Assessing A Suit’s Longevity - Custom Tailor For Men's Clothing

No other garment in the history of fashion better connotes an image of formal continuity and authority than the man’s tailored suit jacket. The permanence of its form relies on a set of design relationships whose formal composition accommodates a surprising variety. During the past thirty years, fashion has remolded the jacket’s envelope into temporal configuration ranging from boxy and short to fitted and long, each with different dispositions of button and trim. At the same time, its components have varied in shape, texture, and behavior. In spite of all these provisional arrangement, as the century draws to a close, the suit jacket continues to set the universal standard for civility in masculine attire.

While fabrics and patterns usually attract the eye first, the most important thing to consider in a suit is its silhouette. Most suits are made to last as least several years; however, more often than not, a suit’s proportions determine its useful lifetime. A suit that is extreme in silhouette is more likely to go out of style before it falls apart. The right choice can give you years of pleasure; the wrong one will haunt your closet. However, once chosen, the suit’s fit, not its design should be the focus one’s attention.

In assessing a jacket’s potential life span, four element of its design should be considered. There are the garment’s “bones”. When in accordance with the wearer’s architecture, they should flatter and enhance his stature. If the coat’s geometry conflicts with the wearer’s or deviates too far from the archetype’s acknowledged grace notes of style, the coat’s staying power will be significantly weakened.

THE SHOULDERS

As the widest part of the jacket, the shoulders’ expression sets the mood for the entire garment. The assertive eighties saw jacket shoulders attain aircraft carrier returned the shoulders to a less obtrusive, more classic positioning. Most of history’s best-dressed men had their shoulders tailored to look natural yet smart. Unless a man is extremely slope-shouldered or self-consciously short and needs the illusion of height, padded shoulders should be avoided.

The square, high shoulder became internationally fashionable with the emergence of Rome’s “Continental look” in the late fifties. Then, in the late sixties, Pierre Cardin’s hourglass suit reinforced the notion that strong shoulders were a criterion for high style. Today, gives the priority placed on understand comfort, even in the sculpted shoulder’s birthplace, the sophisticated Italian wears his hand-tailored shoulders soft, sloped, and less studied

Close attention need also be paid to the shoulder’s width. Since they frame the head, if the shoulders are cut too narrow, the head will appear larger than it actually is; if they are cut too wide, the head will appear disproportionately small.

Their width should be generous enough to permit the jacket’s fabric to fall from the shoulder in a smooth, unbroken line all the way down the sleeve. If the width hugs too narrowly, the man’s shoulder muscle will bulge out from under the top of the sleeve head, that point at which the jacket sleeve is attached to the should.

The jacket also needs enough fullness across the front and back to lie flat on a man’s chest without pulling open. A man with a strong chest requires a larger sized jacket just to accommodate this prominence. Fullness over the shoulder blades with breaks extending upward on the back from below the armholes allows ample room for free action. This extra fabric also causes the jacket to drape properly. A tight fit over the shoulder blades can make you fell as if you are in a straitjacket.

Sharp angles formed on either side of the head create an artificial formality. Stylish dressing is distinguished by its naturalness and unconscious ease. The more aggressive shoulder line is the mark of someone who is trying to look more important than he actually feels.

JACKET LENGTH

The correct length of an average man’s jacket can vary up to ฝ” without diminishing its longevity. Altering its length can play havoc with the hip pockets, moving them out of balance with the whole. Your appropriate jacket length can be established using several methods. Regardless of which is chosen, one principle must be kept in mind: the coat has to be long enough to cover the curvature of a man’s buttocks.

The first approach utilizes the arm as a guide, the other the torso. With the first method, a man uses the knuckle of his thumb to line up the bottom of his jacket. Though generally reliable, this formula has one draw back. A man with a short or average torso but long arms can end up with too long a coat. While its hip pockets may be more accessible, its excess length will swallow up his legs.

Employing the second method, the tailor measures from under the jacket’s back collar, where the collar is joined to the coat’s body, down to the floor and divides by two.

In the absence of a jacket, a buttoned shirt collar may be substituted as a starting point. This is the procedure taught in all formal tailoring schools. Both guidelines originated with America’s introduction of ready-made tailored clothing for men, which needed to establish generalities upon which to base its standards of fit. However, since either of these can be influenced by dimensions unique to the wearer’s physique, a top custom tailor will trust his learned eye to take in the whole picture before deciding on the jacket’s ideal length.


THE WAIST BUTTON

The waist button is to a suit jacket what the fulcrum is to a seesaw. If it’s off center, a delicate balance is lost. When the waist button is fastened, the entire body should be in proportion, with both legs and torso appearing at their maximum length. Since the button functions as an axis, raise it and you abbreviate the torso, lower it and the torso becomes elongated but the leg line is shortened. The correct placement of this critical element occurs ฝ” below the natural waist. To find your natural waist, put your hands around the smallest part of your torso. With the suit jacket’s final fitting, most custom tailors will pull on the fastened waist button to confirm that there is enough fullness in the jacket’s waist while observing how the coat moves on the body. An incorrectly positioned waist button calls the garment’s pedigree into immediate question.

THE GORGE

The gorge is that point where the collar and lapel meet. The coat’s design determines its positioning. While there is some flexibility in its placement on the upper chest, move it outside of this area to where it becomes a focal point and you court instant obsolescence. One American designer used to cut his lapels so high, his coats looked as if they 1980s Giorgio Armani dropped his so low, they are now decorating the backs of their owners’ closets. The lapel needs to have enough sweep to produce a graceful upswing without finishing so high on the collarbone as to make the coat appear as if it were moving backward.

Twenty years ago, this design element was never an issue. Today if the jacket’s gorge is out of sync it is usually because its placement is too low. Done initially to loosen up the coat’s starchiness, dropping the gorge too low also loosen up the coat’s longevity. Like all element of classic design, the placement of the gorge should follow geometric logic, not the arbitrariness of fashion.

INTO THE FITTING ROOM

Proper fitting can do much for a less costly suit, while a poor fit can scuttle the most expensively hand-tailored creation. If a$3,000 suit’s collar is bouncing off your neck as you walk, the suit’s value will be severely compromised. The jacket collar that creeps up or stands away from your neck is the fault of the tailor, unless he fit it while you assumed a posture other than your normal one. When standing in front of tailor’s mirror, relax, Do not stand at attention unless that is your natural stance. Standing overly erect can affect the way the tailor fits the jacket collar to your neck. Collar alterations will be even more accurate if you wear a dress shirt’s collar showing above the jacket; พ” should be exposed when wearing awing collar.

