Fashion Mistakes

Why be concerned with your appearance?

Is it really that important to your career, romance, or influence over others?
Absolutely!!!
It’s a scientific fact that people who don’t know you make up their minds about you on a subliminal/prehistoric basis in 30 seconds or less. This evaluation of you by others takes place so quickly and is so entrenched in the human brain that it is not usually conscious thought.
Behavioral scientists tell us that we notice the following about another human being and in this order: Skin color, Sex, Age, Bearing (height, body language, etc.), Appearance, Direct Eye Contact, and Speech.

The first three we can do nothing about, but we can take advantage of this knowledge to enhance and control how to present the best image of ourselves.
Since 80% of what others see is our clothes, lets look at some basic faux pas:

1. Never wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie. Short sleeve shirts are perceived as lower class apparel. Fine as part of a uniform or if you aspire to be a fast-food manager, not if you want to project a professional image.
And the Button-Down collar dress shirt is not acceptable for dressy eveningwear (after 6 PM) nor with a double-breasted suit. That's because even though it's now a daytime business classic it was originally a sport shirt. The collar was buttoned-down by polo players to keep it from flapping in their faces.
2. Shoes are one of the most evaluated elements of men's wardrobes. Your shoes should be clean, shined, in good repair and appropriate for the occasion. If you are wearing a suit, wear lace-up shoes.

Don’t wear the same shoe on consecutive days and keep shoetrees in your shoes when you’re not wearing them.
3. Trousers should be long enough to cover your socks, and socks should cover your shins even when you cross your legs. Pants are long enough if they have a slight break in the front.

Pleats and cuffs are traditional and functional. Pleats let you sit down comfortably and cuffs add weight to the bottoms allowing for proper drape.

4. Never wear both a belt and braces (suspenders). You'll appear insecure.
5. Socks should match your trousers.
6. Belts should match your shoes.
7. Ties should reach your belt line. This is neither arbitrary nor negotiable. Too short of a tie makes you look like a rube.
8. Properly knotted ties have a “dimple” under the knot. Clips and tacks are out of date.
How to get a dimple under your knot?
Place your index finger in the middle of the tie just under where the knot is forming, pinch that part of the necktie between your thumb and middle finger and squeeze together as you pull it down and tighten the knot.



The necktie knot should hide the collar button.
9. Suit and Sports jackets are symbols of authority. However the bottom buttons of men's jackets are not designed to be buttoned, since King Edward VII gained weight, and started a fashion trend.
Single Breasted suits can have one, two, three or more buttons. Two and three button jackets are classic, one or more than three get you into the fashion forward arena, which is more suitable for social events than business. With two button jackets only the top button is fastened.
With three button jackets, you can close the middle, or middle and top button. Some suits are made so that the lapels roll to the middle button. On those suits you leave the top button unfastened. Some East Coast hipsters fasten only the top of three buttons!

Four or more button jackets may be designed to fasten all the buttons, even the bottom. If the bottom button of a four button can be closed without a noticeable pulling of the fabric, it’s ok to close or leave it open.
Double Breasted suits are the more formal of the two styles and can have four to six buttons with one or two “to button”. They are often identified by a two-number designation such as 4/2, 4/1 or 6/2 (also “four to two”).

Translated, the first number gives the total number of front buttons and the second is the number of functioning buttonholes. It doesn’t always mean that all the buttons have to be fastened.
Often only the middle or upper button is secured on a 4/2 or 6/2, but the Duke of Kent started buttoning only his lower button creating a longer diagonal line across his chest giving the wearer a thinner, more dynamic look.
Why do men never button the bottom button of your suit, sports jacket, vest or Cardigan sweater?
King Edward VII, “Bertie”, son of Victoria (1841 – 1910, King 1901 - 1910) was so heavy that he could not get the bottom button fastened on his vest or to be more historically kind, maybe he just forgot. His subjects taking it as a fashion statement followed his lead and today most men’s suits, sports jackets or vests are not designed to button the bottom button.

The tradition of not buttoning the bottom button may have also come from the early waistcoats, which were very long. It may have been out of necessity of being able to walk that the bottom buttons were left undone.
10. Suit and Sports jackets should fit properly which includes showing 1/4" to 1/2” of “linen” or shirtsleeve at the jacket sleeve.

We live in a complex, crowded society where considerate people dress appropriately for various places and occasions. Dressing appropriately is about respect for your fellow humans and our institutions.


