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:

Never-old Navy!

Navy is still a very sought after colour for suits. Requests for navy suits haven't declined at all. They are a favourite and staple for young professionals. 

Take a look at how amazing navy looks on this dashing young professional: 

I'm so happy to call this dashing young professional MY FRIEND! Haha. He's my friend, Jonathan and I am so happy that he came back again for a 2ND suit! The first time we made him a grey pin stripe suit and he wore it really well. He made our suit look so good!

I have to say, he looks EVEN better in navy! You know how some people just wear certain colours better than others? Well, my friend here wears navy extremely well. I tell him he looks like the CEO of a blue chip company ;)

Thank you Jonathan for coming back! We'll see you again for your 3rd suit? ;)

3 Piece Grey For A Spring Wedding

Light grey suits are the most popular choice for Spring weddings because it goes so well with any colour--in particular, powdery pastel colours. Grey forms a neutral background that would make any light or bright colour pop. 

You can be sure that whatever your colour scheme is for your wedding day, your grey suit will not clash with it. And a great photography tip for those tricky wedding pictures: It used to be a pain for wedding photographers to pick the right exposure for the bride and groom photographs because of the high contrast between a black suit and a white dress. What would a photographer expose for: The really dark black suit or the really bright white dress? Depending on the photographer's choice of exposure, someone in the picture would either be washed out or look too dark.

Thanks to Photoshop, that problem could be avoided but still requires the photographer to do a bit of prep work before taking the photos.

If you feel inclined to help your photographer out or want to ensure that your pictures are correctly exposed or you just love the colour, try a light grey suit!

Check out this 3 piece grey suit that we made for Nathan:

Nathan's mom made this self-tie bowtie for him!

Thanks Nathan for sharing your suit!

Best Year-Round Suit

Betty was looking for a versatile, easy-to-maintain, medium weight, non-wrinkly and comfortable grey suit to wear for any occasion all year round. 

Voila! We paired her up with an easy-to-wear budget friendly "Wool (70%) + Polyester (30%)" medium grey suit. With a wool-polyester suit, you get everything you want in a suit:

1. The breathable and moisture-wicking properties of wool

2. Medium weight wool that doesn't feel heavy

3. The texture of fine wool that's soft to the touch

4. Lowered cost due to the added synthetic material

5. The durability of polyester

6. The non-wrinkling property of polyester

7. Ease of ironing at home if necessary (but we always recommend taking it to a professional for pressing)

Check out what we built for Betty:

I really love these high-shine dress shoes by John Vluefog. The gold trim adds so much elegance to it.

Thanks Betty for sharing your suit!

What Kind of Grey Suit Should You Get?

This post is a comparison of how two different shades of grey affects how a person looks. One question I get really often is: What sort of grey suit should I get that I can wear year-round to everything?

Meet Andy. He's a professional who moved here from Toronto for his new job. On the way here, he lost his suitcase full of good work clothes and was left with just the suitcase of not-so-great looking work clothes.

I joke.

I actually forget the reason why Andy came in but he desperately needed a new work wardrobe. Of course, we were totally excited to help! 

He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted so it didn't take too long for him to make his selection. 

He also had a lot of decision-making to do when it came to choosing his shirts. We offer a lot of design options: French cuffs, convertible cuffs, contrasting collar & cuffs, contrasting plackets, concealed plackets, pockets with flaps or no flaps and so forth.  

Check out the following two grey suits that Andy is sporting for us:

Medium Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Contrast Collar/Cuff  Window-Pane Pattern Brushed Cotton Shirt

Medium Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Contrast Collar/Cuff  Window-Pane Pattern Brushed Cotton Shirt

Versus:

Charcoal Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Window-Pane Brushed Cotton Shirt

Charcoal Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Wiudow-Pane Brushed Cotton Shirt

A medium grey suit is very versatile in that it's not too light for the cooler seasons and not too dark for the warmer seasons. It feels more casual than a black, charcoal or navy suit.

Contrastly, Andy's charcoal suit feels a little more "serious" and formal since visually, it's closer to black. When you put on a charcoal suit, you look like you mean business!

Notice that even just the very act of doing up your jacket and leaving your jacket undone affects how formal or casual a suit looks?

My personal opinion is that these are the two best greys to choose from if you want to be able to wear your suits all year round and not have to worry about looking too done up or too casual. Andy obviously had that all figured out before he even stepped foot into our store since he didn't really need any guidance in picking out the colours! :)

Thanks for modelling, Andy! You have a great smile and very lush healthy-looking hair! ;D

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? :)

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. :)

Feel The Difference.

