Navy 3 Piece For Unique Body Shapes

Not all bodies were made the same. We are all born differently and different lifestyles will help shape our bodies too. Some people will have a harder time finding clothes in retail stores that fit them because manufacturers can't cater to every single body type in this world. So they mass produce clothes in sizes that fit majority of the population.

Here's where we can help. Have a look at Jason's suit. He avidly lifts weights and has sculpted his upper body so that it is broad and thick. I cannot imagine a single suit retailer that would carry anything for men who have muscular upper bodies and narrow waists. 

Balsam Tailors can make a suit that fits your specific body shape:

Creative Repair On A Down Puffer Jacket

If you have a puffer jacket (especially one made with down), you will know how annoying it is to get a rip in it. The outer nylon or polyester layer can't ever be mended in a way that it will become perfect again. You could try sewing up the rip but there will definitely be a seam.

I see cigarette burns and accidental tears in these jackets all the time. Down puffer jackets aren't cheap. A decent one will run you a minimum of $200. A really high quality one can cost as much as $1000 and up. Most people are reluctant to throw away a down jacket just because they put a rip in it They know that, beyond the aesthetic imperfection, it is still a very warm jacket that will do its work.

If you don't mind the visible seam that goes over the rip, especially if it's located in an inconspicuous place on the jacket, then simply sewing it up will work well.

But sometimes, a seam in somewhere obvious, say on the backside of your jacket, isn't very pretty. Look at the following picture of a very new puffer jacket. There's a big cut down the backside:

If we were to sew it up, there would be an obvious vertical seam down the backside of the jacket.

Our seamstress thought of a better idea. Instead of creating a seam that looks out of place, she decided to "blend" the repair into the background.

Putting a piece of triangular fabric to cover the lower half of the rip.

Pinning the triangle in place.

The extra fabric comes from the belt that came with the jacket.

What the seamstress has done is cut a couple pieces of triangular shapes from the original jacket belt and strategically sewed them right over on top of the damaged area.

The result: 

This $500 jacket is saved! Looks almost flawless, right? :)

Men Can Have Wedding Stress Too (But Not Colin. He Seems Pretty Chill.)

Colin and his fiance came in for their fitting session last week. He had ordered an off-white shirt to go with a warm grey suit. It was for their upcoming wedding. Such a sweet couple, always joking around with each other.  I really enjoy meeting happy couples and learning about their stories--it always gives me the warm fuzzies. 

Getting a suit made for your special day involves choosing the right tailor and putting your trust into him/her. It can be a stressful process for the couple getting married because there's the anticipation that your custom clothes will and should come out the way you want them to come out. 

Working with Anda and I, you will get the close attention that you deserve. We supervise the construction of your garments from inception to the end. That should help take some weight off your shoulders when you've got a million other wedding-related tasks to tend to. 

Needless to say, we are extremely happy that Colin and his fiance picked us to help make their wedding story.

Check out Colin's suit paired with his high-top Converse. He had brought dress shoes but he mentioned that he'll be wearing new custom Converses at his wedding, so I figured why not get a little preview to see what the suit will look like with canvas shoes:

Thanks for modelling, Colin!

Brown Is A Great Colour. Just Sayin'

Summer's gone and Autumn has fallen upon us. Our wardrobe is most often inspired by the seasons' colours. You look around and you see trees everywhere turn orange, red, brown and yellow.  Now is a good time to bring out your earth-tone garments/accessories and wrap yourself up in mother nature's warm cozy palette.

Let me introduce to you the brown suit. Brown is often overlooked as a suit colour and it doesn't seem to be as desirable as its navy, grey or black counterpart. There seems to be a stigma behind the brown suit: It looks dated and is only for mature people.

Okay, brown is sort of an old-person colour. I'm guilty of thinking like that. I personally don't wear a lot of browns because it makes me look more mature than my real age.  I just don't wear the hue well.

BUT, if you happen to be the kind of person who loves brown and wears it well, consider yourself lucky because you've got one more colour than all the rest of us to wear! Take my brother-in-law for example. I think he wears a brown suit REALLY well (um, yah, I indirectly called him old but he looks good, so it's all good!):

He wears his rich brown suit (made with love by Balsam Tailors!) with an airy baby blue shirt that has a white collar and finishes the ensemble off with a light grey tie. I imagine a good analogy for that is having a cup of rich authentic Belgium hot chocolate and adding a dollop of whipped airy fresh cream to it . Mmm... Cold-weather cravings. ;)

Here's another way to wear the same suit pants. I made him put on a royal blue Mandarin collar shirt that really compliments the brown pants and cognac boots. Yes, I MADE him do it. And I also MADE him put on my really cool tribal pattern scarf with tons of bright fall colours in it to complete the Fall look.

Not only did I MAKE him put on the clothes I wanted him to put on, but I also MADE him pose for me like this:

In the end, he MADE me leave his house. Haha.. 

Jokes! He's truly an awesome man for letting me dress him up and photograph him. :)

Tuxedos Aren't Just For Fancy Galas And Weddings

A lot of people often think a tuxedo is reserved for very special occasions. That used to be the case. A very long time ago. 

Nowadays, people are more at liberty to express themselves in however they want to dress. Also-- getting multiple uses out of their high-quality garments is a preferred choice for many young folks out there, especially with all the fast-food clothing stores that sell cheaply made tops and pants that exhibit poor construction and fabric quality that fall apart quickly, which in turn ends up costing the buyers more money in the long run if they need to replace those items.

Take this blue tuxedo for example:  

If the jacket and pants are worn together, it's pretty clear that this IS a formal tuxedo.

 

But if you take the jacket and pair it up with a casual pant, the overall feel of the outfit becomes a hip street-wearable ensemble.

If you want to wear the tuxedo pant (pictured above are the same pants in the first picture) on its own, that's perfectly fine too. It just looks like a pair of regular dress pants. Here's a tip: If you want to be able to wear the tuxedo pants as a pair of normal dress pants, make sure to order a pair without the satin trim down the sides of your legs. 

So as you can see here, our model pictured above, Sam, is sporting a pair of tuxedo pants that doesn't really look like tuxedo pants anymore. How versatile is that? :)

Hot Climate Wedding Attire For Men

Peter is getting married in Mexico and his brother (who's had alterations done with us previously) brought him into our store for a custom made vest and pant combo. Peter already had a specific colour and style in mind, so all we had to do was find the right colour cloth in a light-weight wool suitable for Mexico's sizzling hot temperatures. 

There is a misconception that wool suiting would be too hot for hot climate places. It is not true. In fact, wool moderates body temperature. It insulates when you're cold and pulls moisture off your body when you're hot and sweaty. 

Less expensive and cooler alternatives could be linen or cotton.

Congratulations, Peter and fiance on your wedding!

We gave him a lustrous satin back to create a more elegant finish. 

Bob & Sheryl's Summer Wedding

Bob and Sheryl are such an amazingly fun and sweet couple. They first came in for a whole bunch of alterations but then, after a browse, Bob decided that it would be nice to have a light grey summer wool suit made up for his ocean-side wedding. Of course, I was delighted! We honestly don't get a lot of opportunities to make light-coloured summer suits. Most guys opt for dark coloured suits like, back, charcoal and navy because they are versatile and "safe"...

Well, Bob is not a "safe" guy. He's a performer at heart. He loves to dance and from what I heard, he also sang for Sheryl at the wedding! 

He sent these photos in yesterday so that I could see how great the suit looked on him:

Don't they look perfect for each other? :)

I think they totally look like celebrities here!

Thank you guys for sharing your happiness with us. Congratulations on tying the knot!