Made To Measure

Items For Sale On EBAY Starting This Weekend

Dennis Cahlo — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:00:58 +0000

Spring cleaning brought some serious consideration in what I bought in 2009 and ended up not really wearing.

NOTE: IMPULSE SHOPPING IS THE DEVIL. AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS.

Granted, all the items were not a huge loss and I learned a very valuable lesson in what to buy and what to pass by.My loss, however, is your gain.

Below are just a few of the items I will be selling on EBAY. All items start at $5 with options to Buy It Now. I do not ship internationally. Sorry. If you present a serious case, though, I may consider it (i.e. – “I do not own one pair of dress shoes.”). I will provide measurements for each item listed as well.

My handle is dennis646 and will provide a link on my TWITTER page to each item starting Saturday.

BELT NOT INCLUDED

Florsheim Lexington Black

Florsheim Lexington Burgundy

Alfani

Spring 2010 – The Boat Shoe

Dennis Cahlo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:00:11 +0000

Avoiding a trend is really tough sometimes.

Case in point is the Sperry Topsider Boat Shoe which has had a huge second coming in the last couple of years. I’m getting a bit worried for it now that there are all these ridiculous “fashion forward” takes coming out, but I don’t think the neon green plastic versions can kill a shoe JFK wore.

I chose a nice cream color for my own pair. Should go swimmingly with my linen suit once it arrives.

Sperry Topsiders - $69

Found And Tailored – The Gray Suit For Spring 2010

Dennis Cahlo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:00:50 +0000

It’s sad when a suit can be put away in the TO BE TAILORED pile only to be completely forgotten about.

Case in point a fine gray 3 button suit I purchased at Daffy’s for a mere $95. At first it fit like a box, there was a really awful neck roll, and after two tries at a shitty dry cleaning tailor (this is before I met Matt at Imparali), I got this as an end result:

While not completely terrible, the armholes ended up being too tight, the pants were bunching in a really sloppy manner, the neck roll actually got worse, and the arms were still totally uneven. Completely frustrated with the results, I ended up bagging the suit only to forget about it as part of my tailoring list.

After the apartment redo, I came across the ugly duckling and realized that with the aid of Matt and his staff, I would most likely be able to transform the suit into something along the lines of this:

And while it’s not a bespoke Kilgour, at least I could have my own version of the classic, lightweight gray suit that Grant wore without having to take a small loan out from the bank to pay for it.

I began to make a mental checklist of what I love about CG’s suit in North By Northwest and came up with the following to do’s for the staff at Imparali:

1. Fix neck roll.

2. Since the pants are slightly pleated, add a cuff at the bottom and fix bunching at the same time.

3. Since the waist is a perfect fit, have belt loops removed.

4. Fix the uneven sleeves.

5. Fix the tightness around the armholes.

6. Keep top button rolled over.

I wish I had a better before photo or maybe you just had to see the way it fit in real life but Imparali did a miracle job on it. For example, the neck roll is completely gone:

Like I said, in just the photos you can’t see a huge difference from the before shot but believe me, the way the suit FEELS on me has completely changed.

That funkiness on the legs got fixed towards the bottom and although there is some bunching on the thighs, it doesn’t show at all in real life. It may have something to do with the weight of the fabric as it is extremely light wool. Also, the sleeves are completely even now although it doesn’t look like it in the photo. I had shifted just as the camera snapped which explains why they look a little off.

The only thing that could not be done from the list were removing the belt loops because they were sewn on too tightly.

And while I am in no way Cary Grant, here’s how great the suit looks if I were to be chased by a crop duster plane in an open field.

The shoes I am wearing are a deep chocolate brown by Kenneth Cole:

The suit is fused, not canvassed, yet it holds up pretty nicely when pressed.

I’m excited to have this one back in my wardrobe because of it’s lightweight wool. It will be perfect on those semi-warm spring days.

I rather like the cut as it is a departure from my normally tight fitting suits. This may be a new direction for me in terms of tailoring…possibly.

