 40 or I’m a 42.” Whatever, it’s one measurement, you’re a 40, but is your posture erect? Are you sloping in the shoulders? There are so many things. Maybe 3% or 4% of men can fit off the rack [suit] perfectly.

What are your favourite cuts that you wear?

Seeing as that I am a little bit on the vertically challenged side [smiles], I love a one-button jacket. A one button jacket with slightly wide lapel worn a little bit short. With a centre vent, a nice tight waist, [and] a big cutaway in the front. I like to see a little bit of the shirt with the jacket buttoned. That’s what I love, with a nice soft shoulder construction, with a very, very small shoulder pad, so I could show off my big broad muscles [laughs].

What is your typical day outfit for fall?

I love tweeds. I love colour and breaking things up. I would never be caught in a [plain] navy blue or black suit – it might sound funny, but I don’t even have a black suit in my wardrobe. I like mixing things up. Sometimes people come up to me and say, “Only you can pull something like that off.” Wearing a different colour pant, a different colour vest and a different type of sport jacket; I love blending types of colours all together.

That’s a wonderful compliment and a testament not only to what you do, but your personal taste and styling.

It is, and it also says what you’re wearing [projects] your energy and your aura. I do it because I love it and it’s who I am. And it reflects my personality.

If you weren’t a tailor is there any other profession you would be pursuing?

I’d probably be in buying. I love purchasing, shopping around, looking for new stuff. I would probably stay in the fashion industry, maybe as a buyer.

Well Sandro, we have reached the end.

We have reached the end? Oh wait, I’m going to make Dandy say goodbye. Dandy, speak!

[Dandy]: WOOF! WOOF!

Goodbye Dandy. It’s been real.