Source : AskAndyaboutclothes.com


E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

Interview Attire

Interview attire is certain to be a critical element in the employer's first impression of you. Taking the extra time, energy and even costs to get this part right is paramount.Let's just suffice it to say, within the first 7-17 seconds of meeting you, the employer is formulating deep personal impressions of you that are terribly difficult to change. Take advantage of this and get your appearance right then we can talk about the other elements that affect the first impression.

As far as your interview attire, conservative and professional is the name of the game. Your goal is to look polished and be so appropriately dressed that the prospective employer notices your qualifications and not your distracting or poor choice of attire.

Business Suit:
Conservative colors and styles. Dark tones like charcoal grey or navy is recommended. If you don't own or wear suits on a regular basis it's probably best you avoid suits with patterns as matching patterns in suits, shirts & ties is an aquired skill for most men. In terms of style, single breasted two button is most simple and traditional and will fall in line with your conservative, professional look.

Dress Shirt:
Again, conservative and professional is the objective. For job interviews stick with the crisp white or blue dress shirt with a straight or traditional spread collars.

Tie:
The tie should obviously coordinate with your suit and shirt but it's also important not to overindulge here. Avoid big or busy patterns and overly loud or bright colors. In order to achieve our conservative, professional look, your tie has to be consistent with that theme. Be sure it's tied properly and that the length reaches the middle of your belt. Lower is too long and higher is too short.




Shoes:
Good leather oxfords (balmorals or bluchers), dark brown or black. Loafers can be acceptable but be sure to follow our rules for Loafers with Suits. Make sure your belt matches your shoes and make sure your shoes are polished and in good repair.

Socks:
Socks should be the same color as your trousers or darker. Be sure your socks are high enough to not show any leg when seated.

Grooming:
Well groomed! we're not here to tell you how long or short your hair should be or how much if any facial hair you should have. However, make darn sure you're trimmed, hair combed and neat, finger nails trimmed, nose, ear & brow hair trimmed. If your a scent man keep it to a minimum.

Accessories:
Accessories for men interviewing should not extend beyond a watch, glasses & ring. No earings or other peircings, exposed necklaces or braclets. Remember were conservative today!

Fit:
The last piece of advice we offer regarding interview attire is that your clothes fit. This seems to be a simple and obvious thing but many men try to get away with an emergency suit off the rack and/or that suit they have not worn in 4 years. Fit is vital in looking professional and put together. Too big and you look sloppy and immature, too tight and you'll look like it's been a while since you've done anything important enough to wear a suit. Be sure your clothes fit.

E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

Types Of Collars On Dress Shirts

Types of Collars on Dress Shirts

Dress shirt collars vary in formality, and choosing one will depend on your style, whether you'll wear a tie and what type of tie you'll be wearing (ascot or bow tie, for example). Most dress shirt collars will support different types of neck ties or knotting methods, so choose the dress shirt collar that matches the occasion and your taste.

Traditional Collar
A dress shirt with a traditional collar is the most common kind, and it can be found on many department-store shirts. The traditional collar has a smaller spread and is ideal for the four-in hand knot, or traditional knotting method for neckties. This collar will still be comfortable and stylish with no necktie.

Tab Collar
A neck tie must accompany a dress shirt with a tab collar, although this collar is found mostly on high-end and custom dress shirts. The tab size is based on your neck size and the type of tie knot you want, such as a traditional knot or a Windsor knot.




Button-Down Collars
Dress shirts with button-down collars are traditional and can be formal, with a necktie, or business casual, without one. You can choose an inside button-down collar. On this collar, the buttons are hidden on the underside with a corresponding tab to keep them invisible and buttoned up when you choose.

Spread Collars
A quarter-spread collar will give you a European flair. It features a large spread between the collar halves, which best supports a Windsor- or half-Windsor-knotted necktie. The half-spread collar is similar, except its spread is the widest, with a more pronounced point on the dress shirt. Finally, the small-spread collar has almost no spread. Instead, the collar halves point down but are rounded for a less dramatic look. Its small spread will still support a neck tie and will still give you that European flair.

Pin Collars
The straight pin collar is ideal for the businessman. Here, the necktie nestles between two collar halves and is held in place with a tie pin that's inserted into a pair of holes found on the collar. The round pin collar is the same, except the bottom edges of the collar halves are rounded off instead of pointed, for a subtler look.

