A GOOD FIT Few men can afford a custom-made jacket tailored to every inch of their bodies. So it’s off the rack we go, and that’s OK as long as you use a tailor for alterations. Though jackets are sized from a man’s chest, they’re built from the shoulders, and that’s where a jacket should fit best. (A man’s height determines whether he needs a regular, short or long jacket.) The shoulder’s fit should be in proportion with your body, with generous armholes that allow you to wrap your arms around a trophy without lifting up the jacket. When buttoned, there should be enough room for a sweater or an extra five pounds.

TO THE TOUCH Fabrics to consider when buying a sport coat are winter, summer or 10 months. The latter is a jacket made from light, yet sturdy, wool in solids or classic menswear patterns suitable to wear 10 months of the year. It’s a good buy if you have to wear a jacket now and then. Cashmeres and other wools lend themselves to great patterns–like glenplaid, houndstooth and checks–that are easy to layer with shirts and sweaters. Summer jackets usually are made from fine wool, which is lighter than cotton and is blended with fibers such as linen, silk or nylon.

THE LITTLE THINGS Details like lapel and collar width, pocket and button types define the latest styles. To play it safe, choose lapels with classic widths between three and four inches and with the tip of the lapel reaching about halfway between the collar and the shoulder. Pockets, too, should be kept simple. Vents, the slits on the back of the jacket, are meant for ease of movement. An “American” jacket has a single vent in the middle of the garment. The “British” has one at each hip. A ventless sport coat, that hugs the body, is called a “Continental” jacket. As for buttons: two-and three-button jackets are the norm these days.

THE FINER POINTS Why does one jacket cost $200 and another $3,000? It’s the sum of the parts–better fabric, lining and buttons, a more intricate pattern and the amount of work done by hand. A designer’s name adds value as well.

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For the optimum fit and comfort, undoubtedly a custom-made suit is the first choice. But, if you’re short on time or simply have a body type that doesn’t require special-fit needs, a made-to-measure suit is another option. For even some well-heeled gentlemen, the difference between bespoke and made-to-measure can be confusing. Here are details to help you make the best wardrobe decision.

Made-to-measure clothing was first created three decades ago as a hybrid style of suit making that is a notch above ready-to-wear, but not as pricey and time consuming as a bespoke suit. Rather than creating a suit from scratch, clients are fitted from a selection of sample suit jackets and slacks that are tailored for their body type and then are given fabric and detail options. In contrast, a custom-made suit is measured and made for a client’s specific body type, taking many nuances into consideration as well as personalizing the fabrics and all the details.

A true bespoke suit is constructed by hand by one tailor using measurements and patterns taken from a client’s physical form. Oftentimes, the tailor will visit a client’s home or office if an in-store visit isn’t convenient. Since the tailor taking the measurements is the same person making the suit, every idiosyncratic nuance of a person’s body is considered in the construction of the garment. After the initial measurements, it will take six to eight weeks for a prototype and the first fitting, and as long as six months to receive the final suit.

For made-to-measure suits, a client typically visits the store and selects a suit that is then tailored to suit his body type. The suit is produced in a factory and then customized by a team of tailors specializing in one component: the sleeve, the buttonholes, the pockets. The final suit is delivered, usually within six to eight weeks, and any adjustments are made by the in-store tailor.

With factory-made clothing, machines are computerized to sew the same stitch with the same tension throughout the garment. “With a custom suit, the tailor is able to adjust the tension in the seams where the body moves the most.”

Price shouldn’t be a determining factor when choosing between custom and made-to-measure clothing because the costs are often comparable, depending upon the manufacturer. For example, a typical Kiton made-to-measure suit is a 50-hour labor of love and starts at about $5,000, whereas a bespoke suit from New York tailor Leonard Logsdail requires about 48 hours of work with a price of about $5,500. However, it’s possible to get a well-constructed made-to-measure garment from Ravazzolo for as little as $2,000.

Not all custom tailors are created equal. A private tailor in your hometown may offer the same services of a Savile Row suit maker, from taking measurements and cutting the cloth to fitting the final garment. But technically capable doesn’t mean he’s trend savvy. Some tailors never leave their workshops to see how men’s clothing has changed over the years. As Italian clothing maker Luciano Barbera points out, “It is possible to get a fantastically made suit that is ugly because the person who made it has no style or sense of proportion.”