Since there should be the same amount of linen rising above the jacket’s color as that which peeks out from under its sleeve, let’s move on to sleeve length. Ninety percent of all men wear their coat sleeve too long and therefore are unable to slow that ฝ” of shirt cuff that dresses the hand of any well-attires gentleman. Since most dress shirt sleeves either shrink or are bought too short, they cannot be seen even if the jacket’s sleeve have been correctly fitted. Most tailors, in an effort to cover the wrist, finish the coat sleeve where the shirt sleeve is supposed to end. The jacket sleeve should extend to where the wrist breaks with the hand. This length should reveal ฝ” of the shirt cuff. The band of linen between sleeve and hand, like that above the jacket collar, is one of the details that defines the sophisticated dresser.

VENTS

In less than a dozen years, vent less jackets have gone from avant-garde to mainstream. This design gives the hip a cleaner, more slimming line while lending the suit a dressier stature. Though aesthetically pleasing, vent less backs lack function, as they prevent easy access to the trouser pockets in addition to wrinkling more easily from sitting. However, as this back gives a man’s torso a leaner, sexier shape, most men ignore its inconvenience.

The center vent, an American predilection, is the least aesthetic venting option, though it offers more utility than having no vent at all. While perfectly designed for spreading the two sides of a rider’s jacket across the saddle of a horse, its original intention, the single vent looks awful when a man, having put his hand in his trouser or jacket pocket, pulls it open to reveal his derriere and, if the vent is cut high enough, a fringe of disordered shirt. Savile Row custom tailors avoid the center vent like the plaque unless it is imposed upon them by a visitor from the Colonies. The single vent’s only saving grace is that it can be altered to better conceal a prominent hip than either the ready-made vent less or double-vented jacket.

The double vent or side slit offers the best combination of function and form. When you put your hands in your trouser pockets, the side vent’s flap stays down, covering the buttocks. If you are seated, the flap moves away, thereby minimizing distortions thus created, because the side vent moves the observer’s eye up from the bottom of the jacket. Since double-vented coats are costlier to manufacture and more difficult to fit than other models, you see them less frequently. However, the well-designed side-vented jacket gives its wearer a dash of style that bespeaks its English pedigree and custom-tailored tradition


BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Assessing A Garment's Fit And Structure - Mens Custom Made Suits, Vests, Trousers, Three Piece

VESTS

Most men’s suits come two-piece, since adding a third element increases their price. However, the vest has always been favored by those style-conscious men who appreciate the quiet resplendence of a third layer of wool. The businessman in his three-piece suit who removes his jacket in the office can rely on the dressiness of his waistcoat to retain some decorum while enjoying the freedom of shirt sleeved attire. A vest also augments a suit’s versatility, as its exclusion from a three-piece ensemble creates a different look.

The properly fitted vest should be long enough for its fifth button from the top to cover the trouser waistband, yet not so long that its points extend below the hip. A well-made vest has its own definite waistline, which is where the trouser waistband should hit. Men who prefer low-rise trousers that rest on the hips should avoid vests. Belts and vests should also choose other dance partners, since belts not only add further bulk to the already layered waistline, but tend to poke out from under the vest. When the suit’s trousers are supported by braces, with their pleats spilling out from under the waistcoat, the single-breasted ensemble achieves a tailored swank afforded only by the addition of this third layer.

A waistcoat should not have a skintight fit. It should be cut full enough to allow its wearer to sit comfortably with its back belt done up to keep it from riding up the trouser waistline. The top of the vest should be high enough to peek out above the waist-buttoned coat. A classic suit vest has four welt pockets, with a six-buttoned designed to leave the bottom button undone. Better-designed vests have their fronts slightly curved to conform to the single-breasted jacket’s rounded fronts. A waistcoat’s back should be longer than its front. This length is needed to cover the waistband should a man choose to bend forward. The vest’s back lining usually matches the jacket’s sleeve lining. Vests without adjustable rear belts or whose fronts and backs are of equal length are usually poorly designed and cheaply made.

Right down to its unbuttoned, cutaway bottom, the man’s tailored vest is a legacy of upper-class fashion. Even the way it is worn is a tribute to royal style. Having unbuttoned his waistcoat to relieve the pressure on his royal ampleness, Edward VII neglected to do up the eccentric fashion ensured which survives to this day.


TROUSERS

The cut of today’s tailored suit trouser is much more classic in shape than its predecessor from the fitted era. Pants have recovered from the hip-hugging jeans mentality of the sixties and the tight, plain-front Continental pant of the seventies. In the nineties, most men’s trousers have a longer rise, deeper pleats, and full-cut thighs that taper down to the ankles – exactly the way the great tailors originally designed them – to give comfort and follow the lines of the body.

During the Second World War, when the U.S. government required manufacturers to conserve fabric, plain-front trousers became standard issue, retaining their popularity throughout the gray-flannel, Ivy League era. However, all suit trousers should have pleats, just as most custom trousers did prior to the war. Pleated pants look dressier and their fuller fronts provide greater comfort than plain-front trouser: hips widen when the wearer is seated, and with less wear to the trouser. Objects placed in a front pants pocket are better concealed within a pleated trouser than a pleatless one.

The classically designed pleated trouser has two pleats on either side of its fly – a deep one near the fly and a shallower one near the pocket to help keep the main pleat closed. This arrangement maintains the working relationship between the two pleats. The current trend for multiple pleat or some other gimmick of fancified fullness reminds ma of the recent gilding of the necktie with overwrought prints, a fad that was as fleeting as it was excessive.

While having your trousers fitted, make sure the pleats are not opening . Look down to see if each leg’s front crease intersects the middle of each kneecap and finishes in the middle of each shoe. If it is off at all, the crease should err toward the inside of the trouser. A crease that falls outside the knee creates the illusion of breadth, something most men prefer to avoid.

The trouser bottom should rest with a slight break on the top of the shoe. It should be long enough to cover the hose when a man is in stride. Its width should cover about two-thirds of the shoe’s length. Cuff give the trouser bottom weight, helping to define the pleat’s crease while maintaining the trouser’s contact with the shoe. Like any detail of classic tailoring, cuff width should be neither so narrow nor so wide that it call attention to itself. To provide the proper balance, the cuffs should be 1 5/8” for a person under five feet ten, 1 3/4 if he is taller. Cuffs of 1 1/7” or 2” reflect the erratic ness of their master: fashion.


BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Top Quality Mens Suits And Shirts Custom Tailor Made To Measure

With the transformation of the men’s suit business into a world of designer fashion and the almost complete mechanization of its manufacturing process, determining the contemporary suit’s quality and intrinsic value is the most elusive challenge facing today’s shopper. Like women’s ready-to-wear, the majority of men’s tailored clothing today is sold on its name recognition, fit, and aura of fashionability. The era when men’s suits were expected to carry a man from one decade to another and were purveyed based on the relative merits of their quality and hand tailoring is as dated as sized hosiery, exact-sleeved dress shirts, and the three-piece suit.

Except for a handful of factories left in the world that continue to tailor suit primarily by hand, most clothing manufacturers have either incorporated the latest technology into their production process or closed shop. The cost of skilled labor and the time required to create a garment in the old-world manner has limited this wearable’s market to those retailers and consumers who appreciate the quality and work behind the hand-stitched garment’s higher price. In his hallowed fitting rooms the specialty retailer must be able to explain the nuances of this handcrafted creation from its silk thread and hand made buttonholes to the superiority of its worsted fabric.

Beginning in the 1920s, before machine started replacing tailors, suits were grads from 1 to 6 in a system that specified the number of hand operations used to create the final product. For instance, a number 1, the lowest grade of suit, was almost entirely machine-made. A number 2 coat could use some handwork to finish the cuffs, collar, and buttons. A number 3 ha to have these three components finished by hand. A number 6, the highest grade on the scale, was made almost entirely by hand. Of course, some manufacturers would misrepresent these numbers in an attempt to sell their product at a higher quality rating it deserved, but at least the system gave the retailer and consumer some sort of uniform standard.

As technical improvement in machine-made clothes blurred the advantages of more costly hand crafting, tailored clothes have become creations of refined engineering and industrialized production. With the tailor’s shears and hand-sewn stitches being replaced by computers, laser knives, conveyor belts, fusing, and high-speed pressing machinery, the modern men’s suit has become a marvel of tailoring science and technological genius. And as with any automates creation, the measure of its quality is time, in this case minutes.

The modern suit that sells for $395 takes approximately 80 minutes of uninterrupted labor, while the higher-profile designer garment retailing for $1,495 requires approximately 150 minutes of continuous construction. In order words, little more than an hour of actual labor and quality control separate the least costly from the most expensive machine-made suit. While the higher-prices suit’s shell fabric, linings, facings, and fusibles are more costly and produce a softer, more flexible garment, they do not account for the entire difference in retail price. A good part of the disparity represents the expenses involved in operating a high-profile designer fashion business; publicity, advertising, fashion shows, and the overhead of a design studio.

Today, most men’s suits are constructed in the same manner as a dress shirt’s collars and cuffs, whose outside layers are top-fused for permanent smoothness. First developed during the 1950s, the process of bonding or gluing a layer to an outside shell fabric has evolved to a level where it can nearly simulate the softness and flexibility of the hand-sewn canvas used in tailored men’s clothes. Formerly, this layer of reinforcement places between the coat’s outer cloth and inner lining consisted of one or more ply of horsehair and regular canvas secured by numerous hand stitches. When suspended by the elasticity of its hand make silk stitches, its free-floating dynamic gave the jacket’s front a lasting shapeliness and drape while lending pliancy and spring to the roll of its lapel. The scientific advances seen in the development and performance of the more traditional artisan methods. With the consumer requesting lighter, softer tailored clothing, these fusibles allow a cost to mold to the wearer, though they sacrifice fit and longevity in the process.

So, how does a man cut through all this industry mumbo jumbo to determine his prospective suit’s level of quality? The answer is complex and difficult to translate into the written word, since these automated garments lack the visible handwork of top quality tailoring to act as benchmarks. The cost efficiency of the new technology encourages manufacturers to incorporate many of the details associated with more expensive tailored clothed into less costly products, rendering the ranking of quality even less clear. Crotch pieces and lines knees are no longer the exclusive province of the most expensively tailored suit trousers, while underarm sweat shields and machine stitching that appears hand-sewn grace jackets with less than lofty pedigree.


I will break down the subject into price brackets that represent various generic methods of manufacture so our investigation will have some boundaries and focus. Please remember that this is a discussion about the quality of the product’s construction, not the beauty of its design. As you will learn later, a wearable’s longevity is predicated more on its design than its quality. A well-designed $350 suit can provide more years of wear than an expensive hand-tailored worsted cashmere suit whose shoulders look as though the hanger is still holding them up.

The finest ready-made suits are constructed like those that are custom-made, except the workplace has been organized into a miniature factory. This means each garment is individually hand-cut, lining, pocket, and sleeves have all been sewn by hand; and everything is hand-pressed. At this level of quality, the construction or padding of the jacket’s lapels and collar is stitched totally by hand. There could be two thousand stitches or more in a single-breasted jacket’s lapel; these will hold the garment’s shape intact through all weathers, fair or foul. For this rarefied ready-made suit, one must expect to pay at least &2,000.

The next ministep below this level of quality can boast the same level of workmanship, but the time-consuming lapel hand-basting is done by a special machine. Those parts of the coat that need flexibility and movement continue to be sewn by hand – armholes, shoulders, collar. At a minimum, you should be able to look at the inside of the jacket and confirm that the felling of its linings in these areas in hand done. Next, you should take the coat’s bottom front, three inches from its bottom and two inches from its edge. Rub it between the coat’s outer shell and inner lining. This confirms the coat has a canvas front rather than a fused one. It is the work of a tailor and the garment’s shape will remain intact as long as it is well cared for. Selling for between $1,500 and $2,000, it will endure the ravages of extended wear.

Moving down to he next level of quality, you find the semitraditional or semi-canvas-front coat whose bottom front is fused but not its lapels, collar, and chest. Its canvas inner lining floats, held in place by hand stitches so it moves more naturally with the coat. The beauty of this hybrid is that its lapels roll and stay on the coat’s chest more naturally than fused lapels will. The canvas inner lining gives the lapels more spring so that their edges remain in contact with the jacket’s chest. One can always tell a fused lapel because its edges tend to curl away from the jacket. The semitraditional make has its shoulders, armholes, and collar hand-stitched so that the presentation around the man’s face and upper torso appears supple and rich. The cost for such a suit usually falls between $850 and $1,200.

