The To-Do List: Setting Goals and Meeting Them

I was sorting through some old drafts and documents on my computer the other day and ran across an old list of sartorial goals. I was originally going to write a post based on this list when I first wrote it, pointing out that, while I'm here dispensing advice to you folks, I have a lot of improvements I want to make myself. The article never really came into fruition, and I honestly kind of forgot about the 'to-do' list that I had made. Stumbling upon it again now, it's actually really encouraging, because, for the most part, even without looking at it every day, I lived up to my goals and can cross most of these items off:

• Tie a good tie with a strong dimple at the right length in less than 20 minutes. - Boom. I've got my tie-tying down to an art. I actually had one of my best friends come visit the other week, and we got all inebriated and had a tie-the-knot drinking game/contest (at 2 in the morning on a Tuesday, much to my girlfriend's dismay). I have some awesome and ridiculous pictures from the night, which I'll share someday.

• Don't somehow, mysteriously, fuck up my shoes every time I wear them on things like, no joke, cracks in the sidewalk. - This one I honestly still struggle with, haha, but I'm not exactly sure how to work on it. I will say that, in general, as I've dressed better and better, I've really noticed myself moving with more care and purpose. I think I can safely say that I'm a generally less sloppy person, in large part because it's hard enough to afford to buy clothes (and shoes) once, let alone replace them because of my own damn clumsiness. So, I'm gonna call this one a win too.

• Don't get stuck on one outfit that worked really great, and then wear it over and over. - Another one I think I pass with flying colors. In fact, I may have taken this into problem territory on the other end of the spectrum. Instead of struggling with wearing the same things, I struggle with a need to wear something new or different every day, whether it's a whole new piece or even just a new combination, and it's become a bit of an insecurity in it's own regard. Brian Sacawa  of He Spoke Style started his own blog with the idea of wearing a 'uniform' every day for a year, and I think that challenge takes a whole different level of confidence.  

• Find a really good fitting jean. - I give myself a half-check on this goal. I've gotten a better fitting jean, but still don't have that one, high-quality, perfect-fitting piece of denim that denim-heads tend to gush over. I'm giving myself a pass though...I purposefully held off on this all summer just waiting for the weather to cool down a bit so I could justify buying some mid-weight denim that isn't really hot-as-sin-and-humid-as-all-getout compatible. Now that the temps are cooler, as soon as my bank account can handle it I'll be grabbing pair, probably from Gustin or Dyer and Jenkins.

• Find a great tailor and build a relationship with him. - Alas, I can't really check this bad boy off the list, which is sad, because it's probably the most important item on here. Like I say all the time, fit is everything, and a tailor is the best way to get that perfect fit on every item of clothing you wear. Right now, I'm struggling with Chicago's selection of tailors...too many expensive options that get less-than-desirable reviews. Unfortunately, I don't have the spare funds (or clothing) to really dive into the trial-and-error fiasco that finding a solid tailor can be. The Peter Field seamstress gets my whole-hearted endorsement for alterations like taking in a shirt, and I have a last-ditch high end fella that I take more complicated work to if need be, but I still am looking for someone to fill that middle ground.

• Wear a blazer/jacket on a daily basis (and not just for warmth). - When I first started taking my daily wear to the next level, I limited myself to shirts and ties, and really only threw a blazer on as an extra layer in colder months. I'm proud to say that I am now comfortable wearing a blazer on a day-to-day basis as a part of my basic outfit. I honestly think I've actually evolved sartorially past this step by recognizing that nothing should be an every-day-no-matter-what necessity, and instead dress on a day-to-day, by-the-occasion basis. Happily though, these days this involves a blazer more often than not.

• Wear pocket squares (with confidence). - Man, I was so very timid when first stepping into the pocket-square game, and unnecessarily so. I now have a small but decent selection and try to wear one as often as I wear a blazer. I've even started experimenting with throwing them into less formal outfits, tossing one in the back pocket of my pants, or the breast pocket of a shirt or casual jacket. Instead of being an element that makes me nervous and hesitant, I now accessorize with confidence.

The whole point: not only is it great to have a list of goals to pursue, it's also great to recognize when you've achieved some of those goals and allow yourself a good pat on the back. Now it's time for me to create a new list, tuck it away somewhere for a few months, and see if I live up to my own aspirations and expectations. I'll keep you posted.

My First Suit (Part Two)

I've been a little slow getting this post up, but my first dive into made-to-measure suiting (and suiting in general) has come into fruition, and I'm ready to share the results! 

(Ed. Note: Not sure what is going on with the picture quality here, having some uploading bugs. I'll be working to fix it, but in the meantime, sorry!)

First, a quick rundown of the final customizations I made:

• As previously discussed, I went with Dragon Inside for my first suit.
• I chose a single-breasted, three piece suit in navy wool with the following features:

• Half-lined jacket in dark blue

• Peak lapels

• Functioning boutonniere

• Pick stitching

• Functioning buttons on the sleeves

• Brown corozo buttons (as opposed to standard black)

• No monogram (probably would have gotten one, but honestly forgot)

• Wool back to the vest (as opposed to matching the back to the lining of the jacket)

• Flat front pants

• 1.5" cuff

• Extra taper to the pants from the knee down (and by extra, I mean 1 cm narrower of a leg opening. I got that picky)

So how did it turn out? Off the bat, I'm pretty damn happy with the suit. A lot of things came out perfectly, and the few that didn't won't ruin the suit, by any means, and should all be easily addressable.

Here are the details:

The Good:

• Customer Service: Bobby was incredible throughout the whole process. Always easily reachable, and perfectly happy to meet pretty much every picky request I had. I really appreciate the fact that, despite being a lower-priced suit to begin with, they weren't resistant to my customization at all, even though I'm sure it would have been easier for them to produce with their standard options. On top of that, he seemed genuinely and personally interested in making exactly the suit I wanted, and has followed up several times since delivery to make sure I was happy.

• Customization Options (and accuracy): Like I said, they were just great about this. Compared to other MTM suiting sites, Dragon Inside offers at least as many customization options as you pick out your suit on their website. After that, I kept throwing more and more requests their way and wasn't denied once. Basically, if you want it, they'll make it (to a reasonable extent, to be sure). For the sake of full disclosure, the options I requested that weren't available with the standard form were: brown buttons; tapered leg opening (a slight taper is standard, I requested slightly more of a taper); wool backing to the vest; specific cuff width.

• Body Fit (Chest/Shoulders, Waist/Thighs): I'd say that the fit of the most important parts of the suit (the ones a tailor cannot easily alter) are spot on. I am a pretty skinny guy, and blazers and jackets tend to run on the baggy side for me, even when I get the chest measurement right.
  
  In this case, not only was the chest just comfortably snug, the arms were slim (but not tight), the shoulder width was perfect, and the waist was nipped perfectly for a modern (but once again, not tight) look. Same goes for the pants...I opted to keep the belt loops but I really wouldn't need them, as the fit at the waist, butt and thighs is as close of a match to my body as I expect to get from a MTM service.

• Construction: I'm no expert on tailoring (remember, this is my first suit), but I have no complaints about the construction. The stitching all seems straight and neat (while I'm picky about my options, I have no interest in counting stitches, sorry). Even with just the half lining, the jacket feels substantial enough that I'm not worried about it falling apart, and the fabric doesn't wrinkle or mis-shape easily, which is often a sign of a cheaper suit.

The Bad:

• Armholes: I've been struggling with whether or not this concerns me, but the armholes do seem a tad low. When I raise my arms, there is considerable movement in the rest of the jacket, which is something you want to avoid if possible. 
  
  I'm not expecting anything incredible here (all of my jackets do this to an extent), but this particularly bothered me when I was sitting in a chair with higher-than-usual armrests, as it was impossible to sit comfortably without the jacket looking...off. This may just be something I have to accept for the price point, but I plan on asking my tailor about it.

• Sleeve Length: The sleeves are a tad bit short, which is really my fault (I leaned towards shorter sleeves in an effort to avoid too long of sleeves, and may have went too far). This could be a bigger issue since I opted for functioning button-holes, but really the sleeves are barely too short.
  
  I'm still debating if I even want to alter them at all, but if I do, it would only be by a centimeter or so, and the buttons might be fine as is.

• Pant Length: Same goes for the pant legs, but here I may just be being overly nit-picky. I wanted just the slightest break in the front, which they did perfectly, but I wish the cuffs would touch my shoes in the back. 
  
  Once again, I'm not even sure I want to get this altered (the shorter look is in at the moment), but it's an easy, inexpensive fix that can be made at any time.

• Collar Gap: This is probably my only real area of consternation, as collar gap is pretty unsightly and is usually damn hard to fix. However, once again, the incongruity here is barely noticeable. If I stand naturally, I tend to slouch just the slightest bit, and mostly just in my neck, and that's when I can see probably a centimeter or less of gap between my shirt collar and jacket collar. 
  
  If I consciously straighten up, the problem all but disappears. Additionally, after the few times I've had to wear the suit pre-alterations, it seems like it has started to conform to my body a bit more, and the gap is even less noticeable. Since I'm not an expert though, this is definitely something I will have my tailor take a look at as well.

Which brings us back to one more item to add to the 'Good' list: $75 tailoring credit. I think this is pretty standard for an online MTM suiting company, but it's still worth mentioning. Dragon Inside offers $75 in credit to put towards any alterations that might be required to finalize that perfect fit. Since I'm kind of unsure as to whether or not I want to make any alterations at all, having this financial wiggle room leaves me entirely comfortable with taking my suit in to a well-reputed tailor and getting his expert opinion. I'm all set to go this weekend, so I'll report back with the results.

Also worth mentioning, in another testament to the great customer service from Dragon Inside: if any of the alterations required are beyond the scope of a professional tailor, Dragon Inside will remake the jacket, free of charge, as long as the issues were not cause by a measuring error on my own part. Policies like this take a lot of the gamble out of the purchase, which is hugely important when dealing with online customized garments.