Men’s Classic Style

A little over a year ago A Tailored Suit was little more than an idea - a answer to a problem we saw in the custom clothing market but still very far from being a living, breathing company.

Today (and actually since this last summer) we are open to the public and are proud to say we have helped more men than we can count look better and build the clothing that compliments their individual style.  We’ve had a lot of people doubt our business model, but as we have proven and will continue to show it is possible to build a custom suit, custom dress shirt, bespoke overcoat, and any other piece of menswear completely online.  The key is good communication, solid information about the client, and skilled artisans willing to build garments with a virtual model only.

From all of us here at A Tailored Suit, we than you for your support and look forward to serving your sartorial needs!

Question

Why Should I purchase an extra pair of trousers with my suit?

Answer

I always recommend purchasing an extra pair of trousers with a custom suit. My reasoning is

1. The fabric from which the suit is cut is unique and likely to be discontinued by the mill eventually. If you tear the trousers/wear them out, you no longer have matching trousers for your jacket (typically men wear out their trousers 2-3 times faster than the jacket…..and a bespoke suit should give you 15+ years of wear depending on use).
2. An extra pair of trousers allows you to change the style of the suit by changing the style of the trousers. Example, non-pleated flat front are less formal and can be worn with a nice dress shirt/no tie, and the jacket for one look vs. pleated trousers/dress shirt/tie and jacket for another look. More versatility.
3. The cost is less to the tailor, and you should be able to receive some discount for this additional purchase.

Question

Should the stripes on a men’s suit or dress shirt match?

Answer

As for matching pin stripes, I am of the school that they should match. A lot of off the rack men’s suits do not do this as that it costs more money – it does require paying more attention to detail and uses more fabric – but it’s a small detail that isn’t looked over by the discriminating eye.

Extraordinary Customer Service - we use this term a lot, but doesn’t everybody claim to offer this type of attention. What do we mean by this and why does it matter?

Let me explain in five simple parts:

1. A Tailored Suit genuinely cares about each and every client’s order – as a small company, we have chosen to avoid high volume sales and instead concentrate on a manageable number of clients whom we can serve very well. Every order that comes our way is personally screened by a fashion expert, and a unique garment is designed based on the client’s body type and needs. As that so much time and effort goes into every piece of clothing, you can bet that we are on pins and needles until we get feedback from the client (in fact, we call to ask about your satisfaction for our sake almost as much as yours!).
2. A Tailored Suit’s staff is knowledgeable about custom menswear – Every one on our staff is well read and has had practice with designing and constructing quality menswear. We have an in house library and reading list, and routinely we spend a part of the work day debating the views of style icons such as Carey Grant, Sean Combs, The Duke of Windsor, and Alan Flusser. We love to speak with clients during style consultations, and encourage anyone with a question about menswear to give us a call at 1-800-340-7345.
3. A Tailored Suit does whatever it takes to make its clients happy – occasionally we have clients with special needs, and we love it because this where we shine. How many other menswear companies will help you research reputable tailors in China, deliver your clothing to multiple locations so that you can pack light, purchase small incidentals on your behalf to save you time, and interview local tailors so that you can have an alteration made with confidence. We have done all this and more for our clients.
4. A Tailored Suit does not push sales down your throat– we aren’t a charity, but we do believe the quality and service we provide is enough to sell itself. We try to sell you something you don’t need, and take pride in helping our clients find value.
5. The team at A Tailored Suit make themselves available – although we can’t always pick up the phone, we do return every call and email in a timely manner. And this response is personal, always from a real human being and always with a sincere desire to help you.

The Question –

How important is my interview suit. I have multiple meetings, can I wear the same outfit to every meeting?

Answer –

The devil is in the details, and when you are looking to land a 6 figure job, you better believe they notice these things. With two weeks between interviews, and the fact you wore a conservative suit, a different shirt and tie will suffice. But in my opinion, you ought to look at avoiding this dilemma in the future and consider purchasing a new suit soon.

If you expect to be wearing a suit daily I would plan on slowly buying 5 suits, 15 shirts, and 10 ties. You’ll also need at least two pairs of quality shoes, although I recommend most of my clients own 4 to 5. If you plan it right and go with conservative colors and patterns that interchange easily, you’ll not only be able to dress without worrying about how you look but you’ll go months between wearing the same thing.