The majority of today’s tailored clothing is sewn completely by machine and constructed through fusing. One version is made “open” or in what we call the American system. Parts such as the sleeve and collars are assembled separately first, then put together. In the “Two-shell” or German system, the entire inside lining shell is assembled separately from the outside fabric shell. Then the one is sewn inside the other, The two-shell calls for less labor and prides itself on its consistency. While requiring additional manufacturing steps, the American system utilizes more basting stitches, elements of make that in the end come out of the coat but help build in its enduring shape. The price of this type of garment can range wildly, from $395 up to $1,495 depending on whose label is inside

The only thing one needs to consider when making a choice between the least expensive methods of tailoring is alterability. Most men would never even consider this factor, but they must. Since the two-shell garment only has 3/8” Outlet in its seams, the man who gains ten pounds or more will find it impossible to have the coat let out. Imagine spending $750 on a suit only to find out it cannot be altered the garment made in the traditional open way because its shape comes from building in curves while the engineered coat’s shape, due to its flat, straight-lined approach to make, will lose its shapeliness faster.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the aforementioned has been written as a general guide. Within each of these categories, you will encounter garments that resist easy classification. I hope the information passed on here will enable you to ask the correct questions when trying to get a grip on this difficult subject.

BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Custom Clothes Make The Man - Part 1 - Suits, Sports Jackets, Pants, Trousers, And Topcoats

Up until the late eighteenth century, it was often the man who dressed more flamboyantly than the woman, his wardrobe filled with laces and bows as well as high-heeled shoes with shiny buckles. Even our presidents were not immune, as a sartorially splendid George Washington appeared at his first Inaugural wearing a brocade jacket, lace shirt, silver appointments, and high-heeled shoes with diamond buckles.
However, as the country changed, so did clothing styles. With the emphasis on democracy and the glorification of the common man, clothing became less ornate, less ostentatious. By the time Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated, he followed the fashion of his time by taking the oath wearing a plain blue coat, drab colored waistcoat, green velveteen breeches with pearl buttons, yarn stockings, and slippers.
At the turn of this century, menswear was still heavily influenced by the Victorian era, as reflected in suits which at times resembled an extension of the upholstered look of the Victorian furniture popular in American homes in the period.
And yet the first decade of this century saw the important introduction of the sack suit, a style characterized by any shapeless coat without a waist seam, the body and skirt having been cut in one piece, and the Ivy League - style clothing from England. It was also during this period that certain other fashion innovations began to appear, such as the polo coat (introduced from England by Brooks Brothers around 1910) and the button-down collar (also introduced by John Brooks, in 1900, after heดd discovered it being worn by polo players in England in order to prevent flapping during play).
The 1920s were a time of experimentation, as the suit silhouette turned to the natural-shoulder look, and the first sports jacket - the Norfolk, modeled after the hunting suit worn by the Duke of Norfolk in the early eighteenth century - was produced. This decade also saw the rise and fall of jazz clothing, which had little semblance of balance or respect for the human form, with its inordinately long, tight-fitting jackets and narrow trousers; the cake-eater suit, named for college students who wore this slightly exaggerated copy of the natural- shoulder suit; and the knicker suit, featuring plus - four knickers that fell four inches below the knee. The 1930s was undoubtedly the most elegant period for menswear, as men gravitated toward the English drape style and the sportswear industry exploded. The British drape suit made it safely into the 1940s, though it was then referred to as the British blade, British lounge, and, finally, as the “lounge suit,” a fitting name for its casually elegant style.
World War II resulted in a marked austerity in dress, due in large part to the restrictions placed on the clothing industry by the War Production Board. After the war, men were ready for another change in their clothing styles, and in 1948 the “bold look” began to be seen.
The 1950s are best remembered for the “gray flannel suit” worn by the conservative businessman. Now men were back to the natural-shoulder silhouette. As reported in Apparel Arts ด75 Years of Fashion, “No style was ever so firmly resisted, so acrimoniously debated - or more enthusiastically received in various segments of the industry. Natural shoulder styling eventually became the major style influence. Brooks Bros., once a ดcitadel of conservatism,ด became a font of fashion as the new ดIvy Cultด sought style direction. Charcoal and olive were the colors.”
In addition to the introduction of man-made fibers, this period also saw the arrival of the Continental Look from France and Italy, featuring short jackets and broad shoulders, a shaped waistline, slanting besom pockets, sleeve cuffs, short side vents, and tapered, cuffless trousers. This “slick” look made little inroad on those who were staunch adherents of the more conservative Ivy League look, but it was a significant phenomenon nonetheless, as it moved Americans further away from the stylish elegance of the 1930s.
The sixties brought the Peacock Revolution - a phrase popularized in this country by George Frazier, a former columnist for Esquire magazine and the Boston Globe - which began on Carnaby Street in London and featured a whole array of new looks, including the Nehru jacket and the Edwardian suit. In contrast to the fifties, during which time choices were limited, a wide range of alternatives was now available as the focus moved to youth and protest. The designer Pierre Cardin even created an American version of the slim-lined European silhouette, which, along with the immense popularity of jeans, led to the acceptance of extreme fittedness in clothing - a far cry from the casual, comfortable elegance of preceding generations.
During this period, the American designer Ralph Lauren was attempting to convince the American male that there was a viable alternative to this high-style clothing. This alternative was a version of the two-button shaped suit with natural shoulders that had been introduced by Paul Stuart in 1954 and briefly popularized by John Kennedy during his presidency. Lauren updated the Stuart suit by using the kind of fabrics usually reserved for custom-made suits and dramatizing the silhouette by enlarging the lapel and giving more shape to the jacket. Laurenดs following remained small, however, as most men leaned toward the jazzier Cardin-style suit.
The seventies were the era of the designer. They were also a time of intense fashion experimentation, coming at a point when the largest growth in the number of people buying fashions occurred and manufacturers tried desperately to capture the one- third of the buying public that was spending two-thirds of the money. Toward the end of the decade, after years of following the fitted clothing styles of Milan and Paris, there was a dramatic turnaround as a number of European designers and manufacturers began biting off pieces of the American style of dress. Brooks Brothersด baggy garments and button-down shirts, both indigenously American, began to be produced in European versions, for Europeans had suddenly become attracted to the looser, more comfortable style of dress and were eschewing the tight-fitting silhouette theyดd embraced in the past.
While the European look still retained a foothold among American men (represented by designers such as Giorgio Armani, Basile, and Gianni Versace), the pendulum had begun to swing in the direction of a less stylized, more natural-fitting garment. A new generation of American designers joined Ralph Lauren in presenting an updated, purely American style of clothing.
Today, American menดs designers are continuing to rediscover the traditions of their past, exploring the American heritage in menswear. Of particular interest to most is the 1930s, the era of elegance, in which designers continue to find much to inspire them. Yet the experience of the last twenty years has taught them that men want not only quality, shape, and elegance but comfort as well. Clothes that lead the marketplace today are made of high-quality materials. They are soft and comfortable, but their designs still reflect the qualities of traditional Old World style.
For nearly two hundred years now, men in prominent positions have been going to work wearing proper business suits. Over the years, there have been occasional rebellions against this custom, and, in fact, a mere twenty years ago the future of business suits in this country looked bleak, as dire predictions of men appearing at work wearing jump suits and the like abounded. Yet today, perhaps more then ever before, the business suit is the accepted uniform of the successful entrepreneur.
Naturally, this brings to mind the following questions: Why has the business suit enjoyed this longevity? What purpose does it serve? Why should a man even bother wearing one when it seems to limit self-expression and stifle individuality?
Perhaps a starting point in responding to these questions appears in an advertisement placed by the pre-eminent menดs clothing store, Paul Stuart, which states that “a proper function of the business suit is to offer a man a decent privacy so that irrelevant reactions are not called into play to prejudice what should be purely business transactions.”

