To hear Steve Brinkman tell it he was an ordinary guy, relatively uninterested in fashion until his ex-wife bought him an Armani shirt in the mid-90s. Suddenly, bells and whistles went off and he realized there had been something missing in his life. The experience led him on a
two-year journey which resulted in the writing of the "The Men's Clothing Guide."

Brinkman was fashionably dressed for his book signing in Borders in Fairfield on a bitter cold evening in late January. He wore a green plaid suit in super 120 wool that he bought on installments from Naresh Makhusani a hundred feet down the street at the Fairfield Clothiers. He parried the suit with a blue-striped shirt and patterned tie. "That's why Naresh is in the book because of quality service," Brinkman pointed out. "That's the thing I like in general about the mom-and-pops as opposed to department stores and chains."

"I was thrilled to see the acknowledgement (Brinkman's) of Naresh's commitment to customer service as my experience with his store has been nothing short of terrific," said Fairfield Clothiers' regular Rich Smyth, vice president and publisher of Southern Living Magazine.

"The Men's Clothing Guide" is essentially about how to achieve maximum value on an average man's clothing budget. It demonstrates how to build a business and casual wardrobe - what to buy, where and why. It also shows you how to select clothes that are well made and with quality fabrics.

"I'm still out there learning," Brinkman admitted to a woman in the small crowd.

Nora Van Den Hogen asked how much should a man spend on a suit who is interviewing for his first job?

"What kind of job is it?" Brinkman wanted to know. "What's the salary and in what industry? These are the kinds of questions I hope my book answers."

He went on to suggest the advantage of buying a suit with a partial, floating canvas front that in time will conform to the changing shape of the wearer and holds up better under dry cleaning.
Hand-sewn canvas is preferable to glued canvas because the glue can pucker over time. And the better the fabric the less shiny the material becomes with age.

What's the biggest faux pas Brinkman sees about men and clothes?

"Mostly it's they wear clothes that don't fit them," he said. "Primarily clothes that don't fit them physically, but also colorwise."

Undershirts also came up as a topic for discussion and the author admitted that like most accessories it was a matter of personal taste. He personally favored V-neck undershirts that are hidden from view when the collar is unbuttoned as in most casual dress.

"Casual attire needn't always mean Dockers and polo shirts," the author said. "I think the biggest challenge for casual dressing is for men to avoid the cookie-cutter look, the sameness."

As for clothing manufactured "off-shore," Brinkman's caveat is it adversely affects your price per wearing because it wears out faster and it is usually made under exploitative conditions. His remedy --- No one will make clothing off-shore if nobody buys it. His book and promotional tour has given rise to a new business called Men's Specialty Retail Services.
For a low monthly fee you will be able to complete a profile that will enable the company to keep you current on men's fashions and the proper dress for any occasion. The company will inform you of sales and promotions in your area in advance of the general public. It will also inform customers of what's happening nationally with favorite brands and stores. You can request certain labels in certain price ranges and be notified when discounts are available. For more information, contact www.MensSpecialtyRetail.com.

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