No other garment in history better connotes an image of stability and authority than a man's tailored suit. America is one of the few places that gives total justice to what an individual deserves to achieve in terms of income potential. The crux of maximizing your opportunity is presentation. How one walks, talks, one's table manners, hairstyle and how one presents himself or herself socially.

We expect that our clients be dressed impeccably whether it is for a corporate meeting with peers from other firms, an office meeting with staff and also for informal meetings on casual dress days.
It is important not to upset the visual dress code. You may be wearing a very expensive suit, but it may look awful because you're wearing the wrong shirt collar or one that doesn't have enough tie space. The amount of shirt cuff that shows at the sleeve is equally off-putting visually. The tie should stop at the belt line, never below it. Most important, the fit of the suit should make the wearer look comfortable at all times. This is achieved by an equal blend of tailoring, fitting, fabric and style. Clothes should look like they belong on you, not you belonging to the clothes. A long face begs a spread collar; a round face needs a more pointed collar. Both for visual symmetry.

My experience has been that many men and women have gone so far in their careers and were able to excel even further because of non-work related skills. We, as professional stylists, would like to play a part in dressing and advising our clients for the position they want, not simply
for the job they have. A wardrobe should be considered that important an element in one's overall presentation, not simply a necessary evil.
A wardrobe should be approached as an investment just as an education or a capital expenditure. Clients should expect a rate of return of many times the initial investment.

It has been determined that it takes seven seconds for someone to make up his mind whether or not he wants to do business with another person. In many cases that means before you even open your mouth another person has made a decision about doing business with you based on your appearance.
So why take a chance that your presentation is lacking?

Your presentation is the total package. It begins with the grooming of your hair, the neck of your shirt, right down to your shoes. Nails should be clean and jewelry should be kept to a minimum.
We understand that many factors contribute to an investment in a wardrobe such as lifestyle, occupation, personality, budget, skin tone and color schemes. And a good stylist will take them all into consideration when advising a client.
At the very least one should seek the advice of a professional tailor. A wardrobe decision, however, should never be left to a typical department store. Department store salespeople are not trained to counsel or advise, but solely to sell, most typically name brands and designer labels which
are familiar to the client because of advertising.

Some positive steps that can be taken by everyone are:

· One should either have a stylist or a good tailor with your future in mind. They will know which colors are the best, which shoulders are right for your body type.
· Designer labels are meaningless without the proper tailoring.
· Know where and how to shop with your budget in mind.
· Understand which style fits you best: jackets with a single vent, double vents or no vent at all. Do you look better in pleated pants or flat-front trousers? Cuffs or no cuffs? Should you wear stripes, plaids, checks or solids?
· The shoulders of a suit jacket should not be cut too wide; that will make the head look smaller. Conversely, shoulders cut too narrow will make the head look larger.
· The back of the jacket should lay flat and smooth.
· The sleeve should line up with the knuckle of the thumb and at least one half inch of shirt should show under the jacket sleeve. Most men make the mistake of wearing the shirt too short and the jacket too long.
· The belt color should match the shoes and the socks should match the trousers.
· Trouser cuffs are usually 1 ¾ inches.
· Though often interchangeable, black shoes are for evening and brown for the day.
· Ties always should have a dimple in the center and ties should be untied in exactly the same manner to help preserve the life of the garment.

We believe a more professional alternative would be for companies themselves to hire a stylist for their employees. It could be offered as a company perk much like health insurance or a bonus to guarantee an employee's success. It also shows how interested an employer is in the
company's collective success in the future.

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