While this is certainly true, there is no reason why a man in a business suit has to look bland. Even in a business situation, it is possible to dress within certain professional parameters while still managing to avoid the trap of looking as if one just walked off the assembly line. The business suit can and should at least offer the suggestion of character and a sense of individuality. If, for instance, one works in advertising as opposed to banking, one can get away with a bit more verve in a suit rather than adhering to the more conservative look required in the latter profession. But even a man working in banking should not exempt himself from thinking about dress, for whatever one wears says something about the wearer.
More than any other single item of clothing, it is the suit that ultimately determines the overall style of a manดs dress. Although the shirt, tie, and hose all have an important contribution to make to a manดs style, none plays nearly so major a role as the suit, which, since it covers 80 percent of the body, actually defines the general mood and impression of oneดs appearance. Accessories should relate to the suit and not vice versa. To think otherwise would be tantamount to beginning the decoration of an empty apartment by first purchasing an ashtray.
THE SILHOUETTE
“The silhouette” is the term used by the clothing industry to describe the cut or shape of a suit. Women have long realized that the shape of a garment sets the tone of their appearance, but only recently have men realized that they too have a choice of styles that accomplish the same important task for them.
For this reason, the silhouette should be the primary consideration in the purchase of any suit. The fabric and details, which may add to a suitดs attractiveness, and even the fit should be of secondary concern, since it is the silhouette that actually determines the longevity of the garment. If this statement sounds the least bit dubious, think of the tight- fitting rope-shouldered, wide-lapeled, flared-bottom suits of fifteen years ago. Where are they now? In all likelihood, if one still owns these garments, itดs been some time since theyดve seen the light of day.
Today, there are three distinct silhouettes that have demonstrated their longevity: the sack suit, the European-cut suit, and the updated American-style suit. The first two choices offer distinctly different approaches to dressing: the sack disguises the figure of a man, while the European model leaves little to the imagination. The third style, the updated American-style suit, is almost an amalgam of the other two, hiding the body as well as flattering it. To my mind, it is the one silhouette that looks most comfortable on the American physique: casual, but eminently proper, stylish but without the studied elegance of the European model.
The Sack, or Brooks Brothers Natural-Shoulder, Suit
The sack, or the Brooks Brothers natural-shoulder, suit has been, for almost a century now, the backbone of American clothing. First popularized near the turn of the century, it was a silhouette characterized by a shapeless, nondarted jacket with narrow shoulders (which were soft and unpadded) as well as by flap pockets, a single rear vent, and a three- or four-button front. Designed large in order to fit many sizes, it was the first mass-produced suit and it looks it. After all, it was not called the sack suit for nothing.
Perhaps the biggest strength of the sack silhouette is also its basic weakness: it hides the shape of its wearer and takes away any sense of individuality. The reason it has managed to exist successfully for such a long period of time is simply that it appeals to the common denominator. Since it is so anonymous, it offends no one, enabling the wearer to walk into any environment and be acceptably attired.
For those seeking anonymity in their clothing, or wishing to hide an ungainly figure, this may be an acceptable style. But for anyone else, the sack-style suit is woefully inappropriate.
The European Silhouette
Only since the late 1960s has the European-cut silhouette been a major factor on the American scene. This shape relies upon severity of line to project its style. The dominant shape and style in France and Italy for the past thirty years, it has been maintained in a jacket with squarish shoulders, high armholes, and a tight fit through the chest and hips. It is two- buttoned, its back is usually non-vented, and it has a much more structured feel to it than the sack suit. The trousers tend to have a lower rise and fit more snugly through the buttocks and thigh, sitting just under the waist so that one feels them fitting through the hips and thigh, hugging the line of the leg.
As Stephen Birmingham pointed out in Vogue, European men liked to “ ดfeelด the clothes they wore...a man in a European-cut suit was very much aware that he was inside something. Sitting down was a delicate operation, and crossing the legs was not to be undertaken lightly....”
In the 1960s and ด70s, the European fit gained much popularity in this country, in part because of the mass acceptance of jeans and the notion that clothes ought to express a manดs physicality. This silhouette offered a radical alternative to the sack suit and appealed particularly to women, who perhaps unintentionally promoted this exaggerated style, which emphasizes a manดs sexuality at the cost of subtlety and comfort. While it is true that a man wearing this silhouette did look thinner, it is also clear that he was compromising taste and style in order to feel thin.
After the initial excitement of this style wore off, American men realized they were projecting a character that was not their own. Europeans, after all, have long dressed in a more formal, studied manner. Their clothing evolved to reflect not only their thin and lithe body types, but also their penchant for elegance and formality. Americans, on the other hand, have always preferred a more subtle and casual style. With their broader shoulders and wider chests, they require a softening in the lines of their clothing, not the hard angles identified with
the European styles. Recognizing this, they are returning in greater numbers to endemic styles that are designed to complement their larger physiques; clothing that is soft and comfortable, but with a tasteful subtlety that is the purest idiom of the
American heritage.
The Updated American Silhouette
The updated American silhouette is a combination of the best elements of the sack and the European-cut suit. The jacket has some of the same softness and fullness through the chest and shoulder areas of the sack, to which it adds some of the European notion of shape.
Long the staple of fine dressers, from Clark Gable to Fred Astaire to Cary Grant, this soft, shaped suit was essentially a spin-off from the sack. The three-button sack coat was modified to a two-button version with some suppression at the waist by Paul Stuart. As mentioned earlier, this style was then modified further by Ralph Lauren, beginning in the mid-1960s. Both his espousal of it and the subsequent support of a score of young American designers gained, for this updated American style, the national recognition and the widespread acceptance it has today.
Like the European model, the new American-style jacket is tapered at the waist, giving the wearer something of a V-shaped appearance. The jacket, with its two-button design, has a longer lapel roll. In further contrast to the sack, this style also has a somewhat higher armhole and the chest is a bit smaller. All these details work to give it more definition than its dour predecessor.
These modifications give the updated American suit a freedom that allows the materials to adapt themselves to the wearerดs physique. This is as it should be. Angular clothing tends to impose itself on the body. It has its own shape, and the wearer must fit into it rather than the other way around. The adaptation of clothing to the wearerดs physique, on the other hand, is the ideal expression of oneself. Like a good haircut, the cut of a suit should never call attention to itself. Elegance or style can be achieved only through softness of line. This is why the updated American-style suit jacket has a modified natural shoulder and is cut with a slight taper at the waist, while the trousers take their line from the shape of a manดs leg.
This article is credited to Alan Flusser

