Hey, Mr. Good Looking

HE SWAGGERS UP to the entrance with a smug look on his face, and with good reason. His finely tailored suit fits his chiseled body to a “T.” He notices the approving glances all around him. He knows he looks good. The jacket sleeves stop just short of a costly set of diamond-studded cuff links. His pants are impeccably creased and fall atop brilliantly shined shoes. With damsel on arm, money in pocket and skip in step, he crosses the threshold. The party has just begun.

DRESS THE PART

There is much truth in the popular saying, “Dress the way you want to be addressed.” A gentleman’s clothing can say a lot, or a little, about him. And when it comes to dresswear, the more positive chatter one creates, the merrier.

According to Tarayann Lloyd, marketing director at Edwards Garment, Kalamazoo, Mich., over the past 10 years, the styles, colors and fabrics available in men’s dresswear have undergone significant changes. She said the company’s polyester/wool suits now are made with a natural stretch fabric—a feature men shouldn’t do without. “The poly/wools are much lighter so you may wear them year-round,” she explained. Furthermore, Lloyd said promotional men’s dresswear closely “follows retail trends,” most noticeably in the “cut of the suit jacket [and] the color of the fabric.” To that end, Edwards Garment has added pinstripe suiting in navy, charcoal and brown.

TIE A GOOD MAN DOWN

Lawrence Schleif, president of Anthony Enterprises, Escondido, Calif., whose company has supplied neckties and scarves to the trade for more than 35 years, provided a definition for dresswear. “It’s certainly when you want to represent something a little more sophisticated,” he said. And Schleif is of the strong opinion that a stylish necktie can provide that air of refinement required of promotional men’s dresswear. “The industry itself has really changed from a promotional item industry to a high-end, retail-quality product in a promotional industry,” he noted.