With a customized suit, the fabric and style options are limitless. With made-to-measure suits, clients are provided with a selection of fabrics to choose from. With bespoke clothing you can request any extravagant detail you desire, from cashmere under the collar and personalized linings to mother-of-pearl buttons and unlimited pockets inside and outside of the garment. You can even alter the shape of the shoulder and the cut of the armhole to your liking.

Made-to-measure suits typically come with a preset list of options: working or nonworking buttonholes; flap, patch, or besom pockets; pleated or non-pleated trousers. However, there are different levels of made-to-measure clothing. Some suit makers will lengthen the jacket, shorten the sleeve, and narrow the waist and call it made-to-measure. Others go much further, taking extra measurements to create clothing that disguises physical shortcomings such as lowered shoulders, high waists, and extended bellies. Some made-to-measure is only 5 percent handmade; others can be as much as 60 percent. Always ask how each maker defines made-to-measure.

Both custom and made-to-measure are obviously more expensive compared with the standard off-the-rack suit, as it’s a time-consuming proposition requiring the service of seasoned tailors. Aside from labor, the cost is based on the fabric selection and the number of special-request details. With so many options, it’s important to determine your wardrobe needs before engaging a tailor in the process, be it bespoke or made-to-measure.

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Unfortunately, I think something has been missing from the picture for a long while now. Society has brought it upon itself to believe that men buy expensive cars simply to impress others, what nonsense.

I’m here to make a case for all the men (and women) that buy expensive sports cars or luxury cars because they choose to. Not because they want to impress others, but because they want that car. I am also going to shamelessly fill this article with photos of me with expensive cars as an example of how gorgeous cars don’t really do that much when it comes to attraction.

In this job one of the benefits is seeing what it feels like to have a different car every week. One week you drive around in something James Bond would be happy with, the next week you’ve got a Kia Grand Carnival people mover. So not only do you see the difference in treatment but you also eventually realise how judgemental people can be. Let me give you a few examples.

Last year when the Jaguar XF first came out I had my hands on the very first one in Brisbane. Now remember, it’s just a Jag, sure it looks very modern and expensive, but it’s just a car.

I wasn’t expecting much of a reaction, but I was blown away. First day in the XF and a friend and I went to grab some lunch, we decided to head to St Lucia, near the University of Queensland campus, we parked the car directly next to a restaurant and sat down for lunch.

In the hour that we sat there eating we watched five or six people stop and examine the car, nothing out of the ordinary but still interesting, however once we paid the bill and got up to leave, two rather attractive girls approached the car – “hey guys, nice car, can you take us for a ride?” – were they serious? I mean, who does that?

It was one of those movie moments where the two guys stare at each other and wonder what they should say “Sure…” – “Don’t think so” both of us spoke at the same time. My friend was keen, I wasn’t.

“Sorry girls, we’re on a tight schedule (lie) we need to get out of here”. “Oh, come on, guys, just up the road, we live five minutes away”. Now I had a dilemma on my hands. At this point my friend was looking at me, wondering what the tight schedule was, with that “are you crazy” look on his face.

“Can’t do it, have a great day though”. We got inside the car and drove off, 30 seconds went past in silence but it finally came: “Dude, have you gone mad!” said one rather confused man.

I love cars. I really do, I love the way they look, I love the way they sound, I love everything about them. One thing I don’t love is the stereotypical attention they get.

A while ago I was in a gorgeous red Ferrari 360 convertible driving around the Gold Coast, at one stage while we were stuck at a red light two girls walked past us, stopped, one of them wrote her number on a piece of paper and threw it inside the car. “Call me!” she yelled as we looked at her in disbelief.

Would any self-respecting man really call her?

That same week in the XF, I went to the Brisbane Chocolate Festival at Portside and there were absolutely no car parks left, but as soon as the manager saw the Jag, he came out, directed me to a reserved park right at the very front, next to a Porsche. Deferential treatment? Not at all.

