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Let me ask you a simple question…
What do these Two photos have in common?
Well, there’s the obvious answer – those are two formal suits.
But there’s way more than meets the eyes…
What if I told you that those suits are perhaps among the most powerful suits in the modern business world?
Here’s what the men wearing those suits are worth.
From left to right:
- 482 billion dollars.
- 96 billion dollars.
- 47 billion dollars.
Gentlemen, the men we’re looking at are Walmart CEO Carl Douglas Mcmillon, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg and FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith.
Every day those suits speak on the behalf of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people, take decisions worth billions of dollars and change the world for each and every one of us.
This is a great example of sending the message of power through clothing.
If we scale this problem to a situation we can all relate to – the main message won’t change.
The world we live in has never been more competitive.
Most guys have at least ONE suit. And in a world of navy blue suits, paired with a light blue business shirt and nice shiny oxfords – the question is – how do you stand out?
If that’s your question – this is the perfect article for you.
Making a difference comes down to how confident you feel. And how much energy you radiate through your personality, attitude, and image.
This is a guest post by Mario Natella. Mario has a PhD in Aerospace engineering and is the son of an Italian Tailor. He is sharing what his father taught him about clothing through this platform. I hope you enjoy his articles as much as I do.
Custom clothing is a great way to have 100% control on all of that.
Custom clothing is all about:
- controlling your image,
- be the best version of yourself,
- stand out and
- make a difference.
And when clothes are associated with all that symbolism – our brain is affected by what studies call enclothed cognition. We tend to perform better. Our confidence boosts.
In simpler terms – we are just more powerful than ever.
And here’s how you start off, with these 4 simple tips!
- Understand How To Tell When Something Feels “Off” In Your Clothing:
You check your phone. And you got an email and get a discount code for 40% off an awesome double-breasted jacket.
Just the jacket you were looking for… and within your budget!
Sounds like a great deal!
And off you go…
You go to the website, and…boom! Bought it!
You’re invited to a formal party at your firm. What a great chance to show off your new double-breasted jacket! – You think.
You put it on. You feel confident. You go up to a group of guys you know from the office and all you get is… “Wow, man. You look huge in that jacket!”.
That’s it. The words that ruined your night…
What happened there?
You go back home. Find a great video about a double-breasted jacket and the first thing they say is – “do not wear a double-breasted jacket if you carry a little bit extra weight around your mid section. The excess in fabric across your upper body will make you look larger than normal!”
How did you miss that?
Here’s the deal, gentlemen. You need to be able to understand when what you’re wearing feels off.Even before someone else does. You need to understand proportion, symmetry, and fit and make an educated judgment.
What do I mean by that? It’s almost as if you acknowledge to yourself that something isn’t going the way you want but you can definitely do something about it. And it’s that awareness that pushes you to get out and take action. Make yourself look better, in this case.
But let me ask you something. Isn’t that awareness the reason you are reading this article? Isn’t that awareness the reason you wanna be a better dude? Isn’t that awareness the same motive behind the custom clothing experience?
I was actually talking to my father about the bespoke experience. As part of my research for this article. And through his stories, through all the people he was telling me about, the anecdotes, the jokes, we found a pattern.
A common element amongst all the clients that walked in that atelier. And that element is the mere fact that you realize something is not what you wanted. That awareness that motivates you to take action. That awareness that reveals the best version of yourself.
Coming back to our example.
If you are indeed carrying some extra weight around your mid-section, then you should have just forgotten about that 40% discount…
Instead, you would have been better off investing in a great three buttoned dark suit with a high V taper. The high V taper will build up your shoulders and give you a more streamlined silhouette!
Tip No#2
- Know Your Purpose:
How’s this related to the custom clothing experience? You ask.Very simple! Let’s play a little game that will help you understanding this point better.
Imagine Antonio is out of town and leaves YOU in charge of his custom clothing business and you need to handle 2 of his client.
One client is a young guy, fresh out of college, with no basic knowledge in men’s style. He just got hired at a great law firm in town.
He wants to look his part and make a great first impression with the firm and their clients. And you’re trying to build a new interchangeable wardrobe for him.
The other client is a middle aged man, already comfortable with the basic knowledge in men’s fashion. He has already a basic interchangeable wardrobe, and he’s looking into bringing in more colors, more flavors, and more loudness into your style.
Question – do you think you can sell them the same exact wardrobe?
If you were doing Antonio’s job right, then… NO! You just can’t.
That’s why I can’t stress this enough – custom clothing means having 100% control of the message you’re sending, and knowing your purpose if part of that message! In simpler words: it’s much more than just picking a suit off the rack because you need one.