When looking to buy clothing, remember to look for these three things -

The Proper Fit – I don’t care if the suit has a 90% discount; if it doesn’t fit you it will not look good. And when you find a suit that fits you well, take it to get tailored so that it fits you perfectly. Nothing is as important as fit.

Timeless Style – Ensure the clothing is classic in style. You want a suit you can wear not only this season, but 5 years from now. Avoid fads like the current thin lapels, and instead opt for styles that compliment your individual body style. Spread shirt collars on the narrow faced man and point collars for the round faced fellow. Go with conservative colors such as navy blue or my favorite charcoal grey (which does not accentuate youth, thus helping you avoid looking like your 17).

Quality – Go with Wool if you can afford it, a blend with up to 40% man made fibers is OK if you are cash strapped. Wool is sought after because it maintains its shape, retains heat, absorbs moisture without showing, and it has the look other fabrics are judged by.

Question -

I’m interviewing with a company and have been invited to one of their receptions at a local hotel. How important is this? I’ve heard if you are not a people person these can be dangerous to your chances. Can I bring my significant other along?

Answer -

These receptions are very important, here’s why -

Think of it like dating; everyone there is looking for a partner to make a commitment to. At these receptions you have the opportunity to stand out, to make a great first impression, and meet the people who will be looking at your resume. If you are not a top student or don’t have as impressive a resume as your peers, this is your shot to get in. A good conversation with a recruiter can help them overlook your less than stellar grades, or your display of wit can help them forgive your lack of experience in their field.

This is also your opportunity to interview them. Are these people you want to spend time with? Do you fit into their culture? If you don’t look out for yourself in the hiring process, no one else will.

Your right, it may be dangerous for some, especially if you have no social skills but have a killer resume. But how far is this going to get you anyway? You may land an internship or job, but within 6 months you’ll realize the match is a bad fit for both of you and you’ll either be fired or worse continue on and hate your job.

As for taking your significant other – unless they were invited I would say no. You want to focus on the job at hand, and make no mistake, this is work. You should know who is going to be there, information about the firms you are interested in, and get a list of names from career services so you can look out for them.

What’s So Special About Bespoke?

For the man used to buying clothes in a brick-and-mortar store, ordering a custom-made suit online may seem a little strange.  But if you think about it, doesn’t it make more sense? 

Many men have figured out that custom clothing looks better, feels better, and lasts longer than the clothes sold in stores, and thus makes for a good investment in the long run and the short run alike. Besides, customization is the last luxury, and the unique details you select for your bespoke put it head-and-shoulders above anything retail–even designer suits that cost many times more.

A man can expect to get a decade of wear from a bespoke suit, and several decades with proper care and occasional minor repairs. He will be lucky to get five years buying off the rack, for several reasons. First, since a store-bought suit will never fit you as perfectly as a bespoke one, there will be points on the the fabric and seams that get stressed by your movements, like where the sleeves connect to the body of the coat. Secondly, retail clothes are inevitably imbued with the particular trends of their time, and are thus more susceptible to style obsolescence than garments ordered by a man who knows the classic proportions. Finally, men who invest the time and energy to acquire bespoke suits tend to take better care of them, not least because they enjoy wearing them so much. If the price tags on bespoke offerings have you smarting, think about how much you spend clothes now. If you stopped buying suits, shirts, and shoes at the mall, how long would it take you to save up enough to order your first custom suit? If the suit lasts you ten years, isn’t it worth more than whatever else you would have bought?

Of course, the obvious reason to bespeak a suit is the opportunity to get a perfect fit. The particulars of fit having been discussed at length elsewhere, I will mere say that a well-fitting suit looks good and feels good, and the men’s suit leaves but a small margin for error. For the majority of men who do not have ‘average’ builds, whether portly, slender, muscular, tall, or what have you, custom clothes offer the only hope of getting it right. Your bespoke tailor starts from scratch, drawing out every line of your garment from your unique measurements (some made-to-measure services adjust existing patterns based on your measurements, saving time but sacrificing individuality). Once he (or she) has your pattern and you are happy with the fit, you can order more suits without additional measurements and be assured of an identical fit. Nothing can compare to the experience of donning a bespoke suit, and feeling how it really does fit perfectly.

