The last week of January.

When you know it’s coming.  And.  Yet.  Somehow.  You are not ready.

That’s right.  Valentines day.

The guys out there are probably thinking…

What’s the best way to prepare for valentines day?

The answer is, like Jeremy Renner says in Hurt Locker,

“The way you don’t die, sir.” (click for clip)

Yeah, so, good luck with that.

As for you ladies, wondering what to get your boyfriend for Valentines day.  Here’s a slightly more actionable suggestion.

Call it what you like – “The Gift that Fits”, “The Custom Dress Shirt Startup Kit with Gift Box”, or “Your Valentines Day Solution”.  Regardless, it comes with a range of fabric samples, measuring tape, and a gift card in the amount of your choosing.

This gift gives the two of you everything you need to create the perfect dress shirt for him.  Get a sense for what fabrics he likes (the ones you like), take his body measurements and you are good to go.  He’ll be looking sharp and you’ll be girlfriend of the year.

Order your gift box now (free with gift certificate over $100).

We had a lot of help in 2009… so here are a few thanks.

Most obviously, thanks to our software team, tailors and graphic artists for being so damn talented.

Thanks to our very first customers, who miraculously found our website in the first couple months we were open.  Our site was confusing and buggy, but you were determined enough to figure things out and complete a sale.  Furthermore, you were understanding if we messed up your orders.  Like Ryan, whose “hurricane ready” shirt was 8″ too long or Gaetan whose cuff accents were inside out.  We had many kinks to work out and you patiently worked through these issues with us.

Thanks to all the friends who purchased shirts, even if you didn’t need a shirt or would otherwise never consider buying a $100 dress shirt, without a discount, without me even asking you to do so, simply to show support.

Thanks to the friends and customers who helped spread the word about Proper Cloth.  Your emails to co-workers, posts on twitter and facebook, and invitations to friends was the advertising we could not afford.

Thanks to our summer intern who spent her summer working here and even now, while she finishes her MBA at Wharton, continues to kick ass selling dress shirts.

Thanks to the other volunteers, who took a personal interest in Proper Cloth and spent real hours putting in work.  Whether it was writing emails to bloggers, starring in informational video’s, lending your photography expertise, recruiting your own networks to help, editing blog posts, or just being a sounding board for new ideas, you’ve been a huge help.

Thanks to our investor who had the guts to bet on Proper Cloth.  Thanks for being polite, understanding and fair.  Thanks for being up-front and honest.  Thanks for providing informed advice.  Thanks for providing access to your network and business.  Thanks for knowing how to get involved without trying to take over.

Thanks to all the bloggers that wrote about us, purely because you thought we were interesting.  You helped customers find us when we were too small to get the attention of larger press and too poor to advertise.  Thanks also to the traditional publications that covered us and added legitimacy to our name.  Thanks to the print magazines that included us in their gift guides.

Thanks to all the members of forums who discussed us.  You helped spread the word, helped answer other people’s questions and provided us with excellent recommendations and ideas to improve.

Thanks to all the customers that provide us real, thoughtful feedback.  You took the time to write up software bugs and carefully describe what you wanted us to add.  Your suggestions provided ideas we would not have thought of otherwise and helped us prioritize our development.  Thanks also for telling us what you like.  For a startup there’s nothing more rewarding than hearing success stories – and knowing that all our hard work is actually making someone’s life better in some way.

Thanks to all my advisors, formal and informal, for listening to my questions and making suggestions.  You kept the bigger picture in mind and helped me make sure my strategy was reasonable.

Thanks to the other entrepreneurs.  You were open about your own businesses and full of good ideas and recommendations.  You met up for lunch, answered the phone, responded promptly to emails, or met up for a mid-week beer.  You were able to relate to the stress of running a startup in a way that no one else could.  When things felt dismal you reminded me of the potential.  When things went well you helped celebrate.

Finally – and personally – thanks to my close friends and family for your love and emotional support.   When everything felt like it was falling apart, you provided perspective and helped me stay sane.  Knowing you are there means the world.

