Dress Well Today & Everyday

Hey, Stuff Happens!

2010-12-03T14:08:00.001-08:00

No matter how expertly tailored or how expensive your clothing is, you may run into some inconvenient and minor glitches.

1) Pant hems - A pant's hem is sewn with one continuous, chain-link thread on a blind-stitch machine. Pulling on a loose thread may result in the entire hem unraveling. If you see a loose thread coming from your hem, do not pull it; instead, cut the thread closely to the pant material. If the hem does unravel, it can be restitched at a good men’s store or dry cleaner.

2) Buttons - Even on the finest suits, shirts, and pants, buttons will occasionally fall off, get loose or break. A metal shank button on a basic navy blazer can sometimes cut through the thread holding it on and work its way loose.If your button is hanging on by mere threads, clip it off and stick it in your pocket rather than have it fall off and get lost. Loose or broken buttons can be re-sewn or replaced quickly.

3) Jacket linings - Sometimes jacket linings can get loose and hang below the skirt of the coat. With safety pins, pin the lining up into the coat out of sight until you can get into the store. Our tailor can re-tack the lining with relative ease.

4) A Hole - If your favorite pant or jacket has a tear, a burn hole, or moth holes, do not dismay! Depending on the size and location of the hole, a fabric re-weaver can take the extra pant material and reintegrate the material thread by thread to mend the hole.

Be Prepared - Keep a needle, both black and white thread, a small scissors, and some safety pins in your shaving kit, medicine cabinet, and desk drawer. In a pinch, these items will get you through minor repairs when you are on the road or in a hurry.

But they're just getting broken in!

2010-10-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Does this sound familiar to you? You're getting ready for a Friday night out with your high school friends, rushing around the house frantically looking for your favorite pair of jeans.

"Mom, I can't find my jeans!"

"Which ones?" She replies.

"You mean I have more than one?" You say.

"Oh, the ones with the holes in them that are all faded? I threw them out and got you a new pair."

"But those were my favorite, they were just finally comfortable! Now what am I going to wear?"

We've all been there, haven't we? And we wonder, "Why don't they make jeans to feel like this?" Well guess what, they do! Today's denim jean brands offer a variety of washed, washed again, and over-washed jeans to feel like you've been living in them for years. Some even come with the lived in rips!

For those of you that still prefer to live in your own jeans and spend the countless hours wearing and washing your jeans until they feel just right, don't worry, they still make those unwashed dark jeans too. They are stiff and ready for you to start the process all over and in a few years, those jeans will look just like new - but they'll have secrets that will be between you and your favorite pair of jeans.

Wedding Dress

2010-08-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

No, I don't mean for you to think I am talking about ladies clothing. The question I'm answering is, "What's appropriate to wear to an outdoor summer wedding?"

The answer is, as usual, "always overdress - never underdress." Time and time again I am reminded that "people don't dress up anymore." That is not entirely true. Some people do, and when it comes time to show up to a summer wedding and you are uncertain of what to wear, show up dressed in suit or sport coat, even if it's without a tie. At the very least, you won't be standing next to someone who is dressed in formal attire feeling like you should run home and change. If you arrive and everyone's dressed more casually, leave your coat in the car.

Unless the wedding invitation has dress attire listed, remember that the safe route is to show up dressed for a special occasion - since that's what this is. And remember, as with everyday: Love Well, Live Well, Dress Well.

Jeans day everyday?

2010-07-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked by a young customer an interesting question, "How can I dress up my jeans for work?"

This young man's (when we call him, we can call him Al) dress code for work is denim casual, no t-shirts. He might find himself rummaging through storage rooms, boxes of old papers and files, utility rooms, and any other sort of dusty, dirty room you can think of. Al told me he was tired of the way he dressed for work and wanted to look more professional, and "hip". So I have a few clues:

Think skinny - a skinny tie with jeans will give you a fresh look, and consider a tie clip.
Become vested - a vest will dress up a shirt and jeans, and finish off an outfit.
Gray matters - a pair of gray jeans deviates from the normal blue, and means you aren't wearing the same color as your coworkers everyday.
Get tanned - invest in some cotton canvas or chino pants in tan and brown shades, still casual, but another way to separate yourself. And it opens up a new family of colors to wear to work.

Of course, you can find all of these items at H2O inside Hellman Brothers Men's Clothing. But regardless of where you live and shop, always remember to Dress Well.

Do people still wear Suits?

2010-07-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

You have no idea how many times a week I get asked the question, "Do people still where suits?" or "Do you still sell many suits?". Business dress attire is what Hellman Brothers was founded around 13 years ago, and remains the focus of our marketing, so it's safe to say that we still sell a lot of suits. However, there are so many offices that do not wear suits, or even shirts and ties, so it's not a bad question to ask.

Here are a couple of pointers for those of you new to the business scene (or changing careers) and wondering to yourself, "How should I dress for my new job?"

Alway dress professionally, i.e. a suit with a shirt and tie, for your interview. Remember, it's better to be overdressed than under-dressed. Showing up to an interview in sloppy and or casual attire might give a bad first impression.
Take a look around you and see how everyone else is dressed, and make a conscious effort to dress one step above those around you. Your boss will notice and appreciate the effort you put in to your appearance.
If your employer has a business casual dress code, consider adopting for yourself the "3 piece" rule - trousers, shirt, and optional sweater/tie/sport coat. The trousers are the first piece (and are, of course, a requirement); the shirt is piece #2; and #3 can be a necktie, a sweater, or a suit or sport coat. It gives you a definite, yet flexible standard of dress that will be easy for you to adhere to.
For a business professional setting, start simple with a solid navy suit, something you can wear the suit jacket with a coordinating trouser (like khaki or gray) instead of always wearing the matching suit trouser. This will give you great flexibility as you start you professional career, and you can add more options as you get settled into the "real world".

Being in the clothing business, and a fan of dressing well, I love to put on a properly fitted suit and and get dressed up for work or a wedding. Someday's I feel like I am in the minority, because depending on where you go, people don't always care about their appearance the way I do. But casualites beware! The next generation of business people enjoys dressing up, even if it's not everyday, and are hoping to set themselves apart from anyone dressed average. I get new young customers everyday that are excited to get their first suit, and they are ready to land that big job with a great first impression and impressive interview.

So, yeah, we still sell a lot suits...