Tips To Style Your Custom Suit
You have successfully ordered your first custom-made suit. It was designed for you and will fit perfectly; after all it was made to your specifications. There is still some customizing you can do with the suit and what you will wear it with that will enhance your overall look. Styling is a personal thing and you will want to emphasize personal preferences in the way you appear in your new suit.
Purchasing a custom suit is the first step on the path to style perfection. However, that purchase is only one step in the process. Once you have selected your custom suit, the next steps are all about following the remaining style rules and etiquette cues to achieve the classic style that you so desire. Style is a culmination of both what you wear and how you act. Be sure to follow the rules when it comes to both.
Make sure your shirt collar is grounded
If you choose to wear a button down men shirts you will never have a problem with how firmly your collar stays in touch with your shirt; unless, of course, you forget to button it on both sides. Plain-collar shirt collars come in different lengths and widths. A quality shirt will come with one of two ways to keep the collar firmly attached to the shirt. Your shirt may have small button tabs under the collar that fasten under your tie to provide a classic, clean look. Or, your shirt may have slots underneath each collar that accommodate small plastic or metal tabs that keep the collars from becoming misaligned or turning up at the tip of the collar. Nothing will destroy the look of a custom made suit and shirt combination more than shirt collars that are not fully secured to the shirt and collar tips that point up in the air.
Incorporate a Colorful Handkerchief in your Suit Jacket Pocket
There is no strict protocol dictating the color of a Handkerchief used to embellish your suit. It certainly doesn’t have to match the pattern or necessarily the colors embedded in your tie. Use your imagination to choose something that adds flair and is reasonably compatible with the jacket and the tie. A bright color, a polka dot pattern, a floral design or a broad check are examples of how to brighten your ensemble. Even if your custom suit is designed for formal occasions, you can still add a bit of whimsy in your handkerchief selection.
Stitches at the Lapel Add Interest
A lapel is an important element of your suit jacket. You can add interest or bring attention to your custom suit by adding embellished stitching along the lapel called Hand Stitched Lapels and Pockets or Top Stitching Lapels. A Master Tailor knows how to accomplish that without taking away from the overall quality appearance of the suit. Expensive suits have embellished stitching as a matter of style, so adding it to your custom-made suit is very appropriate.
Your Tie Bar Should Never Be Wider Than Your Tie
Style etiquette dictates that you wear a tie for many formal, semi-formal, and business occasions. Tie pins or tie bars fashioned in metal, fabric, or embellished with jewels is a great asset in creating a distinct look. Just make sure the pin or bar is sized correctly. It is not stylish to have a tie bar that is wider than your tie. Tie bars can add a personal touch to a very formal ensemble.
Choose a Dress Watch
While many men have grown accustomed to relying on their cell phone to monitor time, when you are wearing a formal or semi-formal suit it is very fashionable to wear a dress watch. If you don’t have one, invest in one to add an additional touch of quality to your suit ensemble. Wearing a dress watch, not the bulky sports watch you may wear during the day, is part of the statement you are making of a well-dressed man. Leave the cell phone in the car or somewhere out of sight to avoid looking like so many others who just can’t seem to eschew ongoing access to software application central.
Keep your pockets unoccupied
Avoid the temptation to use your pockets to store excess items which can add bulk and distortion to your appearance. Cell phones have already been mentioned. A single key for your car is ok, but not if it is attached to a large key ring that contains keys to open everything you own. Keep it simple; only carry in your pocket what you need to attend the pending event or occasion.
Take good care of your custom-made suit
Your suit will wear very well if you take care of it on a regular basis. When you return at the end of the day or evening, the suit should be hung up immediately and carefully examined to make sure there are no stains or excess wrinkles. A quality fabric will bounce back very well from a full day or evening of wear. A quick blast with a hair drier will take out any excess wrinkles. Or, a steamer is a good investment to keep in your closet for such tasks. If you see a spot, deal with it immediately. Take a warm, wet cloth and gently remove it and let it dry. 90% of the time this will do the trick.
The last thing you want to do is take your custom-made suit to the dry cleaners every time you wear it. While the suit always comes back looking great, the dry-cleaning fluids they use are harsh and over time will break down the integrity of a quality fabric. Only take a suit to the dry cleaner when it is stained to the point where you can’t remove it yourself. Taking the suit to the dry cleaner for just a good pressing job is a much better way to restore your suit to its ideal appearance.
Choose high quality shirts and ties
The best way to add style to your new suit is to choose a series of shirts and ties that complement the suit in terms of quality and color. A quality suit on a man is easy to identify but often admiring eyes are initially attracted to the shirt and tie combination. Nothing complements a suit better than a high quality, high thread count cotton shirt with a crisp collar and accompanying silk tie.
Certain suits will be enhanced with a solid color white or blue shirt and a patterned or striped shirt. Other suit fabrics look great with a patterned or striped shirt and a plain tie. Get used to being creative in mixing and matching shirt/tie combinations so you don’t get predictable. There are no hard and fast rules on what works or doesn’t work together. A Master Tailor is a great source of ongoing advice.