Besides getting a perfect fit, ordering bespoke lets you control everything else about the suit, including fabric, cut, and detailing. There are thousands upon thousands of fabrics out there, so that there are bound to be a few that are exactly what you want in terms of material, weight, color, and pattern. Since retail stores offer so few options, a suit you buy at a mall store may be instantly identified by many as, for example, that-suit-from-Banana-Republic. This distracts from whatever the suit was supposed to convey, and helps people to apply stereotypes to you. When you wear a bespoke suit, few people will have ever seen a fabric quite like yours before, and the suit is thus free of baggage. The proportion and cut of a suit are essential to the look you achieve in it, and bespoke lets you get these right every time. Finally, you may like slanted pockets, ventless jackets, high-rise pants, or any other of the myriad options available in a suit. As you buy or order and wear several suits over the years, you will find things you like and things you don’t like. This may be for convenience’ sake, like a special cell phone pocket in all your jackets, or for style, like ordering all of your suit trousers with single reverse pleats. Finding a sartorial quirk that fits your personality and ordering it on all of your suits gives your duds some originality, and shows anyone who observes your dressing habits closely that your superior style is no accident.

Precaution should be taken when it comes time to clean your wool garments.  To ensure a long life for your clothing, take the following advice to to heart.

Always

Use a professional dry cleaning service – When your clothes are dirty, use the services of a professional dry cleaner. We do not recommend dry cleaning a garment after every use; instead, let the garment hang and air out, and a proper steaming will help breath life into the fabric between dry cleanings.

Store your clothing properly - The natural wool fibers in your garment can be eaten by various insects, and if you store your clothing for long period you want to use insect deterrents. Moth balls are a popular choice, but we recommend looking into cedar, lavender, and other natural repellants. Also, be sure to dry clean before storing to kill any eggs.

Consider

Invest in a Clothing Steamer & Suit Brush – two tools which will extend the life your garment by limiting your trips to the dry cleaner. Steamers are much safer to use than irons, as that they do not directly touch the fabric; steam relaxes delicate fibers such as wool, and can even pull out wrinkles in cotton shirts. A suit brush is best used after every wear; it removes small dirt particles and maintains the fabric’s appearance.

Never

Do not wash in a washing machine – wool loses 30% of its strength when soaked in water, making it much more susceptible to damage. This rough process can also alter the shape of the garment.

Do not iron directly or expose to intense heat such as clothing dryer – wool is an organic protein based fiber; exposure to intense heat can cause irreparable damage to the fibers. If the garment needs pressing, take it to a professional.

A quick list of pointers on how to ensure your cotton shirts stand the test of time.

Always

Use caution when cleaning – Although cotton is extremely durable (it becomes 30% stronger when soaked in water) it should only be washed in warm but preferably cold water to prevent color loss. Excessive bleaching can weaken the fibers, and is recommended for spot cleaning only. Dry cleaning is a perfectly acceptable way to clean your cotton clothing.

Store your clothing properly – Make sure your cotton clothing is fully dry when storing, and keep it away from excessive moisture. Mildew is fond of cellulose fibers, and will discolor and eventually destroy the fabric. Although the natural cotton fibers in your garment can be eaten by various insects, this is rare and we do not recommend using toxic insect deterrents such as moth balls; instead consider cedar and lavender for natural protection.

Consider

Washing and Drying at Home – Repeated dry cleaning and heavy starching is hard on cotton fibers. By gently washing your shirts and drying them, you’ll add years of life to the garment.

Invest in a quality iron and steamer – two tools which will extend the life your garment by limiting your trips to the dry cleaner. Steamers are perfect for quick wrinkle removal, and are much safer to use than irons. An iron, however, can not be beat when it comes to a crisp, clean finish, and if used at the proper temperature can be safely used. A quick tip – pull your shirts out of the dryer and iron them before they are fully dry; cotton fabrics respond best to ironing while damp.

Never

Over-estimate the strength of cotton – although cotton is thermoplastic and can be ironed at high temperatures safely, it will burn if the iron is left on one spot for a prolonged period. The same with bleach – over-exposure can destroy the fabric.

The Importance of Proportion in Classic Men’s Clothing

The gentleman who gives attention to proportion in his apparel always looks good. Alas, this detail is sadly under valued nowadays; it is rare to discover an adult male whose manner is understated elegance, the sort of gentleman who folks feel is always well dressed without knowing why. Most apparel sold in shops is available in just a few standard sizes, and are built according to the fashion of their day. It is true that with suitable tailoring, many gentlemen can get a decent fit out of a retail suit or other garment, but with a suit particularly there are a lot opportunities for customization that one misses out on them when buying off the rack. In retail clothing, important particulars like gorge height, closure, button position, and lapel width are determined by the impulses of fashion instead of the needs of a wearer’s unique physical structure.