Introducing the Proper Cloth Black and Red Tattersall dress shirt.  What you are about to witness is shirt-porn.  If you’re not comfortable seeing a naked shirt twisted into unnatural positions, do not scroll down further.

Black and White Reverse Graph Check accents complement the Red and Black Tattersall.

Copied shamelessly from Wikipedia: Tattersall describes a check pattern woven into cloth. The pattern is composed of regularly spaced thin alternating even vertical warp stripes, repeated horizontally in the weft. The stripes are generally darker than the ground. The cloth pattern takes its name from Tattersall’s horse market, which was started in London in 1766. At that market blankets with this checked pattern were used for horses. Today tattersall is a common pattern, often woven in cotton, particularly in flannel, used for shirts or waistcoats.

Handmade in USA by nice Americans.  Last month.

The pattern is Tattersall, but the fabric weave is Broadcloth.  This one in particular is an 80 thread count broadcloth.  Technically it’s 77 threads per inch vertically (warp) and 144 threads horizontally (weft).  Some might call that 144 threads per inch.

Soft fabric that drapes nicely.

“Londoner Collar” is a pretty wide spread

Reinforced side seam gussets.

This is our new two-button mitered cuff.  Not exactly like the virtual preview anymore, but works really well.

Get this Black and Red Tattersall Dress Shirt made in your exact size.

Stay Proper.

This picture doesn’t show the real atmosphere which is a bit darker and feels more intimate, especially after a few drinks. The place serves Egyptian food (which I did not try) and has a very ornate middle-eastern-north-african theme.

Yes, there is real grass on the ground.  Yes, it is inside.  No, I don’t know how they do that. There’s a nice bar area and a bunch of little booths and small tables surrounded by massive chairs.  The martinis are amazing and there is a very, very long champagne list.  Nothing is cheap, so come prepared to indulge.  If you’re in the mood (you’re in the mood) they’ll also bring out the hookah for you.

This can make for a slick after work spot, earlier in the evening before it gets dark (and before it gets cold) because the entire front opens up to the outside.  It is also really cozy in the back, and they are open late, so feel free to drop by around midnight.  We left at 4am and it was still going on.  If you’ve got a hot date (single or double) keep Casa La Femme in mind.

Stay Proper.

When you know you need a drink, but can’t stand the claustrophobic feeling of an underground pub, this is a good place to go.  You can hang out at the bar or get your own bottle/table – it’s laid out so that both options work nicely.  This is one of just a few nice roof top lounges in Manhattan that I’m aware of (btw – why aren’t there lounges on every rooftop?).  Drinks weren’t cheap, but you don’t expect them to be.  I got there around sunset and only expected to stay a few hours, but somehow the party lasted till 2 in the morning… funny how Jameson shots, Ketel One, and attractive women make that happen.   Had a great time.  Polite conversation became dancing on tables and strangers became couples friends.

Go there and stay proper.

Yes, Bruno is also from Austria.

Wow, that dream just got weird…

Anyways, Austria is a great country.  And it’s also the location of Getzner, one of the world’s oldest and most renowned fabric mills.  And because Proper Cloth is so on top of things, we’ve added some of Getzner’s extremely desirable fabrics to our offering.  These are all 100 thread count 2-ply fabrics.  The patterns are (according to us at least) beautiful.

correction – this blue and orange stripe is 120 thread count two-ply fabric

They also feel amazing.  Getzner was founded in 1818.  They’ve been making premium shirting fabrics for a long time.  They know what they’re doing and are famous for it.  You want to get shirted this classy.  Start designing now.

Stay Proper.

Part of the book covers Mario Batali and his famous Manhattan restaurant Babbo.  Buford gives a behind-the-scenes look at Battali’s flamboyant drink-all-night personality and how his restaurants are run.  The second half of the book covers Buford’s experience working under Dario Cecchini, a famous Tuscan butcher (in Italy).

What I love about this story is that Buford, who had a respectable job as the fiction editor for The New Yorker, quit his job to join Babbo’s kitchen and work his way up from the bottom.  And the bottom was not comfortable.  Working 14 hour plus days sweating in a hot kitchen, slicing his fingers regularly, burning his hands and arms regularly, getting yelled at regularly…  The kitchen of a high end restaurant does not sound like a particularly fun place to be.