E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

Advantages Of A Custom Made Shirt

The handmade shirt has a long history worldwide and its popularity in recent years demonstrates that there is still a wealth of individuals who like the tailored look.
Perhaps they're businessmen who need to make an impression, or they're just people who take pride in what they wear, but no matter what their motivation, the handmade bespoke shirt is here to stay.
However, at times the cost of a tailor made shirts has been well outside the realm of possibility of many men, but in recent years the rise in popularity of the handmade shirt has meant that prices aren't quite so steep, with shirts now available under 75.00 specially with the advent of online custom tailors.
They can go to Savile Row to have their suit measured then take a leisurely stroll around the corner to get the shirt to match. A testament to the importance of the handmade shirt to the modern man is the amount of people who travel from the USA and beyond to get their made-to-measure shirt, year on year.
Quality is a main factor, the many years of experience offered to the creation of a handmade shirt is second to none, the sewing is beautifully accurate - no loose ends and probably the most important factor is that the shirt is comfortable to wear because it's made-to-measure for the individual.

You can choose the fabric, collar and single or double cuff designs so that you can design your perfect mens shirts, which for those that like to look good is perhaps as much a perfect proposition as it is a perfect shirt.
But aside from the perfect fit, perhaps the biggest motivation for getting yourself kitted out in a tailor made shirts is the desire to stand out from the crowd. An off the rack shirt, all be a similar style, fit, and cut. They'll also probably all be from the same shop.
Wouldn't it be nice to be the one man who's wearing a completely original, hand-made shirt that fits like a glove and looks truly amazing? A shirt that skims your shoulders perfectly, with sleeves that fit your arms to the millimetre, and a collar that neither chokes you, or gapes open round the neck, no extra fabric hanging at the back or the torso.
The shirts can be a slim fit, comfortable or loose fit with Spread collar, Full Spread, English Cut Away collar, French Cuffs, Bond Cuffs, White collar and White Cuffs,Tab Collar, Button Down Collar.
So you can see why the bespoke, tailor made shirts still lives on today despite it being an historical trend. It just goes to show that there will always be a market for the man who wants to look his best, and wear clothing that is comfortable, stylish, and completely original.

E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

Mens Dress Shirts

See How A Simple Men's Shirt Can Enhance Your Look, Personality And Appearance In An Instant

Ask a man this simple question. What can enhance your look, personality and appearance in a matter of moments?

Some may find it difficult to say? The answer is a quality shirt. Shirts can help to reorganize the way you look. A Shirt is comfortable and can be cool, fashionable, elegant and stylish. It symbolizes freedom, comfort and individuality of that concerned person. You can wear them for casual, wedding, dinner, business, travelling, all seasons, and anytime and for any purpose.

While selecting a shirt you need to take notes on fashion, coordination that matches your skin and hair color. Imagine a light haired man with fair colored skin tone, in a pure white shirt. The pure white shirt cannot do a thing to enhance his appearance. Shirts come in different fabrics and textures generally to fit you well as well as being versatile, and more economical too.

Shirts are the easiest way for you to reflect your personal style. They are not only for style, but also it is a cover to partly safeguard and protect your skin from the hot sun, dust and cold. Plenty of fabrics like cotton, poplin, linen and wool in different textures, and blended varieties are available.

Cotton garments are durable and very comfortable to wear. Some choices like 60%, 80% cotton blended with other fabrics is suitable for some, while 100% cotton is preferred by many. The different types of cotton shirts are Casual Wear cotton shirts, Mens dress shirt, Polo shirt; knitted cotton wears, cotton T shirts etc.

Linen is epitomized as luxury. The coolness, strength and brilliance is most often found in linen compared to cotton. Linen is woven into fabrics. It is durable, strong and resists rotting in wet climates.

There are endless impressive displays of shirt styles and designs to choose from. Versatile styles of men?s shirts remain as the formal shirt casual shirt tailored shirt slim fit shirt, evening , business, cuffed shirt, long sleeve, short sleeve and summer shirt. Thousands of stripes, patterns, colors, and

a wide variety of crisp white shirt fabrics are also available.

Choose double cuffs or button cuffs. Renowned designers never miss to add this type to their catalog. For grand occasions wear a double cuff shirt with Cuff links or cuff fabric knots etc. This button cuffed shirt should suit any perfect evening wear.

We all know very well the collar shape is controlled by the neckline. A broader face with a thick neck and tiny collar will look imbalanced. Likewise a shirt with long points may drown a small man with different features. You have to choose your collar, standard collar Cut Away Collar, Button down Collar and wing collars are available.