Going back to our examples…
In the first case – where you had to work with the young graduate – you’re going to look for more traditional pieces. You’ll build your wardrobe around the famous basic pieces: the navy blue (never underestimate its power) and dark gray. To pair up with a nice set of dress shirts that you can interchange with both suits.
The second case…
Well, that’s a whole different ball game.
You’ll be building a more advanced wardrobe. Understand the client and bring in those colors that fit him best. Explore the world of men’s classical accessories and build a timeless wardrobe for your client.
Tip no#3
- Learn How To Dress For Your Body Type:
Which of these shapes do you think describes your upper body type best?
Rectangle
Inverted triangle
Trapezoid
Triangle
Oval
Why is all this important?
I know that I may sound like I’m repeating myself, but gentlemen… FIT is everything.
It’s what makes YOU look at your best. It’s what compliments your body. What makes you attractive. And what makes you look like a million bucks even if you only spend 100 on it!
Ignore its importance, and your style instantly suffers.
Have you identified your body type yet?
Well, now you need to dress accordingly.
For example, say you fall into the category inverted triangle…
Broad shoulders by nature, and a very tight waist.
Then polo shirts, henleys, and de-structured jackets will be your best friends. They will fit perfectly on your wide shoulders and a little bit looser on the waist. You were born with a nice attractive V-shape, there’s no need to work on that!
What you need to avoid is anything that brings extra structure and builds on your shoulders. This will accentuate your already good V shape turning it into something less appealing!
The important thing you wanna do before approaching a tailor is this – be aware of your body type before you enter the atelier. You may not know anything about what’s best to wear or not. But being aware of it will allow you to work around it together with your tailor.
This brings us to our next point. Very important when talking about the relationship with a tailor – honesty.
Tip no#4
- Be Honest & Clear With Your Tailor:
Yes. There’s no fooling your tailor. No outsmarting him.
You’re talking to someone who’s dressed thousands of men in his life. Men with different ideas of style, different shape, with a different purpose in life.
You may be well-informed about fashion but always be open to the expert’s ideas. They might put the situation in a different angle you haven’t even thought of.
My father has always told me he loved working with fashion enthusiasts. They were always full of energy. Full of ideas. They would always challenge his skills, his abilities, and his judgment. And when you’re honest about what you know, what you want and honest about your style – working together with an expert will open infinite possibilities for you!
Here’s a story my father used to tell me, that captures exactly the motive we’re on the hunt for in this article.
The story is an old one. It talks about a game my father played at the time he was just a little apprentice at the atelier.
Imagine a client would walk in, and the master tailor would tell my father to look at him, study him and capture as many details as he could about the client. The way he stood. Whether his back has a particular curvature. The way he sat. The way he walked. Moved his gaze. Use his arms while talking. This last one was indeed tough. We’re talking about Italians. So. Just imagine.
At the time, my father’s master tailor did all the talking with a client. But when he was done talking, and the client was out of the atelier, began my father’s oral examination.
He had to give a full description of the client. Leaving out no details. Even the tiniest most insignificant at first. Why was all this important?
Being able, from a quick glimpse at the client, to capture the most important details about the body type, and (most importantly) its unique characteristics was fundamental to tailor a perfect bespoke piece. And that was one of the skills that the little apprentice had to master.
Often times, hours and hours had to be wasted waiting for the client to understand those details about his body. While the master tailor had grasped them within the first minutes of their conversation. Then it became his job to slowly and steadily convey the message to the client and show what modifications those details would cause to the final bespoke garment.
This short anecdote of the life of a young apprentice already shows us an important element. An element that came back many times in this article.
The need for a thorough understanding of your body. Those teeny tiny details. Sometimes hidden or neglected. Other times obvious and loud. Details that at the end of the day make every one of us a unique individual.
Conclusion & Result:
In a world where fashion has become cheap, instant, fast and easily accessible for everyone, the question is – how can you stand out? How can you make a difference?
Again…
Making a difference comes down to how confident you feel. And how much energy you radiate through your personality, attitude, and image.
Custom clothing is a great way to have 100% control on all of that.
The custom clothing experience is nothing other than a very personal experience that allows you to have 100% control of your image. 100% control of the message you’re sending. And overall, just be a more confident man.
Transform yourself into a better-dressed man. And give you that confidence and determination you need to make a difference.
This is a guest post by Mario Natella. Mario has a PhD in Aerospace engineering and is the son of an Italian Tailor. He is sharing what his father taught him about clothing through this platform. I hope you enjoy his articles as much as I do.
Thanks For reading this article for more articles visit more posts oof this blog.
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