Nearly all clothes are cut for a theoretical fashion model, a one in a hundred human who does not exist. Knowing this, it is no surprise that most men wear suits that do not flatter them. Most of us would look better in clothing built to our bodies, as that the right cuts and proportions can enhance any appearance. The best dressers knew this. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. had his jacket shoulders built out to offset his rather large head; Gary Cooper had his lapels cut to end in a low gorge which breaking up his height. Just look at modern day examples such as George Clooney, Sean Combs, and Tom Brady; these men wear menswear that compliments their natural strengths. It is true that certain body shapes clash with certain articles of clothing, but by no means does one’s body type confine him to a particular style. An important step in dressing well is finding the clothing proportions that work for you and then ensuring those proportion standards are met in every article of clothing you purchase.

The proper proportions on a jacket are critical to yield a natural and attractive visage. If a man’s head is especially wide, wider shoulders will frame his noggin to great success. A narrow face does better with sloping shoulders, while a large round face should ensure it is surrounded by enough material in the shoulders to make it look normal in size. Short men look best with a high-gorge configuration, while a low gorge balances a tall man. Also the width of a man’s lapels should be in proportion to his torso; if not they will accentuate his girth or lankiness to ill effect. And whatever your size, your jacket’s length should be such that it ends at your thumb’s knuckle when you stand with arms relaxed at your sides, and the ends of your sleeves should line up with the ends of your arms where your hands begin.

The shirt has rules of its own. The shirt collar size and shape should be selected based off of the face of the man wearing it. Collars types such as straight points tend to elongate the face; a wise selection for the round faced man but not a good choice for the man who has a long face. Most men wear collars that are too small, which is a shame as that the whole purpose of a shirt collar is to frame the face by properly drawing the eyes to it. Cuffs should gently clasp around the wrist, with anywhere from three quarters to a full two inches of room permissible.

Many trends in clothing consist of breaking the rules of proportion. Every day designers blast the public with their images of attractive models striking enviable poses and clothed in their latest offerings. By objective standards, these may be too loose or too tight, excessively short or top-heavy, or otherwise unbalanced. Models have jobs because they look good in anything, but most of us are not so lucky. Trendy designer clothes only look good because they evoke the beautiful people on billboards and magazines. When tastes change, in a few years or a single season, those who paid full price for designer wares at the height of their fleeting glory are left with expensive clothes that look slightly ridiculous. How much wiser is the man who buys clothes that are right for him, and wears them confidently knowing his style transcends the pettiness of fleeting fashion.

How to choose a Tailor

Picking out a tailor used to be simple; you either went with the tailor who had been servicing your father or you headed to the experienced suit salesman who would get the right introduction.  Nowadays regrettably, the job is more arduous - expert tailors are tough to come by, and the ordinary menswear salesman does not hold the knowledge to guide you in the proper direction.  In this article, I outfit you with the tools to determine a good men’s tailor whose services can transform you and your clothing.

The below steps are in order of action to be taken when searching for a tailor, and they are intended to be applied in concurrence with each other.  The 1st point is the most crucial, and shouldn’t be passed over.

1.    Educate Yourself
Prior to you talking with a tailor or seamstress, you want to possess a grounding in the fundamentals of men’s style.  The most arduous thing for most men to do is to find a couple of hrs to sit and learn about suits, shirts, and other menswear; yet most gentlemen find once they begin studying the material they become captivated.  Learning about the intricacies of quality menswear you begin noting men’s clothing particulars you never considered before; you pay attention to the fit of suit jackets, working sleeve buttonholes, and the break along a pair of pants.

Stepping into the universe of tailoring, you will realise just how crucial your clothing is in broadcasting messages about who you are.  Most folks you go past daily know you solely by the clothing you have on; your appearance is the only way they can make any sense of who you are and what you do in this world.  The suit, shirt, and tie combination you put on in the morning covers up ninety percent of your body, and before you speak this garment combination declares who you are and indicates to other people whether or not you merit attention.

