You are looking through Gentlemen’s Quarterly when suddenly, you find a picture of a beautiful navy suit with a tan stripe. It’s exactly what you are looking for! The jacket has a slim silhouette and side vents. There are slanted flap pockets with a smaller one above the right pocket. The pants have narrow legs and no pleats.

Now the fun begins: finding THE perfect suit. Your adventure starts at your favorite men’s store. You think your size is 38 regular. You find three choices, none of which is even close to what you want. You search for a salesperson. When you finally find one, you tell him or her what you are looking for. They show you the same three suits and tells you that’s all there is. You ask if they can order what you want. They don’t know and go to ask the manager. Back they come to tell you that nothing is available. Now what do you do? You don’t like any of the three suits. Besides, you really want THE perfect suit!

Next stop: The Mall. After looking through a couple of men’s stores and two department stores, NO luck. One store has a suit that is somewhat close, but it’s a 40 regular. Both the pants and coat are huge! The salesperson says it can be altered. No thanks! Again, it isn’t what you want. Frustrated, you give up for the day.

At work the next day, you tell your coworkers about your dilemma. One of them tells you to try having a custom suit made. You go to your office, google “men’s custom clothing Phoenix, AZ.” Up pops “S. W. Wilson Bespoke and Custom Clothing.” Not quite sure what to expect, you contact Steve Wilson by way of email or phone. You explain what you are looking for. To your amazement, you find it’s not at all a problem and Steve is willing to meet you at your home or office at your convenience.

At the agreed upon time, your secretary calls to let you know Steve Wilson has arrived. You welcome him and describe in detail what you want. From his vast collection of fabric swatches, Steve selects several for your consideration, describing the different fabrics and their prices. He then tells you your suit can be styled with any custom feature you might want, such as a cell phone pocket, special lining, or functional button holes. It will fit perfectly and you will have THE perfect suit in four to six weeks. You decide to try it.

You make your choice of fabrics and select the styling. Steve then takes about 30 measurements to ensure the proper fit. THE suit arrives as scheduled. It’s exactly what you want and looks and feels fabulous! The entire process was simple. You not only got THE suit, but also got it at an affordable price.

You are now convinced, going custom is the best and easiest way to get THE perfect suit!

Many of you have seen the cartoon of the guy in a clothing store, in front of a mirror. He is wearing a new suit he likes. The salesperson, with a handful of fabric in back, tells the customer how well the suit fits, even though it is obviously too big.

Unfortunately, this kind of “fitting” occurs more than you’d think. In many clothing stores the salespeople are untrained in the art of proper fitting, so they “wing it” and hope for the best. Sometimes the suits fit so poorly, even the best fitter, working with the tailor, can’t get it right. But, “a sale is a sale.” So, the customer walks out believing he will look great in his new purchase.

Here are some suggestions to prevent this from happening to you:

1. Have an idea of how a suit should look. Be aware of others wearing suits. Usually, you will notice when something is not right (baggy pants, sleeves way too long or short, etc.). Make sure your suit doesn’t look this way when you are in front of that mirror.
2. When you are in front of that mirror, ask the salesperson to go over everything. Don’t let him just say it looks good, have him show you.
3. Finally, you should know that there are limits on how much a garment can be altered. Usually, a coat can only be let out about 2”, pant waist 2” and the seat even less. Sleeves can be lengthened no more than 1 1/2” and the same goes for shortening. If the pant seat is huge or the cloth hangs too low or too high, chances are it won’t be right after altering.

Armed with this information, you will know when the salesperson knows what can be done, or if it’s time to consider going to another store, or have a suit made-to-measure “just” for you.

Remember, no matter how much you paid for a suit, if it doesn’t fit, it isn’t worth the money!

This is the start of a series on how to buy a suit so that you can identify true quality.

So, it’s time to purchase a suit?!? If you aren’t wanting to go all the way to a men’s custom suit or bespoke suit, then there are some things you should look for so you get the quality you expect.

There is an international grading system that will help you determine how good the cloth is. When you look at the label on most all wool suits it will say SUPER 100 or 120, and so on. The higher the number (based on thread count and the width of the fiber), the better the fabric. But, hold on! Many fabric manufacturers embelish on the number, making you believe you are getting a better cloth. This can occur on fabrics that are milled in such places as Asia and South America. If the fabric comes from Italy, England and other European countries, they adhere to the international standards ( By the way, very little fabric comes from the US). So be careful. If the tag says SUPER 120 or higher, and the price for the suit is low, you can bet the fabric is not up to standards.

The “feel” of the fabric is another way to judge the quality of the fabric. Does it feel rough, or is it soft and smooth? Most consumers want a soft, smooth fabric, and in most cases they are right. However, you can be fooled because some less reputable mills use a process to soften the fabric. So, if the fabric feels great, but the price is low, you’re prrobably not getting the quality you thought you were.

Price, styling and fabrics are three suit quality determiners. Subsequent posts in this series will  detail each factor to make sure you are getting the suit quality you expect.

Steve Wilson was featured in a segment on the Latest Men’s Fashions on 3TV’s Good Morning Arizona. See the exclusive video and pictures below.

This is backstage in the 3TV studio with the two models, just before going on live.

Just before going live with 3TV’s Scott Pasmore.

Steve Wilson here live on the segment of mens fashion.

Beating the heat in Phoenix is not easy, especially for businessmen. How do you wear a suit in triple digit weather and not sweat out all your body weight?  With the latest fashion tips this season, you’ll stay as cool as you can.

1. Lighten up this summer

Colors making the summer more manageable are cement gray, camel, white, off-white, and khaki. Keep with neutral colors in slacks and shoes. Save the blacks for cooler evenings and dinner parties.

2. Pay attention to materials

Watch out for the material of your clothes to avoid overheating and sweat patches. Any light weight wool suit in neutral gray or “soothing” blue can “come in handy” this time of the year. However, make sure that the suit is made with is 7-8 oz of wool per yard. Any denser and consider it an incubator! In addition, cotton suits breathe very nicely. Always anchor your suit with a light cotton shirt and black or blue tie.

Seersucker and whipcord are two materials that are extremely popular right now, especially among young entrepreneurs. They’re not only light weight cotton fabrics, but also a baby blue stripe pattern for seersucker and a light gravel pattern for whipcord. A Charvet silk white or off white pocket square paired with a dark or medium blue tie can really set off a seersucker suit. The seersucker material is very versatile, see four ways to wear seersucker. Wearing this during the day will make you look fashionable and keep you cool.

From left to right: Seersucker suit, seersucker vest, and whipcord suit

Khaki is a great material right now because it’s cotton and it breathes. Khaki suits have also  come into fashion lately. Worn with a white cotton shirt or dress shirt, this has a great summer feel to it.

3. Pocket squares

If you’re looking for a way to make your suit pop, a pocket square may be just the trick. They have recently made a comeback and for good reason. This small piece of fabric can add color and bring variety to any suit jacket. Keeping with the conservative look, either get solid neutral colored or small patterned pocket squares this season. And always have a white pocket square handy. The white square complements any solid colored suit.

There are only two folds you’ll need to worry about this season. For solid colors, go with the “puff” fold. Whereas for patterns, go with the two corner up fold. See how to easily fold pocket squares.

4. Keep it light and semi-casual with shirts

If you’re out and about during business hours and you don’t want to get too fancy, allow yourself to be a little casual. Go with a collared sport shirt or polo shirt. Pick a neutral color, and again they’re made with cotton and are short sleeved. Going with either a Lacoste or Polo shirt is recommended.

For a relaxed look, the guayabera shirt is made from linen and is perfect for summer days. Meant to be worn untucked, wear it with khaki slacks or jeans. But the guayabera shirt is hard to find locally in Phoenix, luckily S W Wilson makes them custom.

Left to right: cotton dress shirt, guayabera shirt, and off light pink shirt.

5. Linen slacks

Linen is a great way to offset the heat. If cotton isn’t available, then linen will work just fine with slacks.

It’s a great material for pants or shorts and can be put with just about any top: cotton shirt, light weight sport coat, sport shirt, or guayabera shirt.

Final Tips and Comments

Some last thoughts to remember are always stick with neutral colors and light weight, breathable fabrics. If it’s not as breathable, like wool, then it has to be light weight. Lastly, whether you’re in Phoenix or elsewhere, the most important part is the fit. If your attire fits perfectly to your body type with custom clothing, you’ll be sure to look your best this summer.

Post a comment below with any additional tips you want to add when dressing professionally in the summer.

The 60′s called… and it wants its skinny ties back!

Yes it’s true. Tight fitting pants, tailored jackets and skinny ties were not conjured up by hipsters in some momentous epiphany within the last decade. But most people are too young to remember this.

I’m shedding light on the fact that a wide range of trends and fashions for men have been dug up from an earlier time.

The Skinny Tie

Ahh… the infamous skinny tie. We can’t seem to escape from it. Nevertheless, it is a quintessential piece of any “hip” man’s wardrobe. Below is a picture of the famous Rat Pack from the 60′s.

(From left to right: Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop and Dean Martin)

Now here’s a look at what the young and the classy guys of Hollywood are wearing. See the resemblance?

Today, the skinny tie has carved a niche into casual dresses/affairs. Pair it with a jeans to flaunt your casual best or carry it with alone on a button down shirt. A jacket and a vest is recommended but not required.

Tight Pants

Men of the 60′s seemed to go for style over comfort. They preferred pants tailored to fit over baggy pants with more room. And the golfer, Arnold Palmer, was no exception. Here he is on the golf course with the same sort of pants people are wearing today.

Arnold Palmer in the 1960s

Now see the resemblance of the style of mens pants today.

Small Lapels

If you don’t know what a lapel is, it’s the two folded flaps of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat. More often than not, they are found on suit jackets and sport coats.

Smaller lapels are the way to go. Definitely in and promisingly trendy! Here is the late President Ronald Reagan featuring a small lapel.

President Ronald Reagan

Now here is Adrian Grenier, star of the hit show Entourage, sporting a small lapel on his suit jacket.

Adrian Grenier - actor

Coats and jackets had wide shoulders. Double breasted suits, big lapels, thick ties and roomy pants were a common trend. These styles are a reminisce of the 80′s and 90′s, and even the early to mid 50′s

So what have we learned here? By taking a look at a few trends in mens fashions, we can see a common thread: not only are these fashions from the late 50′s and throughout the 60′s, but mens professional fashion is currently at a state where the skinnier, tighter, and smaller is popular.

What men are wearing is clothing that is tailored to fit to their bodies. These custom-made fits help bring out their personality and enhance their figure. Tailoring and made-to-fit clothing are imperative to achieve these popular-once-again styles of mens fashion.