Men, let's face it — we haven't always had the best attitudes towards our physical appearance. Traditional gender roles prescribe men as the ones who acquire status, wealth, and clout, and women as the ones who focus on physical attractiveness, fashion, and beauty.
But whoever said that men can't pursue their goals while also staying in style?
The prominence of the internet has shown many men that there's no excuse to not stay in style. One of the greatest things they can invest in to improve their look is a made-to-measure shirt.
A made-to-measure shirt is a shirt that's been individually made for a customer. It comes with a pre-existing pattern that's altered to fit.
Made-to-measure shirts are known for their ability to combine design elements with visual choices. Men with specific body types are able to wear clothes that fit their bodies.
Another name for a made-to-measure shirt is a bespoke shirt. Bespoke tailoring refers to clothes that have been "bespoken for". They were created from the ground up with the customer in mind.
This article will all you through Four reasons why made-to-measure tailoring can up your style game.
1. They'll Make Your Imperfections Shine
Our bodies are much like our personalities. No two human bodies are built alike. While we all share most things in common, our individual curves and contours are what make us us.
Most clothing doesn't account for the unique body of the individual.
Take for instance the way the normal American man shops — we'll call him Average Joe. Joe walks into his favorite store, heads to his favorite section, and he browses practically identical copies of the same clothes. The closest he gets to his individual body type is being able to go down a size of a pair of pants.
And it doesn't stop there. At least with pants, he has two axes by which to measure his clothes. Most shirts come with one number — one number is all that most men have to work with.
With made-to-measure shirts, that just isn't true.
Made-to-measure shirts are built around the specifications of the individual. This takes into account any asymmetries, imperfections, and oddities your body might have. Don't think of this as anything weird; the only thing constant about human bodies is their differences.
Most shirts will make your bodily imperfections stick out like a sore thumb. Concomitantly, your body's imperfections will make the shirt fit incorrectly in most parts.
Made-to-measure shirts are designed to highlight your strengths and turn your weaknesses into features. If you want to have a highly individual look, there's nothing better than you can invest in.
2. You Get To Know Your Shirtmaker
Consider, once again, how your Average Joe shops for shirts.
He walks into his favorite store (or if he's going through tough financial times, a store he doesn't even particularly like), and looks for patterns, fits, and colors that happen to look good on him. He needs to take time out of his day to try on shirts. At the end of his trip to the store, he may not even find a shirt that works well for him.
Our Average Joe has lost touch with the history of fashion that goes back to the middle ages. In days of yore, you knew your tailor, and he would tailor your clothes just for you. People were in touch with their clothes in much the same way as they were in touch with the soil.
Now, you can't blame the Average Joe for this. Our economy has made it so that this is the only way he's able to shop. But if you're able to afford better, you should absolutely get your shirts made specifically for you.
Getting your shirts made-to-measure means developing a relationship with your shirtmaker. It's an extremely important step for anyone who cares about fashion to develop a relationship with someone who knows the materials. Your shirtmaker will be able to take your suggestions, dreams, and fashion ideas, and turn them into a reality.
Heck, your shirtmaker might even surprise you every once in a while.
3. Quality Materials
Wearing made-to-measure clothes means getting in touch with materials. While most people care only about how their clothing appears to the others, they don't think about the rich, complex, aesthetically satisfying work that goes into the material of clothing.
By investing in made-to-measure clothing, you're making a commitment to wearing the most comfortable clothes. You'll also learn a lot about clothing material.
Learning about patterns and top brands is the first step to getting into fashion. However, you can't truly call yourself an aficionado until you have favorite materials. You can't honestly have favorite materials until you've garnered some experience with them.
If you'd like to learn more about materials, check out some of our articles on different quality materials.
4. The Sky is the Limit
Our Average Joe is limited to the number of clothes, patterns, styles, and opportunities that are presented to him at his favorite store. He might even find his would-be-favorite-shirt sold out.
When you get your clothes tailored for you, the sky's the limit on your design options. Not only do shirtmakers who know you help design clothes fitting specifically your body, but they can also help get you acquainted with all of the best design styles.
We've said it before and we'll say it again. If you want your individuality to stand out, you have to get your clothes tailored for you.
Invest in a Made to Measure Shirt
If you have the money and are interested in committing yourself to the world of fashion, there are no better options than investing in a made-to-measure shirt. With a made-to-measure shirt, you get your imperfections tailored to, develop a relationship with an expert, learn about quality materials, and unlock vast possibilities for design options.
If you liked this article, check out our article on How to Properly Choose and Tie a Tie.