Spring 2010 – Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit Shirt

Dennis Cahlo — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:00:58 +0000

I hardly ever frequent Brooks Brothers but while bow tie shopping for the wedding my eye was caught by their new Extra Slim Fit shirts. I realized that most of my white shirts have french cuffs and I barely own any barrel cuffs so with the assistance of a very helpful employee I tried on a few.

Usually I fit in a 15/33 but since these are cut rather close and shrink in the wash, I went with the 15.5/34.

I blew a little more than I wanted to on 3 off the peg shirts and I actually prefer the fit and cloth of my Indochino shirts to these, but when I think about the long line of history Brooks Brothers has in menswear coupled with the fact that Cary Grant wore a Brooks Brothers shirt in the last half of NXNW, I don’t feel so bad.

Even if they are made in Malaysia.

Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit Shirt - $79.50 or 3 for $199

Spring 2010 – Ties

Dennis Cahlo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:17 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about ties lately. This year I wanted to expand my collection in a bolder more colorful way. Below are some of my top picks for the season.

L-R: H&M $29, Altea $15, H&M $29, Altea $15

Making An Apartment A Home – The Results

Dennis Cahlo — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:36 +0000

I wish I could take credit for these photos but it was my lovely fiancee who spent 9+ hours a day scrubbing, organizing, and polishing every piece in the apartment until it was perfect. I would then come home every night and we would both work some more until about 2 or 3am.

We were able to do everything on a decent budget and now we love our new settings. And what is more important than having a lovely fiancee and beautiful surroundings to come home to?

Below are the photos explaining why I was so lax on updates for the last week. We still have some painting to do but the big stuff is finally done.

Enjoy!

The Living Room

Newly Organized Bookshelf

Kitchen/Dining

Bedroom

Bathroom

Her DJ equipment In Our Music Studio

Another View Of The Music Studio

Our Bikes And Bookshelf Of Nerd Stuff

Her Typewriter

My Typewriter

Alexander West 2010 Spring Line

Dennis Cahlo — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:52 +0000

I’m really excited to showcase some of Alexander West’s new shirt’s that will be coming this Spring.

I had the pleasure of getting a custom tuxedo shirt made for me by Alexander last year and stand by his product 100%. His shirts are a little more pricey than what I usually showcase on this blog but for a custom piece of this great a quality they are a wise investment.

The shirts run $105-$175 and he also has cashmere/cotton blends which are $225. Below are just a few examples of what is available.

You can order them online or make an appointment:

New York SoHo Showroom ( by appointment only)
110 Greene St. Ste 404
New York, NY 10012

(866) 647-1740

Anatomy Of A Shirt – By Alexander West

Dennis Cahlo — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:38 +0000

Let’s start the week with an extremely helpful and informative contribution from shirt maker Alexander West. Tomorrow, I will be featuring some previews of his 2010 Spring line.

Take it away, Alex:

The modern dress shirt has come a long way, after it took shape and developed at the end of the nineteenth century, during Victorian times. Throughout history the dress shirt has been modernized with different details; the breast pocket introduced last. The standard modern shirt can be as diverse as choice and taste, and its style can be altered to ones liking. There are many elements that make up the dress shirt anatomy, but every classic dress shirt includes: a back, yoke, a front, plackets, cuffs, a collar, and hem. It is imperative to know the anatomy of a dress shirt (both terms and definitions) and not just something you simply pull on and off your head.

Collar Base: (or collar stand) is the band of fabric sewn into the neckline of a dress shirt, which the collar attaches to.

Collar Leaf: the outside fabric of the collar, located at the front sides, which is folded over the collar base.

Collar Point Length: the distance between the collar point and the top of the collar leaf.

Collar Front Band: the area on the base that sits between the collar points.

Collar Point Spread: the distance between the collar points.

Collar: the part of a shirt that encompasses the neckline of the garment, often so as to fold or roll over. Comes in various shapes, depending on the face shape and occasion.

Yoke: a shaped piece fabric in a garment, fitted about or below the neck and shoulders, from which the rest of the garment hangs. It can be split in two, called the “split-yoke.”

Placket Front: a standard shirt front with a placket sewn on top of the shirt front.