It’s common advice that you should do what you love with your life and that it’s never too late to change careers.  Unfortunately, most people don’t take this seriously and end up in jobs that merely pay the bills.  Buford is an inspiration and example of figuring out where you want your life to go and then doing whatever it takes to get there.  We should all follow his example.

Stay Proper.

Dear Proper Cloth,

I’ve always bought my dress shirts from Brooks Brothers, size 16-34 Slim Fit.  I believe this means my collar size is 16 and my sleeve size is 34.  I’m now thinking of switching to custom tailored dress shirts, so I went to a tailor to be measured.  According to the tailor, my sleeve length should actually be 35.5.  What gives?

Did he mess up and exaggerate the sleeve length or is this just different in some way?

Thanks,

Long Armed in Los Angeles

Dear Long Armed,

Don’t be alarmed.  The proper way to measure your sleeve length is from the center of the back of the neck, over your shoulder and down to the center of the back of your hand.  It’s common for this sleeve length measurement to be longer than you’re used to.   Truth is, you’ve probably been wearing the wrong sleeve length your entire adult life.

Try this – next time you prop your elbows up on the mahogany conference table while contemplatively rubbing your chin and mentally preparing your response to the analyst questioning the ‘employee morale’ expenses you incurred in Greece last quarter, take a moment and note how far up your forearms the cuffs of your shirt have moved.  If you’re not wearing a custom dress shirt this will probably look mildly ridiculous.

You were probably convinced that your shirts fit fine because when your arms are hanging relaxed at your sides, the cuffs come just to your wrist.  It would seem that if you add another inch, they will be too long.  After all, you don’t want your sleeve coming over your hand.

You’re absolutely right that you don’t want the sleeve coming up over your hand.  With custom fitting shirts this doesn’t have to be the case because can specify the correct cuff size.  Most off-the-rack shirts have over-sized cuffs, made to be loose on even the largest wrists.  However, a proper fitting cuff will have a circumference of just 2-2.5 inches more than your wrist’s measurement (to the skin).  A properly fitting cuff will not slide up your hand when your arms are at your sides.  It will hold the cuff in just the right spot at the base of your hand.

Long story short, custom shirt sleeves are usually made a bit longer because they should be.  And with custom, they can be.

Stay Proper.

If you haven’t heard of Mayer Hawthorne, consider this your introduction.  I’m loving his songs.  I won’t try to over analyze it but this song just feels good.  Hawthorne’s nerdy style is cool too – very proper – but aren’t those sweaters a bit warm for Venice beach?

This video seriously captures the SoCal vibe.  Brings back some good memories.  Driving around on a Sunday with the windows down…  In-n-Out… iced tea…  shrimp burrito…. walking aimlessly on the boardwalk… soaking up the sun… street performers… girls… backyard keggers… surfing… goofing off… Jeez, I think I need a vacation.

BTW – if you are Mayer Hawthorne, know Mayer Hawthorne, or know someone that knows Mayer Hawthorne – please contact us.  We think he should be wearing Proper Cloth.

Stay Proper.

Had the chance to check out GoldBar on Broome Street last night.

First, from a designer standpoint, the venue is pure ostentatious excess.  The walls are covered in gold painted skulls, the ceiling has huge chandeliers and the tables are made to look like giant gold bracelets.  There are also these spooky looking paintings on the walls – what you’d expect to see in a castle, but with a modern twist to them.  All in all, I really liked the design of this place.  Someone had an innovative vision and executed it nicely.

The main room is a good size.  Not too big.  A bit intimate.  The music was the same hiphop/house mix you’d get in any lounge and the volume was right.  Bit of dancing, bit of conversation.

The crowd was nice.  A mix of euro-trash (and I mean that in the nicest way), young professionals and pretty girls.  Everyone seemed friendly and in the mood for celebrating, although this impression is likely the result of our own enthusiasm mixed with lots of redbull and vodka.  I think everyone in the main room was getting bottle service.  There’s a bar area in the front as well.

Definitely calling this a proper spot.  Go there.

Stay Proper.