Does this sound familiar: you walk into a department store looking for a suit for a specific occasion. Maybe you have an important business trip and your go-to navy suit is at the dry cleaners. Or maybe you have an upcoming speaking event and you realized your favorite suit looks a little worn. Perhaps you have recognized this gap in your wardrobe for a while and procrastinated until the last minute.
Then, you drive to the local mall or department store, sit in traffic, fight for a parking spot, and browse the store’s limited inventory. How many of those trips resulted in you actually finding a suit that you love, only to learn they don’t have it in your size?
Now, you’re faced with a decision. Do you want them to order it, return to the store, have it altered, and then come back a third time to double-check that it’s the right fit? If you’ve waited until the last minute, you just don’t have time for this experience.
Finding the attire that suits your taste and needs takes a lot of time, energy, and patience. As a busy professional, you probably have energy and patience but not an abundance of time. That’s how you end up at a department store buying something you only partially like because you’ve waited until the last minute and you are limited to what the store has in stock.
Luckily, there’s an alternative: working with your personal Tom James clothier. Before working with us, our clients usually have problems with the traditional shopping experience and their wardrobe is often full of one-off purchases that don’t complement each other. Learn how our process can save you time, energy, and stress so that you’re perfectly attired for every occasion.
Types of Shoppers
Generally, our customers fall into one of four categories:
- They have no time to shop.
- They have time to shop, but they’d rather spend it doing other things.
- They have a unique body size and can’t buy off-the-rack business attire.
- They hate shopping (which is usually a result of the other three).
Regardless of which of these categories you fit into, you deserve a different shopping experience that isn’t rushed nor limited in options.
Instead, imagine having an expert who understands your needs, your styles, and your goals. This trusted Tom James partner records your exact measurements which makes it easy to order clothes next time. We help you build your wardrobe based on your body type, your professional image, and your specific needs. You’ll no longer wonder if the store has a style in your size. Our custom clothing is based on more than 30 measurements, so they always fit perfectly.
Problems with the Traditional Shopping Experience
When you shop for a suit, you may have a good idea of what you’re looking for but want some guidance to make the perfect decision. You may even have a favorite store.
When you arrive, even if you’ve been to a particular store before, you need to be measured again. Then, you shuffle through the options, trying on suit after suit and brand after brand, all of which fit differently.
Once you find something you like, you have minor alterations made to the jacket and trousers and get them hemmed. Then seven to ten days later you pick up your new suit. But sometimes even then the jacket collar doesn’t fall right, or the sleeve length is off.
Obviously, you don’t want to start the whole process all over again.
Finding an Off-the-Rack Fit
Perhaps you’re one of the fortunate few who can find clothes that fit off-the-rack. But even then, you’ll have a limited selection to choose from and have to hope the store has the one you want in your size. And if you’re not one of those fortunate few, you need to account for the extra time required for alterations.
Our clients often say that they’re a pretty good fit off-the-rack because that’s what they’re accustomed to. But, once they wear custom clothes made by Tom James, they realize what well-fitted clothes truly feel like and look like. Suddenly, they realize this is how clothes are supposed to fit.
Your Current Wardrobe
We ask all new clients the same question: What percentage of your wardrobe are you currently wearing?
The average answer is 40%.
In other words, 60% of our average client’s wardrobe remains hanging in the closet. That means, if you have spent $10,000 on your clothes, in reality, you spent $10,000 on only
40% of your wardrobe because that’s all you wear. The remaining 60% is a wasted expense.
There are a variety of reasons why you only wear 40% of your wardrobe. Some garments were gifts that you’ve held on to. Others fit in the store, but once you got home, they just didn’t look right. The rest don’t coordinate with anything else in your wardrobe and have slowly made their way to the back of the closet.
These mistakes happen because buying clothes that elevate your professional image, coordinate with your existing wardrobe, and that fit perfectly is time-consuming and difficult. Suddenly, you realize how cost-efficient it is to spend more upfront for quality clothing that fits perfectly, especially when you consider the time you’ll save not having to drive to the store.
Sound familiar?
How to Dress with Style: The Tom James Difference
There is an alternative to the typical shopping experience: working with a Tom James professional clothier.
Our clothiers come to the most convenient location for you, whether it is your home, office, country club or anywhere else, saving you the time and stress of going to the store. Our first meeting is designed to help us understand your lifestyle and your professional image. For instance, are you a lawyer or banker who requires more conservative clothing? Do you travel often and need fabrics that can withstand the associated rigors?
We also try to understand your current wardrobe to determine if there are gaps, such as sport coats for dressing in a more casual workplace. We ask questions about your personal preferences and take measurements so that we can recommend professional clothing that will enhance your image and complete your wardrobe. We understand each customer’s unique needs and guide them to make the best possible fashion decisions.
Start Dressing with Style Today!
Even in only the past decade, trends have changed. Today, traditional professionals and CEOs have adopted a new, modern classic cut, which generally consists of a 2” to 3” notch lapel, raised button position, and a shortened coat length. On average, jackets are an inch to an inch and a half shorter for “classic clients” to two inches shorter for the more fashion-forward ones.
With professional clothing, you also have to consider things like the sleeve position, proportion to the waist, the outseam, the slope of the shoulders and other factors to ensure it is a perfect fit that elevates your image. When these things are executed well, the difference is obvious. Your clothing fits better. You look better and above all you feel better! Compliments are sure to come!
Our professional clothiers take the stress out of building your wardrobe by coming to the most convenient location for you, remembering your measurements, and recommending styles that enhance your image. Our goal is to turn the person who hates shopping into someone who is constantly complimented on his or her wardrobe. This is someone who will understand the benefits of working with a Tom James clothier and the importance of dressing with style.
Are you ready to start working with a trusted professional who will help build your wardrobe with perfectly fitting clothes to be perfectly attired for every occasion? Contact a Tom James clothier today!