Plain Front: a standard shirt front with a hidden placket; usually lapped left over right for men, and vice versa for women.

Fly Front: a flap of material down one side of the front opening of a garment to conceal buttons or fasteners.

Armhole: the opening in a dress shirt, which the arms are sewn in to.

Sleeve: the part of a garment that covers the arm and is usually cut wider than the cuffs. Most sleeve lengths fall between 32 and 36 inches.

Sleeve Placket: a distinctive feature that is sewn on the sleeve; the opening of the sleeve fabric near the cuff

Cuff: a fold or band serving as a trimming or finish for the bottom of a sleeve. Some cuff styles include: French Cuffs and Barrel Cuffs.

Back Collar Height: the part of the collar that is folded over, at the backside of the dress shirt.

Yoke: a shaped piece fabric in a garment, fitted about or below the neck and shoulders, from which the rest of the garment hangs. It can be split in two, called the “split-yoke.”

Hang Loop: a piece of fabric sewn into the yoke seam which allows the shirt to be hung at this point.

Side Pleats: single fabric folds at the other parts of the shirt back.

Box Pleat Front: a double fabric fold, with the material folded under at each side at the back center of a shirt.

Armhole: the opening in a dress shirt, which the arms are sewn in to.

Sleeve: the part of a garment that covers the arm and is usually cut wider than the cuffs. Most sleeve lengths fall between 32 and 36 inches.

Darts: a tapered seam of fabric for adjusting the fit of a garment.

Hem: the finished lower edge of the dress shirt body.

Tail: the part of a shirt below the waistline.

Spring 2010 – Gray And Purple

Dennis Cahlo — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:52:19 +0000

Suit: Indochino, Shirt: Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit, Tie: H&M, Pocket Square: Dockers, Shoes: DKNY

A Quick One While I Am Away

Dennis Cahlo — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:12:37 +0000

A co-worker snapped a photo of my ensemble today and I wanted to share it with you guys while I am on hiatus.

It’s been so hectic I wanted to wrap myself in comfort this morning and did so with my beautifully made Imparali tailored Harris Tweed sport coat, cashmere sweater, Jcrew soft cotton shirt, Uniqlo chinos, and suede bucks from Target. A lack of sleep also have my eyes so incredibly shot that I had to throw on my wayfarers to face the day.

I’ll be back next week. Hopefully in full force!

Apartment Update + Site Changes

Dennis Cahlo — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:29:40 +0000

The fiancee and I are still plowing forward at full steam to get our apartment in order. Our new couch came yesterday and it is a gigantic and comfortable beast. The coffee table and rug are from TARGET the couch is from BOB’S FURNITURE (Libre model).

Now on to the not so fun stuff:

After careful deliberation, I’ve decided to remove the INDOCHINO MEASURING TIPS from this site.

Why? Because there were too many inconsistencies between the measurements I posted and the end result for most people.

As helpful as they were to some, I could not constantly be answering everyone’s qualms and questions. I put it up originally as a helpful aid but it started to detract, at least for me, the essence of this blog. And honestly, I just could not bear to repeat to so many that the measuring tips are what worked for my body and my body only.

If you have any questions about Indochino measurements, I will now suggest you go to a tailor for assistance. And for any of you who have had any experience with Indochino, it may be a great idea to start your own thread on a separate forum to assist one another.

I still stand by Indochino 1,000% because I love their suits and their prices.

With all this said I hope you all continue reading.

Updates will be flowing next week. I have loads of Spring ideas ahead!

All my best,
Dennis Cahlo

Making An Apartment A Home

Dennis Cahlo — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:45:52 +0000

My fiancee has officially moved in and we are in the midst of unpacking, rearranging, and pretty much reorganizing our lives.

With this said, I will be concentrating on this project for the bulk of the week unfortunately making it a slow one for updates.

I may post progress photos of the apartment since we are doing everything on a budget and you all may be inspired from the interior decorating.

So far, here’s a shot of the kitchen progress that my fiancee took care of this morning. There’s so much more to go, but through proper teamwork we’ll be making our little Brooklyn apartment into a beautiful home in no time.