BY www.mycustomtailor.com

The Business Mans Wardrobe

No matter what people say, first impressions are mostly based on physical appearance. Thatดs how it works in the dating game and thatดs what often happens in the business world. We are judged on the way we introduce ourselves, on our body language, and most of all, on the way we dress.
Bear in mind, however, that a flawless dressing style is only a complement to substance and a good work ethic, not a substitute. See it as a competitive edge.
Because of their position on the corporate ladder, executives, more than anyone else in the organization, should strive to dress and look their best every day. The first step in dressing for success is determining exactly how many suits, shirts, ties, and accessories you will need to keep your wardrobe diverse.
That being said, here is a quantitative list of basic items an executive should find in his wardrobe. Keep in mind that by mixing and matching the following items, youดll be able to go two weeks without wearing the same outfit twice.

Suits

As an executive, you should own four to six suits; this includes a double-breasted one. Stick to dark, classic colors such as navy, black, charcoal gray, and burgundy.

Shirts
Your wardrobe should also include ten to twelve dress shirts. Mix it up with a couple of white, light blue, and black wide spread collared shirts (straight point collars will also do).

Get the right ties, belts and shoes to climb to the top!

Ties
As an executive, your tie should always exude seriousness and a high level of professionalism. Rotate between eight to ten conservative ties, and donดt be afraid to throw some striped and patterned ones into the mix.

Belts & shoes
To complete your conservative ensemble, youดll need at least two dressy leather belts and two pairs of leather shoes.
A pair of black shoes and a black belt are must-haves in any business wardrobe. Brown and deep burgundy (or oxblood) are also practical colors for dressy shoes and business accessories.

Jackets, sweaters & sporty shirts

For casual Fridays and other less formal occasions, you should own at least two sports jackets, two dressier sweaters, and two casual dress shirts (hereดs where your more fitted shirts come in handy, as well as those with less-traditional patterns).

Trousers
Match any of the aforementioned tops with one of four pairs of dress pants; two pairs of casual trousers (such as khakis or corduroys); and one of two pairs of blue jeans (for very casual days, of course).


Casual shoes and belt
You should own at least one pair of casual shoes and a casual belt to wear with your less-formal pants.
The finishing touches...
Last but not least, every executive should own at least one elegant watch and two sets of cufflinks to round out his business wardrobe.


At this point youดre probably sweating over how much this executive wardrobe is going to cost you. Although the list seems excessive at first glance, keep in mind that most of these items are timeless where style is concerned. You should not think of this future shopping spree as an expense, but as a long-term investment.
Also keep in mind that most of these items are classic, and you probably already own some of them.

BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Business Clothing And The Executive Dress Up

Back to Business Basics in Custom Clothing


No matter what people say, first impressions are mostly based on physical appearance. That's how it works in the dating game and that's what often happens in the business world. We are judged on the way we introduce ourselves, on our body language, and most of all, on the way we dress.

Bear in mind, however, that a flawless dressing style is only a complement to substance and a good work ethic, not a substitute. See it as a competitive edge.

Because of their position on the corporate ladder, executives, more than anyone else in the organization, should strive to dress and look their best every day. The first step in dressing for success is determining exactly how many suits, shirts, ties, and accessories you will need to keep your wardrobe diverse.

That being said, here is a quantitative list of basic items an executive should find in his wardrobe. Keep in mind that by mixing and matching the following items, you'll be able to go two weeks without wearing the same outfit twice.


Suits

As an executive, you should own four to six suits; this includes a double-breasted one. Stick to dark, classic colors such as navy, black, charcoal gray, and burgundy.


Shirts

Your wardrobe should also include ten to twelve dress shirts. Mix it up with a couple of white, light blue, and black wide spread collared shirts (straight point collars will also do).


Ties

As an executive, your tie should always exude seriousness and a high level of professionalism. Rotate between eight to ten conservative ties, and don't be afraid to throw some striped and patterned ones into the mix.



Belts & shoes

To complete your conservative ensemble, you'll need at least two dressy leather belts and two pairs of leather shoes.
A pair of black shoes and a black belt are must-haves in any business wardrobe. Brown and deep burgundy (or oxblood) are also practical colors for dressy shoes and business accessories.


Jackets, sweaters & sporty shirts

For casual Fridays and other less formal occasions, you should own at least two sports jackets, two dressier sweaters, and two casual dress shirts (here's where your more fitted shirts come in handy, as well as those with less-traditional patterns).


