The Proper Blog

This is a guest post from Amy Salinger, a big time “image consultant” in NYC – more about her at the end.

As a fashion stylist people love to ask me the tough questions. For men, mixing patterns is apparently the toughest task of all! Stop fretting, getting dressed should be the least complicated part of your day and I am here to be your superhero stylist of fashion.

Here are a three basic rules to keep your anxiety levels low and your style quotient high:

Rule One: Stay Safe by Mixing Subtle with Subtle

Mixing patterns should be complimentary, and the safest way to make this happen is to combine subtle patterns.  Don’t be that guy with the crazy tie and the checkered shirt. Simply put, subtle patterns with subtle patterns will always be a winner. Think thin pinstripes with thin pinstripes or solids with solids.

This is one of the easiest pattern mixing looks to achieve. The main goal is to keep the patterns as simple and subtle as possible. This mixture of tie and shirt works because of the thin pinstripe against thin pinstripe. Nothing overpowers the other. Having all of the colors be underneath the blue umbrella creates a no-brainer approach to styling. Contrasting the blues is what makes this simple combination pop.

Rule Two: Be Bold with One Standout Piece

Your tie can scream personality while your shirt and suit are the simple backdrop.  Have everyone talking about your tie by picking a bold and fun color just like this red striped one.  You can work in another pattern as long as it is simple. This shirt may appear to be busy, but that is because this is an extreme close up. At a glance the black and white checkered pattern will seem more gray against the red color of the tie. Have lots of fun with your ties, just be sure to keep the backdrop just that, a backdrop.

Rule 3. Take Care When Combining Bold with Bold

Here is an example of how “Bold with Bold” can work. Remember that practice makes perfect and that this should be reserved for the stylishly capable! This works because not only are the colors playing off of each other, but the bold stripe with stripe combination is extremely complimentary. The tie has enough of a contrast to the shirt that it stands out as a focal point of the ensemble.

Amy Salinger has worked or appeared on Oprah, What not to Wear and The Today Show. She has been quoted in such publications as People, InStyle and The Wall Street Journal among others. Check out www.SASSNSTYLE.com for your daily does of style from the sassiest stylist of all!

The following is a guest post by Miguel Zabludovsky, CEO of Slate NYC

Buying a great piece of clothing should be a balance sheet transaction, not an income statement transaction.  In other words, your purchase should be an asset, not an expense.  This especially goes for fine quality custom shirts.  But how to go about “cooking the books” with shirts?

Pricing Economics of Dry Cleaning

Most people in New York take their shirts to a dry cleaner and purchase what cleaners call “laundry shirt” services.  The quality, cost, and actual service provided varies widely among the 1,300 cleaners in Manhattan; on the cheaper end you get a shirt cleaned for $1.25 while legacy cleaners (the ones doing business for more than 50 years) may charge up to $25 (or they may not even give prices over the phone, they “have to see the piece”, sorry it’s “company policy not to give prices over the phone”).

When your pay for laundry shirt services on the lower end, your shirts will most likely be washed in a washing machine with a cheap detergent (think: fading) and then pressed by a shirt unit (a machine that presses in one step the collars and the cuffs, and in a second step the body of the shirt).  On the higher end your shirts might be washed and pressed in the same machines but at the end they may hand-iron spots that weren’t pressed well or replace buttons broken in the process. They may even return your cuff links and collar stays if you forgot to take them off.

Unlike wines, price in cleaning shirts is a determinant of quality up to a certain price level, usually the $5 range.  Beware of anyone who charges you more than $5 to clean a shirt; given the economics of the industry, there is no way to justify this price (unless they are replacing your regular buttons with either Mikimoto-pearl or gold buttons or the delivery is made by scantily-clad, Maxim-worthy models).

Stay Eco-Friendly

Try to avoid any cleaner that uses a perc machine (short for percloroethylene, the solvent of choice for most dry cleaners, considered a probable carcinogen and highly toxic for the environment), .  That “dry cleaner smell” in your clothes is perc.  It causes premature textile color fading, harms the environment, and may irritate your skin.  Look for a dry cleaner that uses alternative solvents like hydro-carbon or liquid carbon dioxide to dry clean.

Dark vs. Light Colored Shirts

Dark-colored shirts should always be dry cleaned because they won’t show signs of fading as soon as if they were laundered. On the other hand, it’s not a bad idea to give your light colored shirts the more affordable “laundry shirt” service.

