Personal Style | J. Kent Ltd.

Check, Please!

Dec 30 2013

Checked shirts are one of this season’s favorites—but they’ve changed since the last time they were this prevalent. Along with the micro-checks that came to the front of fashion recently, many designers are offering larger-scale checks than in years past, for a bold, confident look. Checked shirts can be comfortably paired with a solid, stripe, or contrasting-patterned tie for a great effect. Just be sure to keep the colors coordinated with each other, and vary the scale of the patterns. For example, if you’re wearing a light blue shirt with a larger check, consider a dark blue tie with a thin stripe or smaller check....

J Kent Erickson

Patterns & Textures

0 Comments

Care & Maintenance

Small Changes, Big Difference

Dec 23 2013

Upgrading your wardrobe and clothing image doesn’t necessarily require starting from scratch. Most gentlemen can increase the value they get out of the existing elements of your wardrobe by making small, meaningful changes to your style choices. Keep your clothing working for you with these easy tips: Check your edges. If your shirt collar and cuffs aren’t extending approximately half an inch past your suit, you’re not getting full visual impact. We can adjust either your shirt sleeve length or your suit sleeve length (or both) to create this essential detail of the well-dressed gentleman. Include classic accouterments in your ensemble, such as a tie bar, pocket square, and a luxurious watch. These embellishments give you an opportunity to showcase your individual sense of style while adding fresh color and visual interest to your outfit. Keep shining. Make sure to shine your shoes frequently. Your efforts at creating a distinctive ensemble can be undermined...

J Kent Erickson

Care & Maintenance

0 Comments

Image & Lifestyle

Dress for Success

Dec 16 2013

Dress for the success that you’re working so hard for. Each day as you choose your ensemble, give yourself (and others) a visual reminder of your goals and accomplishments by creating the well-dressed look of a successful businessman in your field. Dressing the part also creates a subtle advantage for yourself in business negotiations—dressing in impeccable style increases confidence and a feeling of power. This strategy also works on the weekends. Casual wear doesn’t need to be sloppy or unappealing. You can craft the same sense of success and confidence with your weekend wardrobe by tailoring versatile sportswear to your lifestyle and taste....

J Kent Erickson

Image & Lifestyle

0 Comments

J. Kent Ltd. Experience

Detailed Choices in Style

Dec 09 2013

If five different gentlemen all wore the same type of suit, you would see five different styles emerge. What makes the difference? Their choices in detailing. Your own detail choices help you develop your own signature style. Whether you prefer a classic or trendy look, flavorful colors or a palette of neutrals, your individual style should be expressed in each outfit. Custom clothing allows you to be in charge of your clothing’s detailing decisions, including a myriad of individualized options for collars, lapels, pockets, buttons, hems, cuffs, and material. As your custom clothier, we can help you design clothing with colors and fabrics that bring out your personality and flatter your frame. Each decision plays its part in crafting your individualized style and image. Neckwear is one of the most important details about your attire. Your choice of tie each day is often the first thing others notice about your outfit. Wearing high-quality,...

J Kent Erickson

J. Kent Ltd. Experience

0 Comments

Sportswear

Sophisticated Sportswear

Oct 22 2013

Today’s casual business clothing is not limited to the traditional dark slacks or khakis with sport coat or blazer. Current options include sophisticated sportswear that maintains your individual style while allowing you to dress down. First, consider pairing a custom sport shirt with a cashmere or merino sweater. High-quality fabrics and fibers offer an undeniably classy look and feel to your clothing, including your sportswear. If the weather requires outerwear, a tailored casual sport jacket crafted from a heavier fabric can offer you a great-fitting outer layer. This approach works well with traditional tweed fabrics, giving you both a timeless appeal and a custom fit in your casual outerwear. Next, bring in a pair of tailored flannel or twill trousers to give you perfect comfort and style throughout the day without the informality of jeans. Custom-made trousers can be crafted to your exact specifications and taste. Finally, select high-performing accessories that coordinate with your...

Picture Perfect Tie Dimple

Dec 01 2012

I received this question from a reader: How do I create a perfect dimple in my tie? Here's what I shared with them: It takes only a bit of dexterity and practice to create an elegant tie dimple. Create your knot as usual, but before you tighten it, place one finger into the fabric right below the knot. With your other hand, gently tighten the knot until there's a dimple in the center approximately half an inch deep and an inch long. Practice your technique a few times until the dimple is squarely in the middle of the fabric, and even on both sides. A dimple works best with wider ties, so if you're wearing a skinny tie, leave the dimple out....

J Kent Erickson

Ask Kent

0 Comments

Pants, Slacks, & Trousers

All About Trousers

Nov 16 2012

Tell people about your slacks, and they'll figure you're fairly casual. Tell them about your pants, and they'll figure you're indifferent. Tell people about your trousers, and they'll know you've got style. Your trousers should rest comfortably on the hips, neither rising so high that they cover the abdomen nor sitting so low that they need to be cinched tight to stay on. Secure them either with the aid of a belt or suspenders (you can call them braces). Braces ensure your trousers stay in place when you switch between sitting and standing. If you opt for braces, choose a set that attaches to the trousers with buttons rather than metal clips. Using a belt offers a clean, crisp look. The belt may need to occasionally be lifted when your trousers have settled too low, but keeps a lower visual profile than braces. Your individual style should determine whether your custom trousers use a...

J Kent Erickson

Pants, Slacks, & Trousers

0 Comments

Formal Attire

Custom-Tailored Tuxedo: Rich Tradition, Modern Elegance

Oct 16 2012

The tuxedo we all know and love just turned 150 years old. Designed as a short dinner jacket, the tuxedo was born in the era of smoking jackets and top hats-but unlike its contemporaries, the tuxedo's place in modern society remains undiminished. Even in our far more casual, modern world, elegant events still call for the stylish grace of the tuxedo. Wearing your custom-tailored tuxedo allows you to bring your unique sense of style to your formalwear-and helps make sure you look fantastic during formal occasions. Although most men do not wear a tuxedo as frequently as a business suit, even a few formal occasions can warrant investing in a custom tailored tuxedo. When designing your tuxedo, consider: Lapels- Peak lapels are classic on a tuxedo. Notched collars are less dressy than peak lapels. A satin shawl collar brings added shine to the ensemble. Tie-Wear a bow tie with...

J Kent Erickson

Formal Attire

0 Comments

J. Kent Ltd. Experience

As You Like It: Custom Clothing

Oct 01 2012

In this day of mass-produced products and lowest-common-denominator thinking, it's good to know that you can still have your personal preferences and needs taken into account. As your custom clothier, we don't force you to fit into any categories of fit, color, or fashion. Instead, your clothing is designed and fitted specifically for you. We take the frustration out of trying to find your "size" amid colors and fabrics meant to appeal to the greatest potential number of buyers. Instead, you can relax knowing that your custom clothing will exactly fit your shape, as well as your needs. With more than 100 tailoring steps in the jacket alone, custom-made clothes are meticulously crafted and detailed. Custom clothing, because it's not dependent on the designers' current seasonal offerings, can reflect your individual sense of style and personality far longer than ready-made clothing. Instead of needing to replace valuable wardrobe pieces annually, you'll find...

J Kent Erickson

J. Kent Ltd. Experience

0 Comments

Seasonal Attire

Suiting Fabrics For Fall 2012: Vintage Look, Modern Fabrics

Sep 17 2012

This fall, look for suiting fabrics that call to mind the traditional textiles of yesteryear, with modern twists. The updated offerings combine the durability of time-honored autumn clothing with fresh innovations that work in contemporary urban life. Heritage fabrics, such as twills and tweeds, speak of a refined country past. This year, many textile mills are bringing back those rugged suiting fabrics and updating them for modern gentlemen. Many designers are combining the strength of classic weaves with irregular finishes and varying yarn types and weights to bring a fresh look to fall suits. Varying the yarn types and thicknesses creates irregular surfaces that add visual interest. The update to fall fabrics isn't limited to the yarns. Traditional herringbone and tweed weaves are changing scale, offering a greater variety of print sizes than seen earlier, while remaining true to the classic autumn browns, russets, creams, and tans. Mills are also creating new fabric...

J Kent Erickson

Seasonal Attire

0 Comments