Always have a topcoat available or an umbrella
Depending on where you live, winter weather and or rainy weather is an ongoing reality. When the weather is cold or wet, you must have a suitable coat to wear over your custom-made suit, or any suit for that matter. Nothing will spoil the appearance of your suit ensemble more than getting it wet just before you arrive at your destination. Wool and cotton get droopy when they get wet. The crisp appearance of a cotton shirt can disappear is just a few minutes of rain or a sudden downpour. You must be always prepared to keep the rain off your head and your clothes. If your hair gets wet and disheveled from the rain, your facial appearance will immediately take away from the quality of your overall appearance. So protect your head as well as your clothes.
You must own quality coats, whether they are raincoats or overcoats. When you wear a quality suit you can’t wear an old raincoat that you have had for ten years. At the same time an old wool coat that has been in your closet for years and may no longer fit, is clearly inappropriate. When you invest in a high-quality custom-made suit you must invest in high quality overcoats. A Burberry type trench coat is a great choice for rainy conditions. A wool or cashmere coat from a high-end clothing store always enhances your appearance when the weather gets cold. Your overall quality appearance must build off the suit you are wearing, or you can quickly establish that you are very average.
Always maintain a proper fit
One of the benefits of buying high quality suits and shirts is that they will last for years with the proper care. However, over the course of a year or two, it is not uncommon to gain weight or lose weight through the lifestyle we maintain. It is important to not let these changes affect the way your custom-made suit fits you. When a quality suit begins to stretch around the waist, through the chest and legs, or at the neckline, it is important that you seek alterations to restore the fit to what is acceptable.
Anyone can recognize when suit pants are two small through the waist and the zipper area. It is also easy to see when a suit jacket is too tight to the point that the jacket can’t be buttoned without reflecting a serious stretch across the chest. At the same time a significant weight loss will create sags in all the wrong areas making you look like your suit is borrowed or significantly out of style. Your Master Tailor can restore your custom-made suit to reflect any changes in your physical appearance or body shape.
My Custom Tailor is an established, third generation manufacturer of custom-made clothes serving both men and woman clients all over the world. Custom-made clothes are no longer a luxury for the wealthy or privileged; they are increasingly available to everyone at prices similar to what can be found at retail or specialty clothing stores. My Custom Tailor Travelling Master Tailors visit cities all over the world, educating new clients on the benefits of buying custom-made clothing designed and manufactured to their specific measurements.
You may have created a relationship with a Master Tailor who has created custom-made suits and shirts for you in the past. Based on what you are paying to enjoy this type of service, you may be paying a significant premium over what you would pay from buying something from a retail specialty clothing store and having it altered to fit your need for a custom-like fit. If you haven’t used a Master Tailor to make you a custom-made suit, then you are missing out on a privilege that doesn’t equate to paying premium prices to get custom-made clothing.
My Custom Tailor conducts Travelling Master Tailor Roadshows in major cities all over the world. These roadshows are the best way to really understand how these unique artisans engage and perform. They bring styling and fabric samples with them and provide access to their vast array of men’s clothing collections. Review the Travelling Master Tailor Roadshow schedule to see when a roadshow will be close to your location. Make an appointment and come prepared to share essential information for helping you confirm a new source for ordering custom-made suits. My Custom Tailor Master Tailors and Cutters are among the best in the world. Review the quality standards they adhere to for everything they make.
Meeting one of our Travelling Master Tailors is a unique experience.
One of benefits of meeting one of these Master Tailors is the opportunity to create a measurement profile unique to your physique and body shape. A My Custom Tailor Master Tailor will take 30+ measurements in creating a fit template that is uniquely you. He will share thoughts with you on fit accommodations that will help you accentuate certain physical attributes and neutralize others. Once you have this in place it becomes a permanent part of your client profile that can be accessed by you or a Master Tailor anytime you want to order something new. Beyond your first encounter, everything can be done online through the My Custom Tailor Website.
It may be that you can’t find a convenient location to attend a Travelling Master Tailor Roadshow. We have many clients that processed their initial order and process all subsequent orders using the My Custom Tailor Website. Here’s how you gain the same information over the internet:
Visit the My Custom Tailor website and review one of the online men’s collection catalogs and review style options.
Click on the ‘order’ button to select a style, color, and fabric as shown in the image
When designating the style, review the many fabric and color choices. Choose the fabric and color you like.
Select the measurements profile for this item. If this is your first order and you haven’t initiated it through a roadshow event, you can create your own measurements profile by using the My Custom Tailor Measurements Kit that we send you. The measurements kit will help you capture all the dimensions the Master Tailor would take. With the help of a friend or spouse/partner you can document this information and submit it with your order.
Next, you will see a series of tabs for further customizing your item. Here, various finishing accessories can be specified such as buttons, sleeve cuffs, collars, monograms, etc.
After completing your selections, proceed to the check-out page. Your order total will be visible at all times at the top right-hand side of every page next to the shopping cart.
My Custom Tailor customer support personnel are available to answers any questions you have or help you make final decisions. Their contact information is provided as part of the order entry details.
Custom-made suits and shirts are the ultimate in quality and fit. Finding a Master Tailor that will design and assemble precisely what you want at price you can afford is a very satisfying experience. Thousands of men around the world in all walks of life have chosen My Custom Tailor to meet their needs for custom-made clothes. We look forward to meeting you soon and sharing thoughts on how we can do that for you.