Do You Have A Favorite Shirt But Can’t Find Another Like It?
Do you have a favorite shirt with a favorite collar and a favorite fit?
It’s almost impossible to duplicate that one favorite shirt…unless you try custom. Show your custom tailor your favorite shirt and ask him to re-engineer it.
Have you seen a TV show or a movie where you…or your significant other…liked the way a shirt looked…only to be unable to find the shirt in the store?
The Christopher’s Custom Solution: Get a photo of the collar you desire or bring your favorite shirt with you, show your custom tailor, and ask him how close he can come to duplicating your request. Without question your custom tailor will deliver a shirt that if not spot-on, is closer to what you seek than anything you’ll find in any store…without the drudgery and uncertainty of going shopping…most guys’ least-favorite past-time!
Contact me at vince@christopherscustom .com if you have a related question you’d like to pose.
What is “Bamboo fabric?”
A good friend, Sal Giardina, adjunct professor in Textile Development and Marketing at Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, recently participated in a feature story in the Wall Street Journal.
Bamboo Forest...looks natural!
Bamboo, it appears, is essentially rayon. One of it’s downsides is a lack of durability. For an excellent discussion on this topic, read the entire article by clicking on the following link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704576204574529730229551324.html
Please keep those questions about fashion coming!
Sincerely,
Vince Rua, The Style Leader for Men
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A TUXEDO?
What are the rules for tuxedos?
Well, let’s start with a look at who was chosen as the best…and worst…dressed guys at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, January 17, 2010.
Starting with the worst…
Quentin Tarantino was Huffington Post's choice for worst dressed at the 2010 Golden Globe awards. Contrast defigns formality...black on black just doesn't work...end of discussion.
Mickey made huffington's worst dressed list. The gator lapel treatment is neat...but a white shirt and black tie would have given Mickey a chance...especially with his gorgeous girlfriend. Nevertheless, keep acting, Mickey...we love you anyway!
Moving onto the best…
Eli Roth (Basterds) shows how it's done with a black windsor tie with white "Hollywood Square" in pocket. John Krasinski (Office) is equally in style with a classic bow tie...oops...John...add a white square!
Esquire chose John Hamm of Madmen fame, as the best dressed guy at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. Simple black double breasted tux, white lay down collar shirt, classic black bow tie with black studs and cuff links
Now, why were these actors/directors chosen? First, the Golden Globe Awards is a traditional “black tie” event. This means that others are being honored and the sea of gentlemen should look like penguins…allowing those who know they are being honored to dress a little more boldly…but since no one knew who was the winner beforehand, the safest wardrobe choice would be to go “black tie”. “Black Tie” means a black tuxedo, white shirt, and a black tie. The most formal color is black for a suit/tux; the most formality is achieved by pairing a shirt with the most contrast…or white, and a contrasting tie…black. The style, double breasted, notch lapel, or peak lapel doesn’t alter the formality of one’s outfit. Going without a tie is a fashion no-no for a black tie event. Wearing a black shirt is close behind in fashion no-no’s. To take this discussion to the end, if one is invited to a formal event, but no one is being honored…for example, a New Year’s Gala event, or a fundraiser over the summer such as the SPAC Gala in Saratoga, NY, celebrating the first performance of the season…one’s formal attire, may include colorful cumberbund/bow tie or vest/tie accessories to match one’s date or just to have fun! For a wedding or chamber event where one is being honored for exemplary service, etc, a guy just needs to wear a black tuxedo, white shirt, black tie…and plain black shoes. I’ll discuss this in a later article, but the above principles provide ample guidance for how to dress for success in a formal business environment as well. (No, you don’t need to wear a tuxedo!) Props to (i) Huffington Post (http://twitter.com/huffingtonpost), (ii) Esquire Magazine , (iii) Allan Flusser’s educational books on style, (iv) Peter Morris-former owner of M.Schwartz and Son clothier in Poughkeepsie, NY, my mentor, and (v) last but not least, my late Dad-who always cut a fashionable figure.
Cuffs or no Cuffs?
Whether or not to have cuffs on your pants is truly a personal choice.
The fashion rule, however, is flat front dress pants should be worn with plain bottoms; pleated front dress pants should be worn with cuffs.
Cuffs provide a little extra weight at the bottom of one’s pant and serve to keep the pant on one’s shoe. If you go with cuffs, the size of the cuff should be proportionate to your height. Smaller cuffs for shorter guys; larger cuffs for taller guys. A good rule of thumb is 1 1/2″ for guys under 5′ 8″, 1 3/4″ for guys 5′ 9″ – 6′ 4″, 2″ for taller guys.
If you like the additional weight of the cuff, but prefer a plain bottom, ask for “heel guards”. A heel guard is an additional piece of fabric that is sewn into the back half of the bottom of one’s pant bottom to protect the pant from getting “pinched” by one’s shoe against the ground.
Please feel free to submit a question to Christopher’s Custom.
CAN I WEAR A BUTTON DOWN SHIRT WITH A SUIT?
First, let’s clarify what a “button down” dress shirt is. Many guys refer to any shirt with buttons down the front as a “button down” dress shirt. In business dress “fashion speak”…”button down” refers to the collar treatment of a shirt only.
The principle collar treatments would include (i) point collar, (ii) spread collar, (iii) button down collar.
The first two collars have no buttons on the collars to keep the collars down or in place. These collars rely on “stays” which are typically removable and go into a small sleeve sewn into the bottom of the collar.
The button down collar has buttons at the tips of the points.
Button Down
Interestingly, the origins of the button down collar go back to returning US soldiers who passed through England. This is an adaptation of the collar worn by English polo players. It was popularized by John Brooks (Brooks Brothers) after he had discovered it being worn by English polo players in order to prevent flapping during a match. ..So the button down collar is, by definition, a casual shirt. Its popularity in the US probably peaked prior to the 21st century but was always much less common in Britain and the remainder of Europe. A recent Men’s Clothing Industry survey disclosed that 60% of the dress shirts sold today feature some form of the “spread collar”.
CHRISTOPHER’S CUSTOM answer to the question “should one wear a button down shirt with a suit?” has always been a firm “NO”.
Here is a quick collar choice summary for different situations:
1) Suit: Your shirt if wearing a tie, should be one with a collar without buttons. The style is a personal choice and should be influenced by your physical traits…big, tall, stout, thin, etc. We’ll discuss this in a subsequent blog.
2) Suit: Your shirt if going “open-collar” should be the same…perhaps a slightly higher collar stance so that it stands up and away from your lapels. A custom shirt or a better business casual shirt will have such a collar. Visit www.alwaysgetlucky.com to see some of today’s popular casual shirt looks.
3) Sport Coat: Essentially the same rules as with a suit. If you prefer a very “preppy” look, a button down with a tie would be acceptable here.
4) No Coat- business casual, weekends: The fashion collar of choice today is one without buttons. If you desire a button but want something other than “your father’s button down”, you might choose a higher stance, coupled with a wider collar with buttons that are offset from the points by an extra ¼ inch. This will provide a distinctive button down, that will not have a “preppy appearance”. If, on the other hand, you are seeking a “preppy” look, then you simply go with a traditional button down collar.
Or put another way, there are very few E.E. Cummings in either literature or style. When you break the rules you will, more often than not, make the message (which is “hey I’m professional,” or “hey, I’m attractive”) harder to receive.
This blog drew upon postings to ask.metafilter.com from oddman and obiwanwasabi.