Recent articles and surveys bemoaned the fact that the growing trend to go casual indicates a lack of professionalism. Perception is a self fulfilling prophesy for success especially for professionals like lawyers, doctors, accountants and corporate managers.

In a recent survey conducted by Bespoke Shirt Makers Green and Jacks of London, participants were shown several photos people out of which one of them was a real professional such as doctor, engineer, lawyer, barrister and Company CEO. The real professionals in most cases were dressed just above average. There was no surprise that the vast majority of the participants picked out the well dressed subjects as the professionals! Though there were instances that some people did pick out the badly dressed ones, as they thought it was a trick question. However, what mattered was that unanimously, people tend to associate well dressed people wearing bespoke shirt as men of importance and a sign of professionalism.

This leads to the question, “Who is perceived as a professional?” The harsh reality is that blue jeans, sweats, spiked heels or spiked hair is acceptable if you wish to find a job or be considered a professional in the corporate environment.  

Rule #1 – Image is everything.  First impressions matter and experts differ on whether it’s the first 30 seconds or the first 7 minutes before people make judgments about each other. Leaving the issue of timing aside an interviewer or client will make no less than 10-12 judgments about you within the first 30 seconds of making eye contact and speaking to you. Your appearance combined with the way you present yourself to your clients and management is extremely important. 

Rule #2 – Dressing casually does not mean blue denim and T-shirt.  In most cases, suit without a tie is as far as people expect you to go. However, a conservative pair of trousers, a bespoke men’s shirt, matching jacket and smart leather shoes may be appropriate on a Friday.

Rule #3 – Dress yourself the way you expect others to see you.  In other words, there are four facets of your character/personality that should be assumed without you ever uttering a word:

 #You are prepared and ready to meet your clients/customers

#You are a ALWAYS a professional

#You are serious about your career and your work

#You achieve your goals and keep to your promises

It is possible for the determined to be successful without putting effort into a professional image but it would be similar to climbing Mount Everest without any gear. Why would you consider jeopardising a critical life journey? 

A well fitting bespoke shirt and suit are a very powerful tool for projecting your image and all too often this is overlooked. Additionally, you are better prepared to handle things that are typically out of your control. If your most important client dropped by unannounced or if your got interviewed on TV while out to buy coffee there would be no need to feel ashamed. 

Business first, fashion later – granted, fashion trends can be exciting to keep up with, but you need to be thinking about your business environment. 

Should you be employed in a professional setting that enforces a dress code with a smart suit and formal men’s shirt, will make your job a lot easier.  For new hires, whether at the entry-level or at the management level and higher, one of the recommendations we have made in the past is to take a “hard” copy of the corporate dress code which includes a men’s shirt and suit when you go shopping for that new attire.  To express this more succinctly, a quote from Forbes.com is in order:

” . . . Understand (that) elegance beats flash and trash five days a week. That means men shouldn’t dress like aspiring rock stars, and women should shun the Paris Hilton look.”

On a couple of closing notes, keep in mind that professional attire varies geographically.  What is acceptable in a large accountancy firm in London may fit in a small firm of solicitors in the North.  Additionally, don’t overdo the after shave, cologne, or perfume. To achieve classic a look with the edge and uniqueness, try creating bespoke clothing. You can also look up http://www.greenandjacks.com for additional information.

For many individuals, the shirt is more than an article of clothing.  It is said to be a symbol of elegance and refinement as well as an expression of a man’s personality.  The shirt has been worn by men in every walk of life, whether they were commoners, emperors, or military generals, and over the passage of time it has played different roles and developed different meanings.

Prior to the Middle Ages, the shirt was worn more as an undergarment rather than a primary piece of clothing – i.e. as a man’s night gown or underwear.  Manufactured with neither collar nor cuffs, the shirt was very plain and simple although there was a hem that could either be buttoned or tightened.  Typically, shirts were constructed from linen and silk. But by 1700’s, shirts were no longer being worn as underwear.

The collar of the shirt became one of the more elaborate parts of the garment with lavish embroidered patterns being the norm.  Collars also became larger in size at this time, but by the onset of the “Golden Age of Tailoring”, they grew smaller.  During this Golden Age, shirts were all hand-tailored and none were produced in garment factories as they are today.  More transformations in the appearance of the shirt occurred after World War I, with buttons running the full length of the shirt’s front.

During the 1930’s the fixed collar was revived, but the most significant changes occurred during the 1950’s when the first nylon shirt was introduced as well as the more daring short-sleeved look becoming the fashion.  The 1960’s witnessed the onset of breast pockets due to a decrease in the wearing of vests under a suit coat.  Today, the shirt is worn by women as well as men, with a variety of styles.

Recently there is revival in creation of bespoke garments and is associated with luxury products. Several companies have used technology to capture orders to make the garment more accessible to a wider audience.

Bespoke Tailoring

The term “bespoke” initially referred to hand-tailored clothing such as suits, shirts, and other apparel as well as the fitting and measuring stages of the garment’s manufacture.  During the actual production of the garment, bespoke tailoring is distinguished by customisation and the user’s involvement in the tailoring process. The main distinguishing factor between bespoke tailoring and other clothing manufacturing is the fact that buyer chooses the fabric and decides on the customised designs and fitting of the garment. There are several online services that are made to measure since the choices you can have are limited. A true bespoke garment can be altered without any restrictions to measurements or design.

Bespoke Tailoring vs. Made-to-Measure

Since the end of the 1800’s, there has been a grey area that exists when comparing bespoke tailoring with made-to-measure or ready-to-wear garments that were made to fit standard sizes. This is not the case with bespoke tailoring. The key distinction between the two techniques is that bespoke tailoring involves the creation of a garment without the use of a pre-existing template, whereas made-to-measure garments are created by altering an existing pattern in order to fit the customer.

 Despite the fact that fittings and measurements are involved in either technique, bespoke tailoring often requires the use of individually cut patterns while made-to-measure patterns are typically stored in a computer. Hand-tailoring is the benchmark of bespoke clothing.

 Currently, there is a group of Savile Row tailors that have organized the Savile Row Bespoke Association which is committed to the establishment of standards mandating that minimum requirements be met in order that a particular garment is able to employ its trademark.  These “standards” prescribe the following:

 * hand work is to be used almost exclusively on all garments, inclusive of the cut of individual paper patterns

* garment manufacturing houses must participate in an approved training program

* personal service, e.g. the filing of all records pursuant to future orders, a larger array of fabrics, and even qualified advice

 Additionally, there are 21 points that are stressed relative to the specific aspects or parts of the particular garment being tailored.  Details such as the length of fabric inlays and the specification of hand stitched seams are part of this 21-point program. 

The revival of bespoke shirts has now prompted many tailors to offer this service on the internet. You can search for bespoke shirts on google and can see many hundred firms that currently offer bespoke and made to measure shirts. You can also look up http://www.greenandjacks.com for more information.

First and foremost, always remember to pick the suit first and then match your shirt and tie to the suit. You’ll find that this is far easier. Most men make the mistake of finding just the right shirt, just the right tie to go with that shirt, and then can’t find the right suit to match it all together. It is much easier to match the shirt and tie after selecting the suit, so always remember this step. Today there is a wide range of high quality tailored and readymade men’s shirt and men’s accessories and ties, so picking up a smart bespoke shirt or a well tailored suit adds to your personality.

Men’s Formal Shirt Colors

Your best choices on a suit are still the standard black, charcoal grey and navy blue. So look for a suit in one of those colours with coordinated men’s shirt and accessories. It’s not that this is the easiest way out for the first step but it is a very professional look. After all, isn’t that what you are trying to achieve here in the first place? So pick the suit and then move on to the shirt. Remember that the tie is what gives the elegance and style to the whole ensemble.

The easiest colour choice for a men’s shirt is white especially if you want to achieve the ultimate conservative and professional look. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is common sense and for the sake of headaches, it is also the easiest choice. Another option is to choose a shirt that is a powder blue of light grey colour. These will also blend well – i.e. the powder blue shirt with the navy blue suit, the light grey with the charcoal or black. Consider another option as well. If your colour preference on the suit results in looking at browns, then the option on the shirt would be a tan or yellow. Another stylish choice for colour has always been that pale shade of green, referred to as “mist” or “sage.” By selecting a tie with the predominant brown colour of the suit, you will be tying together what may have initially appeared to be the wrong colour shirt for that suit. Keep in mind that a patterned tie adds a little more life to the ensemble than a solid coloured one does.

Bespoke Shirt Coordinates

The key here is that you are striving to coordinate the colours of the shirt, suit, and tie, so for all practical purposes, the role of selecting the tie becomes the significant issue of the entire process. Some clothiers will place the highest importance on the selection of the tie to bring everything together, and this is probably an accurate level of thinking. However, you still want to follow the suggestions lined out here. In other words, choose the suit first, then the shirt, and finally, complete the package by selecting a tie that has the colour of the suit in it as well as one that will coordinate with the shirt. Don’t be afraid to go a little out there with argyle or stripe patterns with the tie.

Additionally, check shirts can be worn with solid or striped ties provided that there is a predominant colour in both the shirt and tie that will tie in with the colour of the suit. This brings up some more food for thought. Let’s say that you have chosen a navy blue suit and a white background shirt that has both burgundy and navy stripes. A great idea is to choose a tie with burgundy and navy blue diagonal stripes. You will be very satisfied with the look you achieve and it will look extremely dapper as well.

Men’s Accessories

Typically, it is the norm to make sure that if the men’s shirt is a solid colour, that the tie can have a pattern and vice versa. It is acceptable now to put striped men’s shirts and men’s accessories and ties together so you have that option as well. If and when you choose to do this, make sure that the dominant colour in the shirt matches the colour of the suit and that the tie also contains that colour.

Good bespoke shirt makers combine traditional hand tailoring techniques with the distribution efficiencies provided by the Internet to create high quality bespoke shirts for a global client base. For more information, look up http://www.greenandjacks.com

Savile Row has played a major role helping the industry’s survivors, like local silk weavers, CMT and tie manufacturers. The bespoke market is directly driven by demand and therefore sustainable, with little impact on our environment.

If you’re looking for value, there is always something new and exciting, but not easy to find. “Made in England” individuality and originality need not cost a fortune, so if your budget is a little tight, don’t be concerned, because there are brand names that cater to your needs, at the right price.

One prime example is Timothy Everest, a long time emerging Savile Row tailor. His designer silk ties (Spitalfield Flower) impress upon you the conservatism expected of Savile Row, but with a unique originality, affordable luxury best describes Timothy’s ties, made in England with the Savile Row stamp of approval, all this for £45.00.

But if you’re looking for a bespoke suit by the same name, then dig deep, for a few thousand pounds. Remember he dresses David Beckham.

Don’t forget where the first dark suit originated, Brummell rejected 18th century frills (dandy man). His mandate, a dark blue coat, buff-coloured pantaloons and waistcoat, black boots and a clean white neck cloth, survives today as the dark business suit, white shirt and silk tie

He was particularly adamant about the whiteness of his cravats. As he made his daily rounds from the park, various gentleman’s clubs and fashionable homes, Brummell would stop and change his cravat as often as three times a day. He preferred neck cloths that were lightly starched and carefully folded.

The simplicity of Brummell’s uniform was adopted by everyone from many working men to his friend, the Prince Regent, later King George IV. For the first time, poorer men hoping to make their way in the world could easily imitate upper class fashion.

Moving slightly away from the conservative tone of Savile Row, and across the Thames River to Battersea, we take a look at Ian Flaherty, a man of substantial artistic talent. Already renowned world wide for his vibrant cufflink designs, he uses pure English Pewter, Swarovski Crystals and brilliant enamels.

