Cap-sleeve Silver Brocade Cropped Jacket

Here's another jacket we made for the customer who brought in the several yards of vintage brocade (refer to previous post). I LOOOOVE THIS ONE. This one is Anda's design :)

Sentimental Vintage Brocade

This is the brocade tuxedo jacket that I designed for our customer. 

One of our customers asked us what she could do with several pieces of her late mother-in-law's precious silk brocade. She didn't want it to just sit in a wooden chest where the moths could get at it. There was one particular piece that stood out from the rest--that I personally really liked. This cloth was a lustrous powder-ink silk speckled with old Chinese script.  It definitely was a very feminine style of brocade.

The customer didn't want to have a piece made that she could only wear on very rare occasions because then it would just sit in her closet most of the time--meaning it would be no different than just having the original piece of brocade cloth sitting in the wooden chest. The precious cloth needed to be worn and shown off!

I thought: She needs something versatile and fun so she would be comfortable wearing it and not feel too overdressed since brocade is such a luxurious and ornate kind of material. An idea popped into my head: Tuxedo-style Jacket! That's fun, very chic, and super versatile. She could wear it as a statement piece paired with some nice jeans or with a black skirt forming a girlie skirt-suit or with a pair of dressy shorts and heels. The possibilities are endless really. :)

So here it is: A one-of-a-kind brocade tuxedo jacket! The only one in the world too!

To Spend Or Not To Spend?

Not trying to look sinister here. The sun is in my eyes. 

This dress was bought from a widely known "fast-food" fashion store for under $30. But the alterations to be performed on this dress cost $38. The girl, who is even smaller than I am (and I'm what you call "petite" already), bought it one size too big because it was the last one left. She loved it and thought it'd be reasonable to drop another $38 to have it tailored to her body shape. The total cost of this dress is now $68--still a very reasonable price when you know you're getting something that actually fits you. 

*******

In the last several years, with so many "fast-food" fashion chain stores and online clothing stores churning out average to subpar quality items at such irresistibly low prices, how can trend-followers not gobble up what these clothing companies are throwing at them?

In all honesty, I'm guilty of being part of the fast-food fashion culture. I'm not entirely immersed in it--maybe with just my feet in and only ankle-deep. If I can get the same style for much less than what mid-range to high-end clothing stores offer, why not?

When it comes to buying clothes, keep your head on straight: Keep in mind, what you pay is what you get--so don't go nuts and start hoarding when something is cheap. Think before you buy! Because market researchers know that most trend followers prefer quantity over quality, clothing companies can shirk and make compromises in the fabric quality as well as workmanship that goes into making fast-food clothes. Why else are you paying $20 for a dress instead of $100? 

The general rule of thumb is, when you're trying to dress nice and save money, invest in KEY pieces of excellent quality that can stand the test of time and occasionally buy cheaper trend items to enhance your overall outfit. 

From time to time, you may get suckered into buying something you don't even need and probably doesn't even fit because it was "on sale". This happens a lot to our customers. It happens to me. You're stuck with a nice $50 jacket but the sleeves are too long and fits a tad too big. You have three options: 

1.Wear it the way it is and hope that nobody notices the bad fit ( If you pick this option, congratulations! You have the courage that I don't have.)

OR

2. Use the money you saved on the jacket and make it fit you perfectly. (If you pick this option, congratulations! You'll actually get some wear out of it and look good sporting it.)

OR 

3. Shove it into the back of your closet and pretend you never even bought it. (If you pick this option, congratulations! You just wasted $50.) 

Which one did you pick? :)

*******

Our customers fall into two categories: 

1. Those who think, "Wow, I saved this much. I can use what I saved and put it towards alterations to get a perfect fit.  Customers who fall into this category usually really like their purchases and that's why they can justify spending more on a sale item.

2. Those who think, "What?! I paid only $50 for this jacket.  Why on earth would I spend more on it?" Customers who fall into this category usually DON'T really like their purchases all that much and that's why they CANNOT justify spending more on a sale item. If you know you belong in this category, let me ask you this question: Why do you buy things that don't even look good on you? :(

So to answer a common question that I get working here, "Should I spend more fixing this thing I got at such a low price or should I just leave it and either not wear it at all or just wear it the way it is?", you need to ask yourself how much you like what you bought and as well, these complimentary questions:


1. Is the workmanship acceptable?
2. Is the fabric quality decent?
3. Would I wear it again and again?
4. Does the style suit me?

If your answers to these Q's are mostly negative, I'd say just toss the darn thing!

One of a Kind Prom Dress

As much as I love working with men's clothing, I still get really excited when Balsam Tailors get asked to make really beautiful girlie things! Many people know us as a custom suit/shirt and fine tailoring store but once in a while, we have people who like to challenge us--AND WE LOVE THAT! 

Jody had an idea of what her prom dress should look like. But because of time constraint and sizing issues, she couldn't get the dress she wanted in the ready-made version. She came to us and presented her idea.

I fell in love with her idea. It's something I would totally wear...it's simple, elegant, airy, sparkly and sexy! 

Website Images Updated

Over the month of April, Balsam Tailors had been busy working to prepare for a photoshoot with a couple of finely selected young men. It's that time of the year when the pictures need to be updated, in order to reflect our stylish, refined and high-quality custom products. Mosey on over to our website and check out our gorgeous selection of men, errr...I mean gorgeous hand-made garments! I hope these pictures will inspire you to get something unique made and that you will wear proudly--because at Balsam Tailors, we're all about making you look and feel amazing! :)

Happy May!

For The Boys: Mixing Business Attire with Casual Wear

In today's post, I will be showcasing two of SPRING 2012's hottest trends for guys--mixed together!

Trend 1: Light grey anything!

Trend 2: Bold patterned shirts!

WOAH!

I'm really a big fan of blazers. Whether you're a guy or a girl, you really have no excuse to not have a blazer in your closet.  A clean, simple blazer with a slim-cut is a staple closet item.  It never goes out of style, ever! 

Gents, if you have a full suit, consider wearing it as separates like Nathan. What he has done here is literally mix a business suit jacket with a casual shirt and jeans to create a hip and urban look. 

 

You can't possibly go wrong with a suit jacket like this. Keep it lean and simple.

A lean cut means the jacket should hug your curves, including the small of your back. Lean does not mean undersized. Lean does not mean uncomfortable. If you get pulling in the front of the jacket when you have the top button done up, that means it's too tight! 

Black and white shirt with white cuffs and collars! My FAVOURITE COMBO. So glad I convinced him to get one made! No more boring white shirts, Nathan!

Balsam Photoshoot To Come!

Here's a tiny sneak peek of our new and VERY FUN wardrobe for the upcoming Balsam Tailors photoshoot. Nice custom clothes: Check! Good-looking models: Check! Great attitude: Check!

This Spring/Summer, for guys, it's all about pops of colour and LOTS OF PATTERNS paired with neutral tones like beige, navy, and grey. Have a look at some of the pictures I've pulled from www.style.com:

Alexander McQueen:

Umit Benan:

Versace: