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Is it okay to roll up my shirt sleeves?

May 01 2018

I received this question from a reader: Is it okay to roll up my shirt sleeves? This is what I shared with them: Rolling up your sleeves keeps the cuffs clean when you’re eating or washing your hands. It’s also a great way to dress down an outfit when going from an office atmosphere to after-hours social engagements. However, there’s definitely an art to it. Here are a few tips on how to roll up your sleeves yet keep your shirt looking great. It’s best to fold sleeves—don’t roll them. Make sure both sides end up even in length, and don’t roll sleeves up past your elbows. Unroll them as soon as possible to avoid excessive wrinkles. Don’t roll up sleeves when in important business meetings, when you need to look as polished as possible. Sleeves should also be worn down to the wrist when wearing a coat or vest, as well as when dressed...

J Kent Erickson

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Coats & Jackets

Considering the Navy Blazer

Apr 15 2018

Navy blazers are some of our favorite wardrobe pieces, because they are almost endlessly versatile. They’re equally appropriate for social events and for business-casual days. To create a dressy look, pair your blazer with tan, olive, or gray trousers. A range of gray tones, from silver to charcoal, will look great with your navy blazer. Tan trousers can likewise work for several shades, from beige to tobacco. To create a less formal—but still stylish—look, wear them with dark jeans and a crisp white shirt; skip the tie and unbutton your collar. When designing your custom navy blazer, you can select traditional brass buttons, or choose from among a range of brown or gray horn buttons. Even though you’re building the blazer in a traditional navy color, the fabric doesn’t have to be boring—you can easily customize your blazer by selecting a fabric with rich texture. This attention to design detail will create a...

J Kent Erickson

Coats & Jackets

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Wardrobe Basics

IN BLACK AND WHITE (AND GRAY)

Apr 01 2018

Creating outfits from black and white pieces leads to striking ensembles. When you add shades of gray into the mix, you'll have an ensemble that is at once visually arresting and monochromatic. Combine several gray tones for a lighter look that's perfect for sunny days and social occasions. Pair your custom gray suit with pastel shirts, or wear it with your all-purpose white and blue shirts. Bring in black and your darker grays for more formal occasions. Crisp whites or subtle off-whites like cream or ivory look fantastic with black. By combining your favorite black, white, and gray pieces, you have a myriad of wardrobe options that always coordinate-helping you look great without spending time searching for just the right shades that will work well together....

ESSENTIALLY SPRING

Mar 15 2018

This spring, you can create a fresh, breezy look without losing your individual style. Here are a few quick seasonal changes that will breathe fresh air into your wardrobe for the spring. Try loafers instead of lace-ups for casual flair. Wear a woven canvas or light brown leather belt instead of the dark leather belts you've depended on all winter. Bring out your brighter fabrics, whether in ties, shirts, or socks. Supplement your oxford shirts with equally well-tailored custom shirts made from any of our beautiful, open-weave fabrics for the comfort of breathability-without looking sloppy. Indulge in shirts built of lightweight cotton, linen, or blends of the two. Enjoy a pair of custom-tailored tan trousers, whether as part of a spring/summer suit or as a stand-alone item. Consider a custom unlined or partially lined suit coat or sport coat, for occasions when you need the sense of presence a coat...

How do I wear earth tones?

Mar 01 2018

I received this question from a reader: Most of my outfits are based on blues and blacks. How do I wear earth tones? This is what I shared with them: Earth tones are fantastic color options, and we're glad you're considering them. Here are a few points to consider as you incorporate these hues into your existing wardrobe. Each outfit should generally focus on either warm or cool tones. Cool earth tones include taupe, olive, sky blue, avocado, gray, and plum. Warm earth tones include beige, camel, yellow, ivory, chocolate, and pumpkin. Vary the intensity of colors by building ensembles that include both dark and light shades, along with a splash of a brighter accent color. While navy or black trousers will work with earth tones, wearing tan or taupe trousers are a better complement to colors from nature's palette....

J Kent Erickson

Wardrobe Basics

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Shirts, Vests, & Blouses

Three Keys To Designing The White Oxford Button-Down Shirt

Feb 15 2018

The reliable white oxford button-down is a workhorse of a shirt. You can confidently wear it during graduation ceremonies, weddings, funerals, some interviews, and at just about any day at work. Your custom oxford looks deliciously crisp when ironed, yet warm and casual when un-tucked. As a custom clothier, here are three key steps we take to ensure each custom button-down oxford we build is truly outstanding. First, we select a fabric with a firm, tight weave. This density of thread makes your shirt last longer and feel smoother than clothing constructed from a lesser fabric. Second, we insist on using only high-quality buttons. For most gentlemen, the ideal buttons are forgettable-without looking cheap. We have an excellent selection for you to choose from, including traditional mother-of-pearl. Our third step is to customize your collar roll, which ensures your collar arches gracefully from your neck to the buttons instead of clinging tightly to...

J Kent Erickson

Shirts, Vests, & Blouses

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Suits

Play To Your Strong Suit

Feb 01 2018

When you play to win in a card game, you use the cards in your strongest suit. When you play to win in business, you wear the strongest suit in your wardrobe. Custom clothing gives you the ability to design a suit that plays to your strengths and minimizes any irregularities in shape or proportion. You have the power to create exactly the image you desire, and can build your clothing to meet all your individual requirements, even if you are not proportioned like the average gentleman. Whether you're aiming for an approachable, casual suit, or a somber, more formal suit, custom clothing gives you the powerful image you need-because you always play to win....

J Kent Erickson

Suits

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Accessories & Jewelry

The Guide to Cufflinks

Jan 15 2018

The T-bar is the most widely available type of cufflink. The hinged bar swings shut to let you push it through a buttonhole and then opens to keep the cufflink in place. It easy to put on and take off, and comes with just about any decoration imaginable. However, the decoration is only on one end of the cufflink, dressing only one side of your cuff. The fixed bar gives a decorative element on both ends of the cufflink, so your cufflink is dressy from any viewing angle. Because there are no moving parts, fixed bar cufflinks tend to be quite long lasting. Hold the larger end and press the smaller end through each buttonhole. The chain cufflink has two decorative elements connected by a chain instead of a solid bar. Grasp the smaller end and press it through each set of buttonholes one at a time. Once through, simply rotate it...

J Kent Erickson

Accessories & Jewelry

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Different Length Ties

Dec 30 2017

I received this question from a reader: How do I tie different length ties right the first time? This is what I shared with them: We've got a simple way to help you know exactly where to start your knot, with any length of necktie. Tie your regular knot. Carefully untie and measure the length of fabric used in knot. Slide the thick (wide) end of your necktie down so that length of fabric used in the knot sits just below your belt buckle. Hold the necktie in position carefully and tie the knot again. QUICK TIP: Find an easy approximation of the knot fabric length (such as fingertip to fingertip of your outstretched hand, or two hand widths, etc.) and use that as your measurement each time instead of using a ruler....

J Kent Erickson

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Shirts, Vests, & Blouses

Types of Shirt Plackets

Dec 15 2017

Designing your personal style means paying attention to details. Have you considered the style potential of choosing between the various options for shirt placket design? (That's the strip of fabric that holds the buttons.) Front placket-found in the vast majority of dress shirts. Always a good option for business attire, but its ubiquity means it lacks individuality. No front placket-also called a French front, this placket has no visual stitching alongside the row of buttons, so it creates clean lines but can be trickier to iron. Covered placket-commonly called a fly front, the covered placket has an additional layer of fabric covering the buttons. It's sometimes found in tuxedo shirts and other very dressy clothing. Tuxedo front-looks similar to the French front but differs in that the top four buttons are removable, allowing you to replace the buttons with tuxedo studs. This placket is best used only with tuxedo shirts. The...

J Kent Erickson

Shirts, Vests, & Blouses

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Newer Posts

Older Posts

Is it okay to roll up my shirt sleeves?

Considering the Navy Blazer

IN BLACK AND WHITE (AND GRAY)

ESSENTIALLY SPRING

How do I wear earth tones?

Three Keys To Designing The White Oxford Button-Down Shirt

Play To Your Strong Suit

The Guide to Cufflinks

Different Length Ties

Types of Shirt Plackets

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