Now that I’ve driven most supercars worth driving, I can honestly tell you, if you’re looking at buying one to impress anyone, don’t bother. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, etc, they are all cars of beauty, power and finesse, but they are all, at the end of the day, just a car.

You should only buy them because YOU love them. This already holds true for the majority of owners.

My favourite story though is with the Aston Martin DBS, in Quantum Silver (James Bond’s car) in Brisbane. Those familiar with the Brisbane night life scene have probably been to West End and Lychee Lounge in particular.

I usually have a policy of not taking supercars out at night unless they are under consistent supervision, so with that in mind I planned to park the DBS right out the front of Lychee Lounge so I could see it at all times.

You can of course hear the car coming kilometres away and as we approached the venue, I could see the first parking spot was free, literally right out the front. Perfect position, as the place was packed.

As I pulled in, I could see and even feel the glances, conversations had stopped, heads were turned. James Bond had arrived.

There is something enormously empowering about getting out of a $600,000 supercar in front of a crowd of people. Somehow you’re now someone important, simply because you drive an ultra-expensive car. For the sake of my social study experiment, I was happy to play the part.

My friend and I sat down, I had a coffee and we stayed for a while. I realised I’d left my wallet in the car so I got up and walked outside towards the DBS, and there she was.

Between the DBS and I stood a girl no older than 25 in a red dress, stunning in every conceivable way possible. She looked so good, that the Aston was being humbled. I could once again feel that everyone in the lounge was starring, it was law of expectations in full force “Oh, of course, that’s definitely his girlfriend, it all makes sense…”. She wasn’t.

I didn’t really know why she was there, maybe she was admiring the car, maybe she was just standing there, but she was actually physically standing between me and the door so unless I intended to push her out of the way, I had to talk to her.

“Hi there, I need to open the door…” I said. “Oh, sorry (lie). Is this your car? Wow it’s beautiful… ” she looked me up and down “and you’re so young, you must be doing something right” she said in the most intoxicating voice.

“Aw, yeah… I guess”. I love my job.

“You know I’ve never been in a car like this, can you take me for a ride?” she said as she got one step closer to me.

It was the Jag situation all over again, only this time the car was six times the price and the girl, well, she looked like she was six times the price too.

“Umm… I’m here with a friend, maybe later?”

“I’m leaving now, give me a lift to my car? We’ll talk on the way”

Argh! Men are hard-wired to respond to a situation like this with a big clear massive “Yes”. Dammit, the whole point of my experiment was to see if this would happen, it wasn’t to fall for it!

There was a five second pause, it felt like a week. “Sorry, can’t do it at the moment” I said in the manliest voice I could muster. My internal organs were at this point rejecting me, they had gone into failure mode.

She smiled and walked away. I convinced my body I had made the right choice, walked back inside and sat down. I then realised I still didn’t have my wallet!

You can say what you want and pretend it doesn’t happen, but if you want to break it down to an evolutionary psychology level, mate selection can be influenced by the male’s ability to care for his offspring. So an expensive car is going to increase the male’s sex and reproductive value, but only to a degree.

In my experience of driving the world’s most expensive and prestigious cars, female attention is increased dramatically,  but it’s hardly a good thing as most self respecting males would find it hard to be proud of that.

Now, what about the not so expensive cars.

Currently in my garage is a Suzuki Swift Sport, one of my favourite little cars to drive around town. I’ve had it for a week now and knowing I was going to write this article, I’ve been trying to subtly survey female opinion.

“Cool, I’ll pick you up around 8pm” I said to a female friend of mine last weekend. “I’ll bring the Swift.” – “Oh… why? Bring your own car, it’ll be more fun.” she replied back.

I have tested the theory by going out on dates with the same girl with different cars. I distinctively remember picking my date up and going to dinner in a Kia Grand Carnival. The week before I had picked her up in a BMW and given she had no idea what I do, it made for a really interesting observation of character.

One thing I can tell you with utmost certainty is that everyday cars that blend in with the traffic do little to inspire any attention – from anyone.

Of course the point here is, when the time comes and you’re buying your first Aston Martin or Lamborghini, make sure you’re buying it for you.

More importantly though, next time you see a guy getting out of his expensive car, please take a moment to appreciate that he loves his car, he bought it because he loves it and he chose to buy it. He didn’t buy it to impress you. He is not compensating for anything.

