So now that you’re armed with the knowledge necessary to make an educated decision it’s time to tell you more on WHY you should go custom. It comes down to one statement that I believe to be true across the board. Well fitting clothes are the cornerstone to looking like an adult. How you act is entirely up to you but at least your jackass ways will look good.
My shoulders are broad with a chest to match. Years of swimming have caused that to happen and it’s not going away. That’s an issue for me buying ready-wear shirts because if they fit in the shoulders and chest it will be crazy boxy towards my waist making me look a good 10 – 15lbs heavier then I am. I can’t have that. As a big guy already, adding the illusion that I’m heavier isn’t cool. As Patrick Bateman said, “You can always be skinnier”.
The process of getting something made uniquely to you is pretty great. The sales person who is always very knowledgeable about all things fashion and fit will come to your office or home. You’ll get measured and do all your selecting and in 6-8 short weeks there is a nice surprise for you in the mail. You feel like a true baller when in fact it’s not setting you back financially.
The place I’ve been getting my clothes from is in NYC called Astor and Black. They are fantastic and have yet to let me down. They don’t have anyone that does fittings in Dallas yet, so what I’ve found is when I’m there (NYC) I stop by and select a dozen or so fabrics that I would eventually want. When I’m ready I have my girl make 5.
Many places that do custom clothes, like Astor and Black have minims which can be frustrating. I don’t generally NEED 5 new shirts at a time but sometimes that’s how you gotta roll.
A new place that has been highly recommended that I’m going to try in the coming months is located in Dallas called J. Hilburn. They don’t have a minimum to buy which is very nice. I’ll let you all know how they turn out but I’m sure it’ll be great.
I pose this question to you all. How much do you spend on a nice dress shirt? $80? $100? If you’re like me you might spend another $20-30 on tailoring. So with tax on both you could be looking at close to $150 a shirt. Why not save the pain in the ass that is buying something you can’t ware immediately, getting it tailored that might not get be right the first round and just go custom?
My shirts cost less than $150. Sure I have to wait a little longer but the result is a perfect fit. So save time, money, and a headache while feeling cooler than the other guy because until now, you thought getting your clothes made for you was out of the question. Go forth and be better than the next guy.
Showing posts with label made-to-measure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label made-to-measure. Show all posts
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The world of custom clothes, Pt. 1
I’ve touched on this before and today we’ll get a little more in-depth into the idea of custom clothes. You don’t have to be a millionaire or even semi-rich to rock custom clothes. I’m neither and have all my dress shirts made for me. The popularity of custom clothing is growing. That’s good news for us as the number of companies doing this has increased giving the average person a choice at an affordable price.
Let’s talk a little about terminology before we get any further. You need to know what you’re getting and a lot companies are taking advantage of people that don’t know what they or aren’t paying for. There are more than 3 but we’ll focus on 3 levels of “custom” clothes.
Bespoke – This is the top of the line of all custom clothing options. The word comes from when a client would chose or bespeak for fabric the clothes were to be made out of. No other customers would have clothes made from the cloth until you were done with it. There are no standards they follow. It’s unique to how your body is made.
True bespoke clothing, which should always be questioned in America, is any garment made specifically for you by hand, with many fittings until the final garment is complete. The term is thrown around in the American fashion world these days and rarely have I seen it turn out to be true bespoke. Places like Duncan Quinn are great examples of places that do it right and you’re getting what you pay for.
Made-to-measure – This is more than likely what you’ll get when you get anything custom made. It’s essentially a garment that’s created from a standard pattern/size and then tweaked to fit you the best. It’s a great way and less expensive way to get clothes that fit you properly. They don’t create the garment until you order it and in most cases the fit is fantastic. Most of what I get is made-to-measure.
Ready-to-wear – It is what it sounds like. Anything that you buy at a store off the rack that has already been created to fit someone other than you is ready-to-wear. Most stores will then offer tailoring to make it fit right. This is hardly custom clothing and can end up costing you more.
If you walk into a store and they offer you a custom shirt, hand you a number of shirts to try on and say they’ll mess with it to fit your perfectly you aren’t getting anything custom.
A good place that offers this should take 30 minutes to an hour measuring you. Some shops will take over 30 measurements, some you wouldn’t ever think about. Like over the watch so when you button your sleeves it will go over the watch rather than getting stuck. You know what I’m talking about.
You should also have full custom options like what fabric you want, the type of buttons, collars, cuffs, single, double or no vent in the back, etc. Those things are what make the experience truly unique and great to do.
Part 2 of this post is coming up.
Let’s talk a little about terminology before we get any further. You need to know what you’re getting and a lot companies are taking advantage of people that don’t know what they or aren’t paying for. There are more than 3 but we’ll focus on 3 levels of “custom” clothes.
Bespoke – This is the top of the line of all custom clothing options. The word comes from when a client would chose or bespeak for fabric the clothes were to be made out of. No other customers would have clothes made from the cloth until you were done with it. There are no standards they follow. It’s unique to how your body is made.
True bespoke clothing, which should always be questioned in America, is any garment made specifically for you by hand, with many fittings until the final garment is complete. The term is thrown around in the American fashion world these days and rarely have I seen it turn out to be true bespoke. Places like Duncan Quinn are great examples of places that do it right and you’re getting what you pay for.
Made-to-measure – This is more than likely what you’ll get when you get anything custom made. It’s essentially a garment that’s created from a standard pattern/size and then tweaked to fit you the best. It’s a great way and less expensive way to get clothes that fit you properly. They don’t create the garment until you order it and in most cases the fit is fantastic. Most of what I get is made-to-measure.
Ready-to-wear – It is what it sounds like. Anything that you buy at a store off the rack that has already been created to fit someone other than you is ready-to-wear. Most stores will then offer tailoring to make it fit right. This is hardly custom clothing and can end up costing you more.
If you walk into a store and they offer you a custom shirt, hand you a number of shirts to try on and say they’ll mess with it to fit your perfectly you aren’t getting anything custom.
A good place that offers this should take 30 minutes to an hour measuring you. Some shops will take over 30 measurements, some you wouldn’t ever think about. Like over the watch so when you button your sleeves it will go over the watch rather than getting stuck. You know what I’m talking about.
You should also have full custom options like what fabric you want, the type of buttons, collars, cuffs, single, double or no vent in the back, etc. Those things are what make the experience truly unique and great to do.
Part 2 of this post is coming up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
