Dedication: To some of the reluctant or unassuming men (and those who love them) who’ve been searching for Custom Clothes i.e. Bespoke, Made to Measure Shirts or Suits to regain a sense of self respect and style – This is for you. Welcome Home!
As you read this post, you’re going to feel 3 things – A little bit of Shame, Some Relief and A lot of Hope (with a Super Dose of Courage to take specific action) So read fast to get to the courage-to-take-action part but don’t skip.
Best,
Buihe Madu | Your Bespoke and Style Guide
MEN!!! (Imagine me using my borrowed King Leonidas Spartan Voice)
Our Shameful Choices, Actions and Style Decisions Exposed
So, Fall is here and you’ve been putting off getting some decent threads to carry you through for the rest of year … You’ve watched sale after sale pass you by – There were the Spring Clearance sales, the Memorial Day Sales, the Fourth of July Sales, the Please For the Love of Gawd! Buy Something Now sales…And you pretty much watched these 15%, 30% 50 %– 75% Off…EVERYTHING MUST GO!! Sales and now you cry or sigh deeply when you look in your closet and the missed opportunities can’t be hidden. Your poor-fitting clothes tell the real story. The casual summer dress code that’s been repealed can’t cover the sin of indulging in a few Bbqs and roof top parties too many this summer.
And the clothes that didn’t fit before the summer definitely don’t fit after the summer!
Tsk…tsk… And now it’s catching up to you. I feel for your pain and the good news is there’s help.
If you’re a normal shaped or framed guy i.e. a guy between a 15” neck size (34″ sleeve) – 17 1/2” neck (37” sleeve) and can fit pretty much any brand – you’re fine. You can run away, close the laptop or window on your mobile device and call it a day. There’s a men’s department that’s ready to welcome you with open arms ’cause they’ll have your size in everything. Buuuuuuut…If you’re a guy that’s not “normal” i.e. Your neck size is say at 14.5” and 34 or 35 sleeve, you don’t have the same options and privileges the average man has or if you’re in between the sizes mentioned above but the chest or stomach of most off-the-rack shirts are too snug or too blousy or too (fill in the blank)…then you’ve been more than likely compromising either on fit, style or confidence – ouch! I know. The shame part of this is over in 3…2….1. Woosahh!!!
The Relief and Hope of Custom (Bespoke or Made to Measure) Clothing
So, for the abnormal guys (that might be you if you’re still reading) who feel some level of body shame when they try on a shirt that’s supposed to be Slim fit or Classic fit and it still doesn’t fit correctly, there’s help and hope. When I say doesn’t fit, here’s what I mean:
If you’ve had to wear a shirt that fits in the body nicely but you can’t button the neck – you’re who I’m talking about.
If you’ve had to wear a shirt that fits great in the neck but the body of the shirt has been blousy – Yup, I’m talking about YOU!
If you’ve had to wear a shirt that fits fine in the neck, great in the body but the sleeves were too short – Yes, I’m talking about you too!!!
For the awkward guys who everything fits just right but the shirts that you get just don’t seem to be long enough to tuck in or they’re not the right length for you to wear them tucked out for a casual look – yyyyesss. You’re included. I’m talking to you.
What’s the answer to these combinations of problems? What’s the solution to your style woes and conundrum? (((crickets))) (((crickets))) You give up???
That’s right. You might have guessed it or not. But I’ll give you a hint:
Starts with a “C” and ends with and “m” (C _ _ _ _ M) or some refer to it as “Bespoke” or “Made to Measure” though these are other forms of C _ _ _ _ M.
So, if you’re still drawing a blank on the missing letters, the answer and solution to the problem to the fit and style catastrophes I’ve mentioned above is “Custom”! (Imagine hearing the womp-womp of the Price is Right when the contestant loses or the deflated trumpet sound at the end of the Wheel of Fortune for the missed word puzzle) But you’re still okay and in good shape. This is the Relief part I mentioned at the top of the article. You’ve made it this far and in the next article I’ll go one-by-one over the ways that custom (aka Bespoke or Made to Measure) clothing addresses all the fit issues mentioned above and respect your wallet at the same time.
If you’re up for the challenge of finding a custom clothing solution for yourself – follow this blog or follow me on Linked IN – and you’ll be in the loop.
Till next time…
Cheers,
Buihe Madu
Your Personal Style Advocate
