HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GENTLEMAN

Hello lads gents and soon to be gents today we are talking about

HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GENTLEMAN

1. Know Your Measurements

You need to know your clothes measurements, plain and simple. Keep a spreadsheet, or better yet, memorize them. You’ll be best served by learning about your body’s quirks and needs, and how clothing needs to adapt.  For example, my right shoulder hangs about 1.5″ lower than my left one.  This means my armhole has to be cut deeper, and I either need a shoulder pad on the right, or the cut of the shoulder has to be different. Moreover, the sleeve has to be set in differently. I have a slightly rounded back and one arm is half a centimeter (one-fifth of an inch) longer. My right leg is slightly bigger than my left one. The fit is the most important thing when it comes to clothes.

Chances are in the beginning. You won’t even notice the asymmetry of your body. On the other hand, it won’t take a trained tailor very long to point them out once he sees you. If you want to figure out what your body’s characteristics are, wear a garment off the rack because it is symmetrical. Then have somebody take pictures 360°. It is imperative for you to stand naturally. Otherwise, the result will not help but hurt you. Once you know your measurements, spotting well fitting (usually vintage or slightly used) clothing online will be much easier.

2. Know Your Surroundings

Know your clothing style and your needs. If you work at a formal office, you need suits. For a student, combinations of jacket and trousers are probably a better investment. A banker and an artist have different needs. One is dressed more traditionally; the other one wants to stand out and can play more with colors, cuts, etc. Take a minute and write down all the places you usually go to and what clothes you should be wearing ideally.

Then narrow it down to the pieces that are the most versatile, because these are the ones you will end up wearing the most. If that’s too challenging for you right now, stay tuned for a follow-up post about starter wardrobes.

3. Avoid Bespoke Garments in the Beginning

The first tip I can offer you: avoid bespoke suits unless you find a really inexpensive tailor. When I say bespoke, I mean true bespoke with fittings and a fair amount of handwork and canvas interlining. No matter where you make it in the world, you will hardly ever get a product for under $1,000 that is of the best quality (including cloth), and when you start and need an entire wardrobe, you will likely not be able to afford it.

Sometimes, salesmen and marketing campaigns try to offer you custom suits for $200 – $500, but that is simply a made-to-measure suit.

4. Know Your Alterations Tailor

Regardless of your body type, start looking for a skilled alterations tailor and learn what elements can and cannot be tailored successfully. Take a look at the work they offer and how they accommodate individual requests for difficult tasks, such as shortening a sleeve from the sleeve head. If they can do that properly, so the sleeves hang nicely without bumps on the sleeve head or wrinkles in the sleeves, chances are they can do everything else you need them to do. However, even if you find the best alterations tailor bear in mind, they are not magicians. As such, you cannot buy jackets that are too long or too short because even though there might be some fabric reserve, the buttonholes and the position of the pockets can’t be changed. Also, if the shoulders don’t fit, it is going to be difficult to fix it, just like the front-back balance.

As a rule of thumb, do not buy anything that is more than one size to small or too large because alterations will be costly and the result is often not ideal. Also, when in doubt, buy something that is 

slightly too big rather than too tight, because removing fabric is easy but if there is not enough cloth reserve in the garment, you can’t wear the garment.

5. Go Vintage

Vintage stores or flea markets in larger cities like London or Naples often provide quality clothing at a fraction of the retail price. Of course, it usually takes a bit of time to find something good, but if you do and the fit is ok, your alterations tailor can do the rest. Vintage shopping requires patience and practice. Look up brands, fabrics, and countries of origin as you go to build an understanding of what’s out there – the more you know, the easier it will be to spot a quality product.

When you are at a store looking for jackets, suits or overcoats, I suggest walking through the aisles looking just at the cuff buttons and buttonholes and the collar. With a bit of practice, you can identify a handmade buttonhole and a hand stitched collar.

I hope you liked this post and use it because it will be useful.