Not So Fast

Just because spring is here according to the calendar, it doesn't mean that low temperatures and cold weather clothing are out of the picture. Spring happens to be a time when items like flannel suits and lightweight scarves come in most handily.

The eager gent wants to put on his summer suits and wear the items that have been stored for months now. The patient and experienced man knows better. He is the one who will be properly attired in a flannel suit, sans any need for outerwear. Guess which will be more comfortable on his stroll throughout the city??

So even though the high for the day may be in the lower 60's, consider that you don't start your day at 2:00 p.m. when that temp hits. Rather, you are getting to work when the thermometer reads 42 degrees, and leaving the office when it's about the same. That, my friends, is not a number that demands lightweight wool.

Where's the Issue?

If your dry cleaners have ever pressed your collars or cuffs to the point of severe wrinkling, don't accept their excuse that the shirt is made poorly. The truth is, the issue is quite the opposite. Traditional quality shirt makers do not "fuse" (fancy word for glue) the inner linings to outer fabrics on the cuffs and collars, they sew them in along the perimiter to ensure a proper fit over the life of the shirt. The reason for the wrinkles is because when a corner dry cleaner quickly sends your shirts through the presses, they aren't paying attention to the collar detail and the hand finishing that should be done.

Instead, they are used to pressing fused shirts, where the collars are stiff as a board and there isn't any fabric to be wrinkled. A quick press job results in wrinkles that are often hard to iron out and a look that says elementary.

While fusing sounds like a quick fix - it does have it's downside because it tends to shrink with regularity. Now you know why your shirts get tight on the neck and short in the sleeves after 6 months or so.

The ideal solution is to find a quality dry cleaner who uses a hand press to finish the focal points of a shirt, and not settle for the closest place to your home. Your clothes are an investment, one worth an extra 5 minute drive if needed.

Too Tight = Too Bad

There isn't a more surefire way to look fat, than if you stuff yourself into ill fitting clothing. It is a misconception that putting on garments a size or 2 small will make you look leaner than you actually are. Regardless of what kind of shape you are in, the truth is, that clothing that resembles a sausage casing, is actually emphasizing what you are trying to hide and is making you uncomfortable in the process.

Do the right thing and buy clothing that fits the way it is supposed to - tailored and trim, without being tight and restrictive. Clothing is much more easily taken in, than it is to let out.

So, even though it feels good to buy things that are a size or 3 smaller than your frame, remember that you live in a world with other people...... people who have to look at you. The common courtesy here is to make the experience for them as pleasing as possible. Selflessness at it's finest :)

Perfection is Imperfection

In the ongoing quest to look your best, it's important to realize (and come to grips with the fact) that your clothing will never look exactly like it does in the pages of much admired fashion magazines.....

You ask yourself how those clothes look so perfect in those pages.... The quick answer is the clothing has pins in them, the models are mostly stationary, and there is a nice tool they use called PhotoShop. Figure out a way to incorporate those elements into your day to day, and you too can have the same.

My suggestion, however, is to understand that clothing must be mobile. Like our bodies which wear it, the garments are in constant motion and adapt to whatever it is that we are doing. Fit is important, but perfection is impossible. Embrace that thought and you will stop wondering if this or that is fit just right...

Think about it: When you get fitted for a suit or any other tailored piece - you stand still infront of a mirror. You look at every little detail to make sure everything lies smooth. No wrinkles. No stitch out of place. Now, think about the last time you stood that way throughout the day - - you probably cant remember a time, because it doesn't exist!!!!

Stop wasting energy and thought on perfection and realize that if the fit is right, there must be room for imperfection - unless of course you are willing to stand still all day.