Many females I’ve questioned have told me that attractive cars make already attractive men more attractive (consistent with the Top Gear survey results) but little to no affect on average or not-so average looking men.

As for the flip side, do expensive, sport or luxury cars make women more attractive to men, the clear consistent answer from our side of the fence is a big massive YES.

We can’t help but to fall in love with a girl driving a Porsche 911 Turbo. We can’t help but to love a girl as she screams past in her BMW M3 convertible. We are visual creatures and are pre-programmed to admire things of beauty. For most men, the pre-existing attraction to cars is a massive bonus when it comes to increasing our interest!

If you’re female, I would really like to read your opinion so please leave a comment.

As for the men reading this, by all means let me know what you think and share any experiences you’ve had with cars and their social value.

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Physical Characteristics
Quality of wool depends on the fiber fineness, length, scale structure, color, and cleanliness. The most sought after wools are very thin in diameter (10 to 20 micrometers), long in length (at least 2 to 5 inches), and the fibers themselves are free from defects. Here is where the term raw wool comes into play; oftentimes wool is recycled, and although this may lower the cost it also increases the likeliness of damage to the wool’s structure. Raw wool is the industry’s way of saying it has never been used before.

Properties

Appearance
Wool appears lofty, and even a small amount in a blend can give a fabric an appearance of body. Wool is the “look” other fibers are measured by and compared to. Drape, luster, and the fabrics hand depend on what type of wool we use and the percentage of that wool in the fabric, but it is safe to say that when it comes to looks, wool sets the standard.

Absorbency
Wool can absorb almost 20% of its weight in water before reaching saturation. In inclement moist weather it does an excellent job of keeping its wearer warm and dry, a great combination when it is raining and the temperature falls.

Heat Conduction
Wool is a poor conductor of heat, so it does an excellent job of keeping its wearer warm in cold weather. It traps still air, which when heated by the body amplifies the wools heat conduction qualities. A thin wool garment will often do a better job than a much thicker cotton one of keeping its owner warm on a brisk fall evening.

Resiliency
As mentioned earlier, wool does an excellent job retaining its shape. Fabrics made from wool tend to resist wrinkling and hold their shape well; this doesn’t mean you can just wad your suit jacket into a ball and throw it in your suitcase, but you should ensure wool is in your wardrobe if you travel often.

Durability
Although wool fibers can be bent as many as 20 thousand times without breaking (7 times cottons ability), wool is overall fragile fabric. Here are the things to watch out for:

Heat – Be very careful with heat. The safest way to pull out wrinkles is with steam, not an iron. The hot steam breaks down the hydrogen bonds, allowing the wool to relax and take on the desired shape. Ironing introduces a heat source that is too strong, and can cause irrevocable damage by denaturing the proteins (think of cooking an egg, you can’t un-cook it!)

Weak when wet – wool loses 1/3 of it fiber strength when soaked in water. Be very careful with wool when it is wet, and let it dry on a flat surface that does not create stress points that can leave permanent deformation.

A need for some moisture – Too much moisture is bad, but a wool garment needs at least some in the air will or it will become brittle. Not a problem if visiting the desert, but if you are moving to a very dry climate you may want to consider leaving your suits at your summer home up north.

Bleaches – Chlorine bleach is an oxidizing agent, and wool is very sensitive to it and alkalis such as strong detergents. Dry clean only or you may destroy the wool completely.

Insects – Moths and their larvae are just one of many insects that attack wool. It’s imperative that you invest in proper storage for your wool garments, or your investment will be literally eaten over the period of one summer. Mothballs are toxic, but there are many effective natural alternatives such as lavender and cedar. Remember to have your wool items professionally cleaned before storing them, or you may seal them with the moth eggs still alive.

Environmental Impact
Overall wool leans towards being a green choice. Most modern facilities treat the animals humanely (longevity and a healthy coat is in their best interests), and the price commanded by it in turn encourages the consumer to take better care of the garment thus extending it’s life. Although large farms may use substantial amounts of energy, water, and chemicals to bring the fiber to market, you have to weigh the alternatives.

- Ezine Articles

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