To build a firm base in the fundamentals of men’s style, I recommend reading any book by Alan Flusser, Nicholas Antongiavanni’s “The Suit”, or Bernhard Roetzel’s “Gentleman”.  An extraordinary internet resource is A Tailored Suit’s Style Guide, a trove of men’s style articles. Once you have a foundation, you ought then to then interact with experienced people at places like Style Forum, an internet community of men’s clothing partisans.  When you find you can talk the tongue of bespoke menswear, you’re ready to begin questioning tailors.

2.    Tailor Recommendations
Be heedful here - most gentlemen are not discriminating in picking out their tailor, and remain with their current tailor just because they are oblivious of a better alternative.  Aggregated with the reality most men do not understand what proper fit is, it’s very possible that a tailor who gets high praise only does so because of the cluelessness of his patrons.  Don’t presume since somebody addresses themselves as a tailor or seamstress that they know anything about men’s style or can evaluate proper fit.

Conduct a critical look at your acquaintances - who amongst them is a natty dresser?  These are the folks you would like to ask for tailor recommendations.  You’ll be able to widen your search by asking women also, only be careful.  The manner garments fit on an adult male vs. the way they should fit on a woman are very different.  A skilled woman’s tailor doesn’t necessarily possess the correct skills to tailor men’s clothing.

3.    A Tailor’s Communication Skills - does this tailor listen and understand you?
You now have a list of tailors - now you should start speaking with them.  You will be able to do this over the telephone or e-mail; your goal is to determine if this is a individual you are able to work with.  Do they have superior communication skills?  Do they really listen to you, or are they attempting to drive in a direction you know you do not need to go down?  Do they have time to speak, or are they in a hurry?  To be fair, you should not hold the last one against a tailor if you call up their workplace out of the blue - however any master tailor ought to be willing to put aside twenty minutes to talk with a prospective customer at a determined time within a few days of phoning.

You would like to work with a tailor whom you feel confident in - this decision is very personal and ought to be based off the tailor’s knowledge and communication skills - ideally you encounter a tailor with solid skills in both arenas.  Regrettably, a combination of the 2 in a tailor is uncommon except in bigger urban centers.  You could find a very skilled tailor, but if he doesn’t understand you or the tailor decides he should ignore your wants and execute what he believes is correct, both you and the tailor are going to be frustrated.  Communicating is critical, and ensuring that both sides clearly understand and respect one another is important to a long term partnership.

4.    When is the Tailor satisfied?
There’s one answer here; the tailor shouldn’t be content until you’re satisfied.  This does not imply that a accomplished tailor or seamstress always gives you what you wish or doesn’t make errors - nay, a tailor really worth retaining is one who learns what your idea of the ideal fit is and perpetually works to accomplish this.

5.    Does the Tailor understand style?  Does the tailor understand timeless fashion?
I brought this up earlier, but don’t presume a tailor or seamstress understands classic men’s style.  While a lot of accomplished tailors are experts at constructing anything you are able to conceive of, their eye for what colour material or style of jacket suits a man is oftentimes inconsistent with reality.  Culture differences could also play a factor here, because a lot of the best tailors nowadays are native Chinese, Thai, or Indian - what worked for tailors in Mumbai in 1970 might not be practical nowadays.  With your base in classic men’s style (see point 1), you ought to be able to figure out quickly if the tailor possess an eye for timeless fashion.

6.    Samples of the Tailor’s work - Can the tailor present you his custom suits and tailored shirts?
Pictures, example pieces, alteration miracles - you’re seeking samplings of their work that validates the tailor’s claims of greatness.  If the overall garment appears fine, spend a couple of minutes analyzing the details - does the stitching look firm and neat, is the build and silhouette something you want in your clothing.  Be weary of a tailor who does not have anything to display or pleased clients to refer you to.

7.    Tailoring turnaround times?  Is the tailor accessible?
A lot of the better tailors out there are really active folks.  They accept more work than they can handle, and alas wait times of more than a month  for a expert tailor’s time are not unheard of.  Ideally you want a tailor who can attend to your wants quickly, particularly when you call for a quick fix before an crucial appointment.  Be direct about your needs here, as that most tailors will accommodate emergencies aware it creates loyalty and good will.

Notice I did not bring up cost when picking out a tailor - this is the least significant factor and should be a small consideration even for those tight on money.  You need to find a good tailor who can assist you to realize your vision of the perfect tailored fit.  Saving 20 bucks on a cheaper tailor and not getting what you desire is a waste of money - spend a bit more and getting precisely what you envisioned by employing the skills of a master tailor - it’s always worth it.