The most exciting reveal will be the bedroom as we are painting it a deep grey.

Thanks again for reading!

Introducing the Indochino Tailor’s Kit

Dennis Cahlo — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:03:52 +0000

For those of you who have experienced purchasing some threads from Indochino you may, like myself, at times get frustrated with not being able to actually TOUCH the fabrics they offer. This has been a major gap between Indochino and true custom tailoring in where you sit down and hand pick the fabrics you would like to have your suit made from.

Always ahead of their own game, Indochino is now offering what they call The Tailor’s Kit:

The Tailor’s Kits are handmade exactly to a customer’s specifications and come complete with 16 interchangeable fabric swatches chosen at the point of purchase. Also included are two Indochino measuring tapes to make the next step towards ordering a custom-made suit even easier. Tailor’s Kits are shipped for free and arrive within five days and come with a $29 credit towards the next purchase.

The Tailor’s Kits will be available on February 28, 2010 for $29 at www.indochino.com.

A Look Ahead At Spring 2010: The Suit

Dennis Cahlo — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:00:11 +0000

Suit: H&M $90, Shirt: Indochino $90, Tie: Altea $14, Pocket Square: Lands' End $10 Shoes: Florsheim $60

For spring, I love the simple cotton suit that goes from the office to a night out with just the right amount of wrinkle. The suit above is from H&M and will need a slight bit of tailoring but generally off the rack fits pretty damn well. I love the functional double boutonnieres as well.

If they start doing functional buttons on the sleeves H&M will be ahead of the curve for off the rack suiting choices.

A Look Ahead At Spring 2010

Dennis Cahlo — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:39 +0000

There is a hint of warmth poking through the air here in New York and local retailers and magazines are starting their Springcentric lines as well.

I started my Spring arsenal with three simple pieces of really nice cloth from Lands’ End.

At this point, I am sure all of you are saying: “This guy must get paid by Indochino, Imparali, and Lands’ End to talk about their clothes” which, as much as I wish it were true, is simply not. I usually just find one or two places I love to shop at and stick with them for a while. I’m a long term relationship kind of guy.

The pocket square is a tricky piece and has to be taken farther than the boring flat white version especially when wearing a solid, light spring time suit.

One of my readers suggested the Lands’ End canvas label to me and I initially freaked out at the price of only $9,50 a piece. Since I bought them online, I thought the clothe would be cheap and thin but man, was I wrong. Lands’ End continues to prove that they are commited to making quality pieces for the financially challenged. So much so that in this month’s GQ magazine in between a bunch of $40-$80 pocket squares lies one magical $9.50 square.

Here are the three I chose for spring/summer:

Lands' End Pocket Square, $9.50 each

How My Girlfriend Became My Fiancee

Dennis Cahlo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:21:04 +0000

The Beautiful 60 Year Old Ring That I Suprisingly Found On E-bay (don't worry, she knows).

Have you ever heard of the expression “When you know, you know?” Well, I have never been more sure of something in my life as I am in my relationship with my girlfriend.

After a 3 year friendship, we finally realized just how perfect we are for each other so much so that after only a month I was sure this was the woman I was going to marry. And the feeling was blindingly mutual.

About a month ago I started looking for a ring and my efforts to locate the perfect one in NYC (of all places) was becoming hopeless. I couldn’t find anything that suited her style. They were either too gaudy or too generic. Even the vintage ones didn’t strike me as something special.

I was avoiding E-Bay as a place to turn to as I wanted a more romantic story to come with the ring other than “I was sitting at a computer and pushed the max bid button.” Alas, I had to resort to the online flea market for my choice and with one click, I had found the perfect ring. But as any cautious e-bayer will tell you, I asked many questions and made sure there was a hefty return policy. After all my questions were answered I placed a bid and waited patiently. Surprisingly, I was the only bidder and in less than a week I held in my hand the perfect ring to present to my future wife. I brought it to a jeweler to have it appraised and it turns out the ring is about 60 years old and worth quite a bit more than what I paid. But monetary value aside, it was the sentimental part that I knew would make her happy.