This is Danny. And we're super grateful that he happily agreed to let us feature him on our blog wearing our custom shirts and pants. When he shops for ready-made clothes, his main issue is trying to find a shirt that fits in the waist.

Most guys with broad shoulders usually have this problem: Shirts that fit in the shoulders never fit properly at the waist. We know this to be true for Danny because he's brought in several store-bought shirts already to have the waist slimmed down.

Of course, we were delighted when he walked in one day to place an order for some shirts and pants. I've never dealt with any of Danny's pants and I haven't been told what sort of trouble he has when buying store-bought pants. 

But, here are some common reasons as to why guys (and some girls) would need custom pants:

REASON: They have a thick seat area naturally or due to weight-lifting or sprint-heavy sports that increases mass in the gluteal muscles. 

EFFECT: Ready-made pants aren't cut with a deep enough and wide enough U-crotch. Hence, these types of pants usually feel really tight and uncomfortable in the seat and crotch area for people who have big behinds. They give the feeling of what some people call, a "wedgie". 

~~~

REASON: They have thick upper legs. 

EFFECT: Ready-made pants are usually cut by manufacturers to fit people with average-size legs. Basically, the general populace. Manufacturers don't make pants with thick-legged individuals in mind. Especially, in this day and age, when slim fit pants are the trend. The problem people with big legs encounter are usually a tight pulling across the front of the pants. One of the biggest visual indications of too-tight pant thighs are: Wide gaping pant pockets when standing still.

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REASON: They fill out the seat area but not the waist of the pants. This problem arises when individuals have a thick behind and a narrow waist. This is the most common problem with athletic people.

EFFECT: When people with small waists and thick behinds put on pants, they will notice a gap in the back of their pant waist.

If you have any of the above issues with your pants, you might want to consider custom-made pants. This option will eliminate any discomfort and unsightly problems that store-bought pants may give you.

I love this picture (above). Very candid. Also happened at the spur of the moment. I almost missed this shot. Danny decided to switch his stance and I caught him at the right time!

Thanks for modelling, Danny! :)

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? :)

Need A First Custom Suit? Come On In. Matthew Did!

Matthew walked in with a kind of smiley shyness to him, asking for a custom suit that he'd be wearing to his sister's wedding. I don't blame him. It's his first custom suit. Many people are unsure what to expect when they walk into our store. They feel a little intimidated or even overwhelmed by the whole suit-making process. 

It's really quite simple: Think of us as your friend and we're just here to help by giving you professional and stylish advice! There's no right or wrong. Style is a very personal thing. If you feel a little lost, we're happy to offer some suggestions. And if you know what you want, we'll help make your ideas into reality.

Together, Matthew and I, picked a dark grey wool suit that could easily be worn again for other occasions or even to work. A dark grey solid suit is a great base to build upon. You can start off with a more conservative look by pairing it with a shirt that has a subdued colour or pattern. If you choose to take it up a notch, you can finish the suit off with brighter colours and wilder patterns, topping everything off with lavish male accessories like tie-clips and cuff links! 

Lace Shift Dress

This is one of our latest creations made out of pink lace:

It was modelled after this but with a different lace, colour and sleeve length:

Photo Source

Our Neighbour, James!

James works one store over. He's one of the trusty bike mechanics who I see test-drive their clients' bikes around the block every so often.

It was a nice surprise to see a familiar face walk in.

"I need a suit for my friend's wedding," said James with a big smile.

"Oooooh," I shot out of my chair wide-eyed and grinning. "This is going to be fun!" I thought. The reason is because I've never seen James in anything other then his very casual work clothes or without grease on his hands. Haha!! I knew it would be a total transformation.

Because of James' naturally thin body frame, I knew immediately he would look perfect in a slim fit suit.

Lo and behold, the black suit we made for him was indeed the perfect style and fit on him! I also really dig his high-shine shoes.

We were all pretty excited... Actually, it was impossible to contain our excitement. We were happy. James was happy. He was soooo happy that he ran over to the bike shop to show his colleagues, haha:

I love my job. I love seeing the smiles on people's faces when I first show them their suits and then watching the smiles grow even bigger once they try on their suits.

Thank you for modeling for us, James! You look so awesome in that black skinny suit. Speaking of awesome, I have this to show you all. James showed it to me on his phone and it made me laugh:

On certain phones, voice messages can be transcribed into texts. The quality of the texts is dependent on the caller, the background noise and the microphone.

James showed me a message that someone at Balsam Tailors left on his phone. What shows is that "awesome Taylor" called. Obviously it was "Balsam Tailors". Imagine how confused James was when he got this message. :P