We Can Always Rely On Our Customers To Lift Our Spirits On Such Cold Rainy Days!

Mr.Le came in one day to inquire about a suit and shirt for his son's graduation. A very happy, funny and friendly man he is! After our brief little chat, Mr. Le smiled, nodded and said he'd bring his son in for a suit. 

Mr. Le indeed brought his son, Daniel, in and together they picked out a nice black cloth with a subtle sheen for the suit and a crisp stark white cloth for the shirt. I knew he'd be a perfect candidate for a slim fit suit with a nicely cinched jacket waist just by looking at his slim physique.

Take a look at Daniel's first custom-made suit and shirt:

We are very pleased with how it fits and drapes. I think Daniel agrees too judging by the smile in the picture below, or maybe he's just ecstatic that his dad is such a cool guy with a great sense of humour (A decade worth of jokes were told during our three short meetings--I had such a good laugh)! ;)

Mr. Le and Junior Le! Don't they look alike? Such great smiles!

Thanks Mr.Le and Daniel for being awesome people! It was certainly our pleasure to work with you. :)

Warning: Balsam Suits May Induce Uncontrollable Happiness... And The Feeling Of Nakedness Apparently.

When Graeme came in to pick up his suit, it became a smiling contest. It was GRAEME VS ANDA & CINDY. I honestly don't think I've seen a more ecstatic customer than this guy. I mean, he was REALLY happy. Not just happy. Like truly insanely HAPPY! Haha! I watched the way his lips stretched across his face from the moment he put on his pants up until the moment he slipped on the jacket to when he looked into the mirror. It went from ear to ear. No exaggeration! And I will quote him: "WOW! It feels so good! It's so fitted and light. It's like I'M NAKED."

HAHA!! Well, I'm glad our suits make you feel so naked, Graeme! ;)

When I asked if he wanted to be featured on our blog, he... Well, you can see for yourself how it unfolded:

Can you show me those pearly whites, Graeme:

Let's have a look at that back side:

I'm going to do a close-up, if you don't mind:

Show me your million dollar pose, please:

 Can you demonstrate to me how you're feeling right now:

So, overall, how would you rate this suit:

So, as you can see, feeling naked makes you THIS happy. 

Thanks so much, Graeme, for letting us take pictures of you and putting smiles on our faces! 

Epilogue: Graeme didn't want to take his suit off. Oh trust me. He really didn't.  He said proudly, "I'm going to wear it right now to show my girlfriend." He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out the door...with a smile still plastered on his face. 

So who won the smiling contest? Not sure, really. Because Anda and I were definitely smiling even after he left. :D

Hip Navy!

Alan and his fiancée, Chloe, found us online. His fiancée is a fan of the Balsam blog and has been following it closely. Imagine how flattered I was to hear that and to see them in the store! And they're such a sweet and polite couple! 

They came in with the hopes of having a slim-fit suit made for their wedding in February. They wanted something in navy.

There has been an increasing demand in the past year or so for navy suits as the choice of suit colour for the modern day groom. The main reason, according to a lot of our male customers, is because a navy suit doesn't look as formal as the traditional black wedding suit. Newly wedded males can stay dapper in that very same navy suit they got married in at work or at parties! 

Take a look at Alan's brand new custom slim-fit suit. If you're wondering what pairs well with a navy suit, consider a pair of light to medium brown leather shoes and a dress shirt in shades of light blue, light pink or purple. 

Congratulations again Alan and Chloe! Thanks for being in our post! :)

European-style Suit. Great For Slim Guys.

I'm a huge fan of the sleek and skinny European-style suit. It's most flattering on guys with an average or slim build. Men who are muscular or are on the heavier side should probably stay away from this style because you would literally look like you are busting out of your suit.

European-style suits have a "shrunken" feel to them. Everywhere is lean. The waist on the jacket is very well defined, the pant waist is high, the legs are narrow to the point of almost uncomfortable and the pant hems are so short your socks show even when you're standing up.

Jay Su here wanted something of the sort but opted for a tiny bit more relaxed fit. He didn't want skin tight but he also didn't want boxy. We made him a suit that was in between. The legs are narrow but still comfortable. Keep in mind, narrow pants means it will break more at the front. His jacket length is an inch shorter than what we'd normally make for a guy his height simply because he wanted longer legs.

The result is a skinny but comfortable suit. Hooray for European-style suits! They make you look tall and lean which is look desired by many modern guys.

Custom Made Suit Price: $499 + HST

The Rossi's Rock! (Part 1)

They rock because they let me take pictures of them. They didn't want to at first but I basically shoved a model release form into their faces and pressured them into signing it. We have a "no signature--no nice suit to take home" policy at Balsam Custom Tailors.

Just kiddng.

Moreno and Jacob fought each other to be the star of this post. It was a tough battle. Punches were thrown. Blood was shed. Clothes were torn. Hair was ripped. Then I had to come between the two of them to settle the issue. I made them both stars.

I lie again.

I simply asked and they said "yes". See how boring that sounds?

I want to showcase both their suits because the cloths they picked are superb!

Jacob, the groom, picked a fine-stripe silky wool cloth that has a bit of sheen to it. It looks and drapes really well.

Cloth #: RKC 58340

Jacob opted for the regular size lapel. A classic!

Looks like we need to put some sunnies on that happy face of his!

Jacob's Custom Made Suit Price: $780