His designer silk ties strike a similar chord; they reflect Ian’s artistry through colour arrangement and symmetry. Slightly more expensive than Timothy Everest at £59.00, all his designs are produced in limited quantities and handmade in London. They’re sure to give many years good knottage.

Now while we’re on the subject of ties, did you know? That in 1880, the rowing club at Oxford Universities Exeter College, invented the first school ties. After an emotional win over their rivals, they celebrated by removing their ribbon hat bands from their boater hats and tying them, four in hand around their necks.

When they ordered a set of ties, with the colours from their hatbands, they had accidentally created the modern school tie. Schools, clubs, and athletic ties appeared in abundance. Some schools had different ties for various grades, levels of achievement, and for graduates. Thanks to historians and their method of accurate documentation all the original college colours are still available from archived samples and replicate ties can be made to order.

Now, to a more unlikely candidate: Vivienne Westwood. She has ventured down every avenue from designing evening gowns to crockery for Wedgwood. Three times winner of “fashion designer of the year” and awarded DBE in 2006 for her contribution to the fashion industry. Vivienne’s fashion accessories for men are original without being garish novelties. In August her spring summer collection will be on display. The big surprise is her cufflinks, they’re as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day. Vivienne has garnered much respect over the years.

And as autumn wanes, fashion completes another seasonal cycle. And we wait in great anticipation for new styles freshly watered down from the catwalks. New designers emerge while others fade. And so another turbulent season approaches. Buyers have to keep their wits alert, fashion rises and falls as quickly as the tide. For commercial buyers, developing a theme is as important as selecting the appropriate brand names and styles. The theme, “made in England” it goes against the grain as more and more brands head east to reduce production costs. But as sure as fashion completes another cycle then customers will see the light and demand a return to home grown qualities.

Closing anecdote: 1858: Henry Poole earns the first of his Royal Warrants from the newly crowned Emperor Napoleon III of France to whom Poole and Baron de Rothschild advanced £10,000 to stage a coup in France to establish The Second Empire. At the accession of Emperor Napoleon and his Empress Josephine, Henry Poole erects an audacious gas illuminated eagle-and-coronet light show above the facade of No 36: a tradition he repeats on all great Royal occasions connected to customers of Henry Poole.

In our life we face three types of situations, one which are fully controlled by us, second are partially controlled by us and by the nature, and third totally uncontrolled by us. But it’s also true that some partially controlled situations can be the result of some fully controlled one, and there a man has to be vigilant to carry out the fully controlled circumstances. Your apparels are also one of the things, over which you have full control and that can affect your partially controlled matters for instance, your social and professional life. To make it more simple, consider about your gatherings with same society people or your business meetings, here you surely leave an impression over others no matter good or bad (or ugly). And you are heard by your clothes more than your voice, by most of the crowd. So it becomes important to be as good and choosy in case of selection of clothes as in choosing the words while talking. What would be much better then picking up the clothes by you, for yourself and that too fully of your choice. Perhaps to justify your decision you must choose the clothes which are custom tailored or bespoke. Because you know what suits you better. To match the language of your personality, custom suits and custom shirts help you to leave a non verbal impression. Your bespoke clothing goes as per your size and shape to match the uniformity, giving you a firm stand on the appearance. For a vast range of choice of fabric, style and colors, you can undoubtedly depend on custom made suits and custom made shirts. The variety in custom made clothing includes ,tuxedo, vests also for men and women. Custom made garments, available online are giving the high competition to the off the rack clothes in terms of price as well as patterns. To name a few like http:// www.jiodar.com, offers the best online services and that too without any shipping charges for the delivery. Online stores are no less than any brick and mortar or offline store, providing sufficient amount of information (which even you can’t get from the neighbouring tailor shops). Further more, easy online payment options help you to finalize your order quickly. In terms of trust worthiness, big tailors’ website like http:// www.jiodar.com can be surely dependable.

        So don’t wait for long, try out the custom outfits to have an impressive attire to express you specially and forget the worrisome off the rack/readymade clothing.

In our life we face three types of situations, one which are fully controlled by us, second are partially controlled by us and by the nature, and third totally uncontrolled by us. But it’s also true that some partially controlled situations can be the result of some fully controlled one, and there a man has to be vigilant to carry out the fully controlled circumstances. Your apparels are also one of the things, over which you have full control and that can affect your partially controlled matters for instance, your social and professional life. To make it more simple, consider about your gatherings with same society people or your business meetings, here you surely leave an impression over others no matter good or bad (or ugly). And you are heard by your clothes more than your voice, by most of the crowd. So it becomes important to be as good and choosy in case of selection of clothes as in choosing the words while talking. What would be much better then picking up the clothes by you, for yourself and that too fully of your choice. Perhaps to justify your decision you must choose the clothes which are custom tailored or bespoke. Because you know what suits you better. To match the language of your personality, custom suits and custom shirts help you to leave a non verbal impression. Your bespoke clothing goes as per your size and shape to match the uniformity, giving you a firm stand on the appearance. For a vast range of choice of fabric, style and colors, you can undoubtedly depend on custom made suits and custom made shirts. The variety in custom made clothing includes ,tuxedo, vests also for men and women. Custom made garments, available online are giving the high competition to the off the rack clothes in terms of price as well as patterns. To name a few like  jiodar, offers the best online services and that too without any shipping charges for the delivery. Online stores are no less than any brick and mortar or offline store, providing sufficient amount of information (which even you can’t get from the neighbouring tailor shops). Further more, easy online payment options help you to finalize your order quickly. In terms of trust worthiness, big tailors’ website like Jiodar can be surely dependable.

        So don’t wait for long, try out the custom outfits to have an impressive attire to express you specially and forget the worrisome off the rack/readymade clothing.

by: Geoff Ficke

One of the most illuminating professional experiences of my life was my first visit to the elegant center of British Bespoke male haberdashery, Saville Row in London’s exclusive Mayfair district. I was a young man, just starting my career in the international cosmetic business and, while knowing of the worldwide reputation for excellence of English hand tailored gentleman’s clothing, I had never experienced this level of quality and artisan craftsmanship. I was building my wardrobe from off the rack suits purchased from American department stores.

We live in a world where millions of consumers can, and do, enjoy the fruits of mass production, economies of scale and

international distribution logistics that make these products affordable and readily available. This is a blessing for all of us. However, it is a comforting thought, that old world, hand crafted, prideful products, such as the bespoke tailored gentleman’s clothing lovingly sewn by Gieves & Hawkes, and other Saville Row firms are still on offer to those who wish to choose quality over quantity.

On my very first visit to London in the early 1970’s, I was most anxious to window shop the famous little alley known worldwide as Saville Row. Tucked inauspiciously behind the much more commercial and busy Regent Street, the languid pace and understated elegance of the short street was a shock. It seemed almost as if the tailors and shop proprietors were trying to avoid successful commercialization. The shops were small, signage was petite and inauspicious and window displays were presented as simply as possible. The full focus was on the vast array bolts of cloth in endless colors, patterns and weights, classic tailoring and quality bespoke customization.

I was mesmerized but dared not enter a single establishment. The next day, at breakfast, my English distributor asked what I had done and seen during my free day in London. I described my walking tour of the amazing cities streets and my fascination, in particular, with Saville Row. My agent asked if I was going to make an appointment for a fitting with one of the tailor’s. “Of course not”, I replied “Saville Row level of bespoke tailoring is a little out of my range”.

For the next hour my agent became my tutor on the fine points of owning a quality British gentleman’s suit of clothing. He insisted that it was not a daunting experience or pretentious for a young American to enjoy what English gentlemen took for granted when assembling their wardrobes. More importantly, while the bespoke suit may cost more initially, it will provide much better value because the superior custom fit, quality fabric and hand craftsmanship will insure that the suit will wear much longer and provide a much better fit than any off the rack garment ever could. He suggested we make an appointment with his Saville Row tailor, and so we did.

The term “bespoke” is so very British. It simply means “to be spoken for”. In other words a bespoke suit is built solely for a specific client’s unique body shape and personal preferences. Saville Row tailors keep meticulous records of every client’s sizes, styling preferences, cloth and color choices and accessories. Each fitting is treated as the most important fitting the tailor will ever perform, because it actually is!

My first bespoke suit was tailored for me at No. 1 Saville Row, the famous address of Gieves & Hawkes. This, most famous, and typically British institution traces its origins to the late 1700’s. The firm is the holder of numerous royal warrants and has served customers ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte, to Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, to David Beckham. After 250 years in business in London, Gieves & Hawkes still tailors less than 1000 suits each year.

The shop has had many offers to mass produce a line of suits and sportswear that could be sold internationally in huge volumes. The owners have stringently avoided taking this route. The Gieves & Hawkes brand, so assiduously and painstakingly nurtured and harvested for generations, is not to be tinkered with.

You can order custom made suits direct from our website, with its easy to use system and wide range of choices of different types of suits for men. Simply follow our simple ‘Measurement Wizard’ to input your measurements, choose from our range of styles, fabrics and finishes and in a few weeks, your garments will be delivered direct to your door to your exact specifications.

If you prefer – and we would advise this for a sure fit guarantee – why not come to one of our London stores to be measured by one of our tailors. While you are there, you can discuss in more detail the look you want and we can show you all our different ranges, from formal wear to casual designer suits.

Our experience and expertise means we can create custom made suits for any man, no matter what your shape and size. Regardless what style of suits for men you may be searching for, we can accommodate you, with minimum stress and maximum results for you.

For bulk orders we offer every 6th suit at half-price. Or, if you’re getting married, we offer a complimentary page-boy suit for every 5 suits ordered. The choice is up to you.

If you’re not getting married, but have 5 colleagues who’d like to be measured, we can also visit your workplace. Please contact us for further details.Our London Liverpool St. office is open on Saturday’s between 10am and 4pm. If you would like a Saturday appointment, then just book an appointment for the Saturday of your choice and a member of our helpdesk team will accommodate you.

During the week we are open from 8am to 8pm daily.A Suit That Fits has a number of payment options; these include our own payment gateway powered by Barclaycard Business, and Pay pal. Our secure billing system accepts all major credit cards.

You can choose every aspect of the business suit yourself, i.e., you can select the type of material you want, the style, design, buttons and colour. With this facility you need not make any compromise or settle for second best. Your business suit can be the double breasted suit or single breasted according to your own preference. You can get customised business suit, casual suit or other types of men’s clothes from us . The website deals in men’s wear and women’s wear as well and provides you with custom made clothes as per your measurement, style and requirement.

For your business suits or your wedding suit you can opt for bespoke quality suit which is made by the highest or the best Bespoke Quality Tailoring. Here you get to choose the design, pattern, lining and every detail as per your preference. The bespoke Business Suit, casual suit or wedding suit has your name embroidered in the insides of the jackets. The trousers of the suits double waistband which are stitched from the inside. There is small button that is sewn in with the jacket buttons and adds more strength to the suit. These suits are of the highest quality and enjoy a good life.

You can also get a copy of Armani Men Suit or Gucci formal suits at a much reasonable price through the website. For this you can upload the particular style you want along with your measurement and preference. You can select the fabric, thread, button and every aspect as per your requirement and get a stylish, and sophisticated professional business suit or formal suits.

These business suits are delivered to you within 10 days from your date of order. You need not anything for the delivery. At the same time if you require any alteration then that is also provided by create your suit –without any extra charges. Thus through the website you get to buy the best business suits as per your style and that too at reasonable price.