Trousers

Match any of the aforementioned tops with one of four pairs of dress pants; two pairs of casual trousers (such as khakis or corduroys); and one of two pairs of blue jeans (for very casual days, of course).


Casual shoes and belt

You should own at least one pair of casual shoes and a casual belt to wear with your less-formal pants.
The finishing touches...


Last but not least, every executive should own at least one elegant watch and two sets of cufflinks to round out his business wardrobe.



At this point you're probably sweating over how much this executive wardrobe is going to cost you. Although the list seems excessive at first glance, keep in mind that most of these items are timeless where style is concerned. You should not think of this future shopping spree as an expense, but as a long-term investment.
Also keep in mind that most of these items are classic, and you probably already own some of them.
The rest can of course be Custom Made by www.MyCustomClothing.com


Article Suggested By: Matt McGuire, Chicago, IL, USA



BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Vents In Suit Jackets, Button Hole In Lapels And Cricket

About Vents in Suit Jackets -

Did you know that the vent at the back of a man's jacket is a symbol of the time soldiers rode horseback?
The vent allowed their jackets to fall on either side of the riders' legs and so keep his powder dry to more effectively kill
his adversary.
Also, the side vents, if carrying a sword on the side, made it easier for the scabbard to sit properly while not disturbing the line of the jacket when on horseback.
Quite a nice little symbol to carry around with us when dressed in our Sunday best!
Side vents got transformed into a single center vent with the diminishing popularity of horses as a major mode of transport.


About Button holes on suit jacket lapels - also known as the bouttonnaire

When Prince Albert arrived in England in 1840, to marry Queen

Victoria, she gave him a tiny bouquet of flowers. The Prince, noted for his
charming little courtesies, took a penknife from his pocket, cut a hole in
the lapel of his coat and inserted the flowers. This was the first lapel
buttonhole. Prince Albert had his tailor make them in all his suits thereafter!


Cricket - and the Turn ups in pants - also called Pants Cuffs


Did you know that there is a belive that the fashionable origins or pants cuffs or turn ups are said to date to the 1860s when members of the Windsor cricket club began rolling up their trousers by hand
to protect them from the mud. Tennis players began following suit, rolling
up their flannel trousers before hitting the courts. When fashion tastemaker
the Prince of Wales showed up to the Ascot races sporting the look, British
gentlemen began imitating the style, initially causing quite a controversy.
Etiquette mavens disapproved of roll-ups or turn-ups, as they were
called, claiming that they collected dirt that would be brought indoors and
that men had to take care to turn them down before entering a respectable
indoor location. It wasn't until the look hit America that it began to be
referred to as the cuff.




BY.www.mycustomtailor.com

A General History Of Detachable Collars On Custom Made Business And Formal Shirts

You may remember the television commercial of old that shows a women yelling - "ring around the collar" - ,in which she uses a detergent to wash out the grime from her husband´s shirt and collar.

Ring around the collar isn´t simply a Madison Avenue executive´s clever ploy to sell washing detergent. It´s a centuries old problem and more than 150 years ago a Troy women set out to do something about it. However, she had not planned on creating a whole new industry.

Hannah Lord was the daughter of William A. Lord, a Revolutionary War officer and author of Lord´s Military Tactics. She married Orlando Montague, a shoe maker (or blacksmith), on August 14, 1817, and both settled in Troy originally on Second Street.

Mrs. Montague, tired of washing her husband´s shirts because only the collars were dirty decided one day to snip off a collar, wash it, and sew it back on. Mr. Montague, it´s written, agreed to the experiment, and in 1827, the first detachable collar was made at their home at 139 Third Street.

Notice of the event spread through the city and the Rev. Ebenezer Brown took notice. Brown, who was formerly a Methodist Minister, then the owner of a small shop at 285 River Street, was asked several times for the new product that was buzzing around the streets of the city.

Brown saw the need and rushed to fill it. His wife and daughter began cutting, stitching, and laundering the first detachable collars, consisting of 2 ply material, which had to be taped and tied around the neck. These early collars were called "string collars" and cost 25 cents a piece, of two dollars per dozen. Brown would sell and deliver the collars door to door.

His popularity forced him to set up a workshop in the back of his store where he hired several women to do the job, and also outsourced the work. Payment for their labor was in the form of "trade" in his store, and set by his own price. This may have been the first "sweat shop." Brown eventually moved to New York City in 1834.

Orlando Montague, the first person to wear a detachable collar, soon began his own collar factory with business partner Austin Granger in 1834. The Montague & Granger collar factory began at 222 River Street. Besides improving on the string collar, they developed the "Bishop" collar, an upright modification of the turn down collar. Besides collars, they manufactured "dickeys" (detached shirt bosoms), and separate cuffs.


Detachable collars had the problem of leaving gaps between the shirt and collar and this led to the invention of the use of buttons to snap the collars in place. This also led to the development of several new designs of collars.

The original reason that Mrs. Montaque created the detachable collar was to clean it separately from the shirt. With the increase production of collars came the need to wash the thousands of collars being produced. In 1835, Independence Starks, entered the collar making business, and also created the first Troy Laundry at 66 North Second Street (Fifth Avenue today) where he washed not only his own collars but those of competitors as well. Many years later the laundry industry would spark the creation of the first female union in the country.

For the next 50 years many inventions were developed to aid the collar, cuff, and shirt industry and Troy production boomed. By the late 1880´s, detachable collars were being manufactured around the nation.

By the early 20th century, 15,000 people worked in the collar industry in Troy and more than 85% were native born women. Ninety out of every 100 collars worn in America were made here and Troy became world famous as the "Collar City."

In 1901, there were 26 collar and cuff makers and 38 laundries in the city. Wearing a detached white collar gave rise to a new working social class, the "white collar" worker who differentiated themselves from the no or "blue" collar factory worker.

By 1962, only six companies were still making collars and cuffs in Troy and by the 1970´s most had gone out of business or moved South.

Marvin Neitzel Corp, a firm that currently manufacturers nurses uniforms, is the last existing firm which has collar roots. Marvin Neitzel Corporation goes back to 1886 when E. W. Marvin joined the collar firm Gunnison & Son, making it Gunnison & Marvin, later incorporating in 1908 as E. W. Marvin Company. Raymond P. Neitzel joined the firm in 1917 to develop a full line of hospital products and the firm became Marvin Neitzel Corporation in 1931. Marvin Neitzel Corp is the last company to make collars in Troy, ceasing production only a few years ago.

BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Mens Accessories: What Is Hot Now - For Weddings - For The Groomsman

Mens Accessories: What is Hot Now - For Weddings - for The Groomsman

Your mission on your big day isn´t impossible; it´s simply to look your best. A well-fitting tux is a given. It´s how you accessorize that will make the most of your outfit. To help you pump up your style quotient, we tracked down the hot trends in tux and suit accessories.

MINIMAL COLOR
Stick with more subdued, sophisticated color arrangements. Try going with the same hue for both your shirt and tie. A tone-on-tone combo not only takes the guesswork out of coordinating, but will also give you a very glam look. All black -- black tux, tie, and shirt -- is popular. Navy-on-navy is big, as is a chocolate tie and shirt. Christopher Sulavik, author of The Indispensable Guide to Classic Men´s Clothing, offers one general guideline to keep in mind when pairing tints of the same color: the tie is usually darker than the shirt.

If you plan to wear a vest, black and silver are the two most popular choices. Silver (and gold) ties and vests are still red hot, but expect more pastels and light blues to trickle down from other men´s clothing trends.

ILLUSTRIOUS TIES
If you´re seeking a cutting-edge look, the bow tie should be left buried in your closet behind that pile of dirty laundry. Ties, especially those with a high-sheen, are definitely a more modern approach to neckwear. Popularized by Hollywood-types at tony award ceremonies like the Oscars, four-in-hand satin ties in lustrous, solid colors paired with a dressy shirt will definitely add some punch to your ensemble.


TURNED DOWN COLLARS
The truly updated outfit forgoes the wing collar and replaces it with the more modern turndown variety. The pros, with their current penchant for neckties and matching same-colored shirts, would definitely put you in a fancy turndown-collar shirt.

TONED DOWN VESTS
Skip the cummerbund. Though these classic garments will never go out of style, the fashion forward will decide on a vest instead. Full-back, solid-colored vests are the current choice of grooms and groomsmen, the benefit being that if you and your men plan on cranking up the heat and removing your jackets at the reception, you will still have a finished look. Do without loud, busy patterns and select a toned-down style, such as a monochromatic vest two different hues of the same color. Or better yet, go with a solid color.

WELL-HEELED SHOES
Grooms are taking the aisle walk in thick-soled leather shoes similar to what´s seen on the streets. Forget slip-on loafers; instead, chose a chunkier black lace-up style. "If you´re looking for a classic patent leather, update the shape with a square toe," suggests Kenneth Cole. "It´s modern and simple yet sophisticated enough to be worn with any tuxedo." If you go with a heavier shoe, you´ll need pants that are cut a bit wider at the bottom for a more balanced look.

SILVER JEWELS
In tuxedo terms, jewelry means cuff links and shirt studs. Silver links are more popular today than gold, and are often set with black onyx. These small, fashionable costume pieces are made with a variety of different stones -- from onyx to mother of pearl -- and add just the right finishing touch to your wedding day ensemble.

Article from TheKnot.com
BY www.mycustomtailor.com

Men´s Attire: 4 Ways The Groom Can Stand Out

Though senior prom may have been the last time you donned a tux, you´ll need to improve upon your high-school fashion sense for your wedding day. What´s more, the rules traditionally state that the groom and his henchmen all wear similar outfits, so it´s important to set yourself apart to help guests identify you as the guy who just locked lips with the bride at the altar.

First, learn the basic tenets of tuxedo wearing. The codes of conduct are stricter, the more formal the event. If you and yours are opting for an ultra-formal affair, your team will wear virtually the same togs, so being singular becomes a tougher task. The more casual the celebration, the more leeway you´ll have. But regardless of the sartorial dictates of your wedding, you can still shine for your nuptials -- even if you and the fellas will be garbed in similar attire. We polled the pros for the following four solutions.

ALTERNATIVE TUX
Subtle differences in your jacket from those of your groomsmen are a surefire way to make your mark. For a less than ultra-formal wedding, such as a daytime affair, if you dress in a cutaway coat, your boys can wear stroller coats instead. If you select a double-breasted jacket, put your men in a single-breasted cut, suggests Colin Cowie, wedding expert and author of For the Groom. Likewise, put yourself in a one-button jacket and have the groomsmen sport a three-button version, or, if your tux has a satin lapel, the boys´ could be plain. Another option: wear a white dinner jacket, and put the groomsmen in traditional black tuxes (or vice versa).

A FANCIER FLOWER
A unique boutonniere, a "mini-corsage" worn on the jacket lapel, is the easiest way to help guests single you out. If your wedding will be very formal, run with this option. The groom can distinguish himself in several ways according to Jen Stone, owner of New York´s StoneKelly Events and Florals. The most popular boutonnieres are made of the same flower (such as stephanotis) for the groom and his groomsmen, but the groom´s would include a berry or herbal accent, such as rosemary, oregano, or mint. Another alternative would be to select a different but very similar blossom: wear a lily of the valley boutonniere, and have your men sport stephanotis. It´s a good idea to keep the flowers in the same color family for a consistent look, advises Peter Krask, a floral designer and owner of Peter M. Krask Design in New York. He suggests the groom adorn himself with a 2- or 3-blossom boutonniere and the groomsmen wear a single bloom of the identical flower. Krask also proposes the groom wear a fully open blossom while the groomsmen don buds of the same flower.


THE TELLTALE TIE
Boost your "all about me" factor by wearing a different colored tie or bow tie than the gang. For instance, if you wear a silver tie and matching vest, the groomsmen could sport a vest and tie combo that complements or matches the bridesmaid dresses. Grooms can go one step further and wear a different type of neckwear from the guys. If you choose a bow tie, the groomsmen could wear neckties with a Windsor knot, which has a triangle-shaped knot, larger than your standard, everyday four-in-hand. Or, if you plan to wear an ascot, select a matching necktie for your men.

VARIETY IN THE VEST
Vests are another element of the tux with which grooms can experiment. Pick a vest that´s a different color from your groomsmen, but be sure to match patterns if you´re mixing colors. If you choose a black tie and black vest, you could put the groomsmen in a color that matches the bridesmaid dresses. Or, set yourself apart in a cummerbund and put the guys in vests.



Article taken from
BY www.mycustomtailor.com