I was still absolutely lost at exactly HOW I was going to do this. I contemplated taking her away to an island, or in public place like a restaurant, even on top of the Empire State Building. Then I realized that I wanted the moment I got on my knee to be between us and only us as it is one of the most intimate experiences two people could share.

If you are familiar with the movie “Pretty In Pink” there is a famous scene in which the character Duckie lip syncs Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness” to a less than receptive Molly Ringwald. This happens to be one of my girlfriend’s favorite moments in cinematic history so I thought, “Why not recreate this for her in my own way on the most romantic day of the year?”

One of my first plans was to be wearing my tux since she loves when I “dress up”. And honestly, what better way to propose than in a tuxedo??

I then set it up so she would walk into the apartment, press play on my computer which was hooked up to my television that brandished a very funny/romantic photo of us, and follow the trail of rose petals on to the couch which was also covered in rose petals. Mind you, I was hiding behind closed doors this whole time waiting for the big reveal.

On the dining room table I also had set up some of her favorite things including: Champagne, KFC chicken and biscuits, candles, roses, chocolates, and macarons.

She pressed play and I came out holding roses and started to lip sync the track. After feeding her macarons, chocolates, and dancing with her until the song ended, I got on my knee to present the ring.

Now gentlemen, this was one of the best moments in my adult life as a look of shock, awe, and unabashed happiness came across her face. I will never be able to describe it in mere words. You have to experience it for yourself.

Especially the part when they say YES.

I look very forward to letting you all in on the details of my wedding planning over the next year. Especially what the groomsmen will be wearing.

For now, I am going to take a week off of updates and enjoy some time with my beautiful fiancee.

Have an excellent day,
(A very happy) Dennis Cahlo

Gone Too Soon

Dennis Cahlo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:15:43 +0000

End Of Winter Blues 2

Dennis Cahlo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:00:16 +0000

What I will miss most about dressing up for the winter is the layering portion. Cashmere v-neck sweaters under a nice wool herringbone jacket is always a favorite of mine. One thing I desperately need is a more colorful pocket square for this ensemble. Something in a deep red with yellow trim would be perfect.

Jacket: Uniqlo, Shirt: Imparali Custom Tailors, Tie: Brooks Brothers, Cashmere Sweater: Club Room, Pants: Merona, Pocket Square: Perry Ellis

A Sincere Thank You

Dennis Cahlo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:26:07 +0000

All,

A reader just posted a great comment that had my wheels turning a bit.

He let me know that in some recent comments I have come across as a bit cocky and defensive when critiqued.

While this is true, I cannot express how much I appreciate you all and your frequent visits and comments good or bad.

My rant on Monday about Style Forum was, in my mind, justified.

What is not justified, however, is the way I have been reacting to my own reader’s critiques. I looked back at the past few months and can see exactly what the commenter was talking about and will patiently go back and delete those responses as they are not very becoming of me.

I want all of you to know that I do this blog out of love for menswear and the guys who can’t really afford to go Bespoke. I don’t do it for money or recognition. I do it because I feel every man has the right to look amazing whether he makes $30,000 a year or $600,000 a year. And when I feel I am being unfairly critiqued I get defensive which is a bit unfair to my readers.

This blog started with a meager 20 hits per week and has jumped to 4,000-5,000. That jump has everything to do with you all sticking with me and I owe you a great amount of thanks.

I hope that in the past few weeks I have not turned any of you off from reading.

My sincerest thanks and best wishes,
Dennis Cahlo

End Of Winter Blues

Dennis Cahlo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:11 +0000

Well boys, we are reaching the end of winter and while it’s still colder than a witches teet out there, I really love the style that winter brings. I’m such a sucker for a hearty wool, thick boot, and a driver’s cap. So towards the end of my favorite dressing season, I like to go with my trusted Imparali 3 piece around the office as it offers a great look with a jacket:

Made to Measure Suit: Imparali $500, Custom Shirt: Indochino $99, Tie: Vintage YSL: $1, Hat: $10, Glasses: Ray Ban $160

And without: