Dad probably gave you a lot of advice — some of which you’ve chosen to ignore. Maybe he tried to regale you with stories of how things were done in “his day.”
Did he ever mention trips to the tailor?
Working with a tailor to retrofit both old and new clothes was once considered commonplace, especially for men who wanted sleeve lengths adjusted on suit jackets, trousers taken in or let out as their weight fluctuated, and fabric tears on their favorite garments repaired.
But then came fast fashion: You buy what you need for that moment in whatever size you are at the time, with no consideration of longevity. Once there’s a rip or the fabric pulls too tight, its service is no longer needed.
Don’t be surprised, though, if the pendulum swings back toward the tailor, a service often offered by retailers for a small fee, and sometimes for free. The fashion industry says consumers are showing a greater interest in timeless styles and well-made investment pieces, and if you are going to have clothes for a long time, you may as well make sure they fit properly.
And you may look a little trimmer in the process.
“Fit is as important as any other element — design, feel, fabric,” said Tom Nevell, men’s retail director for Nordstrom. “A traditional customer can look updated instantly by getting a well-fit slimmer-cut suit and he might look 20 pounds lighter.”
“People come into the store saying they’re an extra large, and even if they know they’re not an extra large, they say it’s for comfort, but you get comfortable with a slimmer silhouette as soon as you see it in the mirror,” he said.
The modern fit in menswear is a European cut that Nevell dubs “the Italian hug — it pinches a little at the arm and chest area, but you can still move around.”
Nevell says one of the easiest and most effective nips-and-tucks is eliminating a cuff on a pant. Removing a cuff on a flat-front pant, which is easy to do, gives a sleeker, leaner look, he said. If you prefer a pleated pant, then you’d want a cuff because it adds weight to the bottom of the pant, pulling the pleat for a better drape, but that’s a look best worn by tall men.
Tom Julian, a fashion trend analyst who wrote “The Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Style,” knows from years of experience that he personally needs to buy jackets with broader shoulders than his usual small-size shirt would suggest. That means the cuffs and hem always need to be shortened, and so does the collar roll or he’d get the bump that many men have at the top of the back.
Other tailor tricks including letting out the “seat” of trousers, which is probably why your pockets are pulling, and customizing a boxy button-down shirt, narrowing the appearance of your torso.
If you’re looking for a quality garment, worth an investment and subsequent alterations, Julian suggests checking for these signs of craftsmanship:
Test the buttonholes. They should be fully functional, even on jacket sleeves. You might not ever use them, but they’re a signal of a well-made piece.
Is there a thread knot behind each button? There should be
Know about pique stitching. This decorative top-stitched thread on the edge of lapels or flat pockets illustrate hand-finishing.
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