Getting the Wrinkles Out

Dry cleaning a shirt also means, in most cases, that it will be hand pressed.  Now, depending on the experience of the presser and the condition of the equipment there is no real guarantee that hand-ironing a shirt will produce a better quality shirt than if it were machine-pressed.  There’s one caveat, however; many cleaners charge dry cleaning prices and process a shirt as a laundered shirt.  Yes, it is a dirty industry…

Final Thoughts

If I had to choose where to send my shirts I would choose a place that a) is an expert at deciding whether to launder or dry clean, b) guarantees the quality of the finished product without regards to the method used to achieve it, c) consistently charges a reasonable price that is related to the quality of care and attention and not to the name of the service sold (“dry cleaning shirt”, “hand-pressed shirt”, “laundered shirt”, etc.), and d) doesn’t get the environment dirty in the process of getting your shirt clean.

A place like that would contribute toward making your shirt purchase an asset, not an expense.

—

Slate NYC develops, markets, and services innovative garment care and cleaning solutions for the residential, hotel, restaurant, real estate and fashion sectors.  Already a sensation according to the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, NY Magazine, and Daily Candy, Slate NYC pioneered the prix-fixe, sort-free, satisfaction-guranateed, and eco-friendly features offered through various products.  Through a strategic relation with FedEx, the company serves more than 400 customers a week and process more than 10,000 garments each month.  Learn more at http://slatenyc.com

For all you ladies in committed, semi-committed, or not-sure-if-you’re-committed-but-hopefully-will-know-soon relationships: what are you getting your man for Christmas this year?  There’s no easy solution and you could have a lot riding on this, so now is the time to start planning.  The best gifts are personal (but not too personal), practical (but not too practical), quality (but not too expensive), thoughtful (but not desperate), sexy (but not slutty), girlfriendy (but not clingy)… ahhh panic!!

Whoa hold on.  Set down your Hazelnut Hot Chocolate and take a deep breath.  Proper Cloth is here to help.  Let’s go over some options:

Personal (But Not too Personal)

So, you want this gift to be special.  It should symbolize your love (or like) for each other.  Maybe it could reminisce of an inside joke you share?  Even better, it’s sexy – it makes it clear that you’re more than friends.  Well, you could get him some nice Cucumber and Melon Lotion.  That’s sexy right? Hint: we don’t want lotion, but this looks interesting.  You could get that cute picture of the two of you in San Francisco framed?  Great idea, but what if he’s not ready to put up pictures of the two of you?  Or if he gets you that diamond necklace you’re hoping for it would feel a little unbalanced.  How about a trip for the two of you to Hawaii in February?  Hmmm, what if he can’t get off work?  And you promised to spend responsibly…

Practical (But Not too Practical)

Personal is good, but you don’t want it to be something that just gets thrown in the drawer and forgotten.  And you’re not the kind of person that blows $100 on a gift just to pop the cork and drink it then and there.  No, you want to get him something that he’ll use.  Even better, something he was going to buy himself, but since you got it for him he’ll always think of you whenever he sees it.  There’s always Halo 2, but then you won’t be able to get him off the couch for the next 4 weeks.  Could go the standard electronic route: iPod, Digital Camera, or Vaccuum, but come on – they’re so boring. Maybe an appliance? TV? Just doesn’t feel right.

Don’t feel bad.  Finding a gift that is both personal and practical is something that has been challenging girlfriends (and boyfriends) for 100’s of years.

Introducing the Proper Cloth Dress Shirt

Yes, it’s true.  The perfect gift from woman to man this year is the Proper Cloth Custom Dress Shirt.  This shirt is designed by you.   It’s inherently personal because your love and sense of style define it.  You choose the fabrics, patterns, and style of collar and cuffs.  And, it’s practical too.  He probably wears a shirt like this to work every day. You want to keep him looking sharp (and employed) as best you can.  Proper Cloth shirts are custom fit so you know this will be his new favorite.  Wait, how do I know how to custom fit his shirt?  Easy – take your pick:

A.) First, pay attention to what shirt he has that fits him well.  Even better, pay attention to how it fits him, and what you might want to change.  Maybe you want to take in the waist a little?  Maybe the sleeves are too short?  Once you’ve noted the brand and size of the shirt and how you would change it, go to propercloth.com and just select that shirt’s brand and size.  Click “Complete Size” and make the adjustments.  If you don’t see the shirt size as an option either let us know, or measure his shirt directly when he’s not looking.  Easy!  The perfect surprise is on the way.

B.) If surprise is less critical and you want to get him involved in the process, grab a measuring tape and have some fun taking all his body measurements.  Pick out the style together!

C.) Sound too complicated still?  Or are you reading this on December 23rd?  No problem, just buy him a gift certificate and you’re set.

There you have it.  Crisis averted.  You can’t go wrong this Christmas.  Order by November 25th to ensure a Christmas Delivery.  Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

Stay Proper.