Some of the world's most renowned and followed brands are said to be The Russell Collection, Patagonia cotton, American Apparel Brand Lion Brand to name a few. These brands have established themselves strongly and you can pick your favorite, without thinking about quality and other particulars.

Benefits Of Online Purchase:

Is it possible to search all the brands and collections in a retail shop? Your shirt purchase is easy with just a click here. Sure, in this world all things are possible! The most inexpensive way to shop for shirts is online. What can you get online? You can avoid stepping into all those stores to find
the shirt of your taste, plus you can save time and escape from roaming tirelessly. Not only that, when compared to the traditional shopping system the price will be cheaper, because online shoppers do not include show room maintenance charges, extra advertisement charges etc.

Moreover large volumes of versatile fabrics, styles, designs, colors and sizes can be viewed by sitting in your own living room, and can get clarified immediately by email or over the phone to make your order. The online purchase is safer for money handling. You need not go to the bank to draw out your money. You can buy with your Master, Visa, Discover, American Express etc, Debit cards are also accepted. So why delay? Start browsing, to select the right shirt and enjoy the benefits.

E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

The Emerging Craze of Custom Cloths

As the world becomes more and more complex, the sane seek more sanity in simplification. It seems pure shopping pleasure just isn’t there anymore. Is it just because we have no time? Are the choices just too overwhelming? Or do we just detest fitting rooms? While many of us can answer “yes” to at least one of these, the question remains, what do we do about it? We have to wear clothes in most societies and most people have a desire to be attractive in public, polished and well groomed in the office, and comfortable enough not to be thinking about their appearance all day. Let’s face it, spending Saturday at the mall begins to lose it’s appeal sometime after our 25th birthday.

Little has the power to make a person feel more uncomfortable than an ill fitting ensemble. No matter how fabulous it looks on the hanger, if it drapes poorly on your body, it is a mistake. But don’t despair! Just because a particular cut fails to flatter your body, it certainly doesn’t mean you have to abandon the idea all together. A custom clothing professional can re-create something more suitable to your frame in keeping with the style you desire.

Here are a few points to take under consideration as you revamp your wardrobe for the coming season

1. When you buy career wear, evening wear, or even a good jean “off the rack”, the chances of a perfect fit are rare. If it flatters your body, you feel good in it and it requires simple alterations, it is money well spent to spring for the little added expense of having a trained professional alter the garment to fit your body.

2. Time is money! How many times have you spent an entire day shopping only to come home empty handed or with disappointments? A better use of your time and hard-earned income is to find a professional in your area to make a custom creation for you. It may seem an impressive expense. Certainly, custom clothing is an investment, but done in the finest fabric you can afford and created especially to fit your body, it is a contribution worth making.


3. Whether engaging a custom clothier or a seamstress to create a garment for you; don’t hesitate to ask for reference or to see some examples of their work. A qualified professional should welcome the request.

4. When investing in custom clothing, be sure to insist on generous seam allowances. None of us like to imagine the possibility of finding the need to accommodate a few extra pounds, but the expense of a slight alteration will be considerably more welcome than the price of remaking the garment.

If you still aren’t convinced custom clothing are for you due to the rapidly changing world of fashion trends, consider basing your wardrobe on well fitting essentials. The simple little black dress, made to perfectly flatter your frame, will rescue you from many last minute emergencies for years to come. A basic, impeccably tailored pencil skirt or pant in your choice of neutral color will serve as a companion to the trendy new tops you find off the rack. A good, classic overcoat will be your best friend for years to come. You don’t have to be wealthy to invest in good custom pieces. Think of them as a business investment since, let’s face it, image counts for a lot. With well fitting garments, you can look great regardless of your shape or size.

The wrong accessories will spoil your perfectly groomed image. Be sure to choose good quality shoes and handbags which reflect your personal good taste and style. A tattered handbag will spoil any outfit, no matter how beautiful your ensemble, it is the first thing people will notice. After seeing an inappropriate bag, their eyes will drop instinctively to your shoes and your custom clothing expense will be an unnoticed effort.

Consider investing in one good custom piece to add to your wardrobe this season. Try it, and I estimate by next season you will be adding as many pieces as you can afford. You will surely wonder how you ever managed without your custom wardrobe!

E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com

Fashion Conscious Men

Over the past half-century, the dress shirt has gone from being an garment to holding a prominent place in many outfits. This is one reason why it is today available in so many styles, colors, and patterns. Whether one's style is chinos or suit-and-tie, shirts are an essential means of expanding one's wardrobe.

A shirt's style signals quite a bit about the wearer's intentions. A dress shirt with a button-down collar, left breast pocket, plain front, and single-button cuffs signals leisure while a dress shirt with a turned-down point collar, no breast pocket, placket front, and French cuffs signals formality. The beauty of adjusting a shirt's style is that you can design it for not only for the occasion but also to compliment your unique features.

Shirt Collars:

The men's dress shirt collar is the most important style detail, both in determining the garment's level of formality and in how it flatters the wearer's face. Button-down collars are the least formal and extremely versatile; they look great without a tie but can just as well support a tie and sweater, blazer, or sport coat combination. The wing collar, on the other hand, is reserved for formal wear and should always be worn with its companion parts. It is the least versatile collar, whose sole purpose is to signal the highest level of dress.

Most men's dress shirts sport some sort of pointed collar, but there is huge room for variety here. While the standard point collar looks good on most men, those with narrower faces do better with slightly shorter ones, while round faces carry well above long collar points. As a general rule, the greater the angle between the short sides of the collar points, the more formal the presentation. Spread collars, which leave a wide opening between them, take large tie knots especially well. The edges of the cut-away collar nearly form a straight line above the tie knot; this is the most formal collar arrangement. An exception to the parallelism of spread and formality is the tab collar: here little tabs of fabric extending from each side connect behind the tie knot, holding the collar close together and projecting the knot outward for a precise, no-nonsense look. The white contrast collar, in any style, with or without matching white French cuffs, is a favorite of power-dressers. While it certainly raises a suit-and-tie above the masses, let the wearer be warned against it if he cannot equal its eminence.

On most decent dress shirts, the collar's points are kept straight by collar stays. These 2- to 3-inch pointed splints are inserted into slots on the underside of the collar after ironing, and later removed for washing. Besides the plastic ones that come with most shirts, you can buy them in brass, silver, and even ivory, but their material has negligible effect on their function.


Shirt Cuffs:

Barrel cuffs, standard on most dress shirts, come in a variety of styles and except for the most formal of occasions are never a bad choice. The common variety has a single button; cuffs with two or even three buttons are somewhat more artful. French cuffs are de rigeur for formal wear; they look good with a suit but are always optional. A button in the sleeve placket helps the sleeve to stay closed during wear and can be opened to iron the cuffs; it is optional but nearly ubiquitous.

Shirt Pockets:

The traditional left breast pocket adds a little depth to a dress shirt, especially if worn without jacket and tie, and can be useful for holding pens, tickets, and the like. A shirt with no pockets can look slightly cleaner with a coat and tie, but since the coat covers the pocket the difference is minimal when wearing a suit. As with most things, simplicity equals formality, so the pocket-less shirt is the dressiest.

Shirt Front & The Placket:

The standard placket is a strip of fabric raised off the men's dress shirt front with stitches down each side; this is what most casual shirts and many dress shirts have. In the more modern French placket, the edge of the shirt front is folded over, creased, and held together only by the button holes. This cleaner front sharpens more formal dress shirts; it should not, however, be combined with a button-down collar. There are also hidden button plackets, and as the name suggests hide the front buttons under a sheath of fabric.

Shirt Back:

Men's backs are not flat; thus we use pleats on the back panel of a shirt so that the fabric may hang from the yoke (the piece covering the shoulder blades) and better conform to the body. There are two common varieties of pleated shirt back styles: the box pleat consists of two pleats spaced one-and-a-half inches apart at the center, while side pleats lie halfway between each edge and the center of the back. While the former are more common on ready-to-wear shirts, the latter better align with the actual shape of the back, and thus fit most men better. A well-made custom shirt can be cut and sewn to fit its wearer perfectly without pleats, and this makes it cleaner and easier to iron. Nonetheless, many men prefer to have pleats even on their bespoke dress shirts.

Monograms:

A man may elect to have his shirt monogrammed, usually on the edge of the breast pocket or on the shirt's cuff. Monogramming originated as a way to identify one's shirts in a commercial laundry, akin to writing a child's name on the tag of their jacket. More recently, as the shirt has taken a more prominent role in men's dress, the monogram has emerged as a way to subtly communicate the care a man has taken in obtaining his clothes. While large, garish monograms certainly do more harm than good, many men enjoy the quiet display of their initials, usually in a color similar to the shirt's own.

E-tailor at www.mycustomtailor.com