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Clothing Investment Tag

Image & Lifestyle

Three signs of a Gentleman

Feb 15 2019

Many people have compiled lists of the signs that distinguish a gentleman. Some lists include useful concepts, while others simply contain the author's personal preferences. We have found that there are three essential qualities that show a man to be a true gentleman-no matter what his individual style preferences may be. Mindfulness: He is considerate of others' needs. Without letting others have their own way at his expense, he shows chivalry and courtesy to his fellow beings. In business situations, he actively thinks of how best to accommodate everyone's goals and create win-win situations. Dignity: He maintains his good manners even in difficult situations. He learns how to maintain his aplomb when others can't, and is never boorish in social situations. Impeccably dressed: His attire demonstrates self-confidence and an understanding of his own value in society. By choosing to wear high-quality clothing that fits him perfectly and lasts for years, he shows that...

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J Kent Erickson
Image & Lifestyle
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Wardrobe Basics

TWO SUITS, SIX SHIRTS

Dec 01 2018

Let's talk efficiency. Building your custom wardrobe is an investment, and you likely want to maximize the value of that investment while controlling outlay. The key here is to start with a solid base: two custom suits and six custom shirts. With this base, you have the start of a wardrobe that is built to last-and built to look and feel fantastic, every day. Make sure your two suits and six shirts are designed in versatile colors and fabrics that will be appropriate in a multitude of occasions. Add carefully chosen accessories for individual style, and you have a versatile wardrobe that will fit better and let you move more comfortably than any other suits you've worn....

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J Kent Erickson
Wardrobe Basics
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Wardrobe Basics

THE PROBLEM WITH SHOPPING SALES

Nov 15 2017

It can be tempting to go to a clothing store and see what's on the sale racks. Saving money can be a satisfying experience-but what's the hidden cost of buying sale items? Store-bought clothing items that are on sale are often fad-inspired pieces that have faded in popularity or were produced in odd colors that the store had trouble selling. Generally, the store's sale items are not the classic pieces that will give you good service for years (if not decades). Consider the cost per wear, rather than the purchase price. An item that costs $500 that you wear twice a month for 5 years costs just over $4 for each time it's worn. Something that costs $100 saves you $400 in purchase price, but if you only wear it five times before relegating it to gather dust in the back of your closet, it costs you $20 each time it's...

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J Kent Erickson
Wardrobe Basics
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Image & Lifestyle

Buying Cheap = Buying Twice

Nov 15 2016

We have all found ourselves tempted to purchase something because of a low price. However, if you buy something you don’t really need because it’s “a deal” or “on sale,” you may find that your impetuous purchase isn’t a good fit for you. Perhaps it’s a color you don’t really care for, or a seasonal fabric that you can’t wear often. It may end up being used only once or twice (or never), and then taking up space unnecessarily. Later on, when you replace that item with something more useful that actually contributes to your wardrobe options, you’ll find that having to make two purchases cancelled out the savings of buying something inexpensive. Instead of saving money, you’ll have bought twice. When buying clothing, you may also find that low prices can often mean low quality, including cheaper fabrics that wear out sooner, sloppy detailing, buttons that are not securely fastened, or...

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J Kent Erickson
Image & Lifestyle
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J. Kent Ltd. Experience

Escaping the Tyranny of the Store Buyer

Sep 15 2016

Ready-to-wear clothing sellers must concentrate on the merchandise they think they can sell in a short period of time. By economic necessity, their wares must appeal to the most customers possible. Each season they buy far in advance, based on forecasts of trends and fads—and they must move that merchandise quickly to have room for the next season’s fads. Stores may stock only thin lapels one year, and only wide lapels the next. Only flat-front trousers or only pleated ones. Only summer suits or only winter wear. As your custom clothier, we believe in a wholly different approach to developing style and image. When you choose custom clothing instead of limiting your choices to those selected by store buyers, you’ll find you have a myriad of choices for styling, fabric, color, and fit. You can build a wardrobe that bucks the current trends—or anticipates the next ones. We’ll create a look...

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J Kent Erickson
J. Kent Ltd. Experience
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J. Kent Ltd. Experience

How to Get the Most from Your Custom Clothier

Feb 15 2016

You can maximize the value of your custom wardrobe by increasing the value you receive from your custom clothier. Here’s how: We have solved fitting and style problems for countless clients, so consider our recommendations when making wardrobe decisions. Of course, you make the decisions on your wardrobe, but listening to our thoughts before making those decisions can lead to a better custom wardrobe. Instead of thinking of your custom clothier as a valet who simply lays out your wardrobe, please think of us as an adviser on sartorial matters. We are pleased to offer you practical tips for improving the return on your wardrobe investment. Ready-to-wear salespeople are prone to offering flattery to convince customers that whatever they are trying on looks good on them. We will give you honest information (including accurate sizing) to guide you toward well-informed clothing decisions. Many gentlemen haven’t spent years learning the eternal principles of good style....

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J Kent Erickson
J. Kent Ltd. Experience
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Wardrobe Basics

Modern Custom Tailoring: Old-World Craftsmanship & High-Tech Capabilities

Apr 01 2015

In the past, master artisans built up time-tested methods of craftsmanship that created goods of enduring quality. Today, modern custom tailoring is a union of machinery and materials that allows us to enjoy manufactured goods with strength and durability unimaginable by the craftsmen of yesteryear. Which is better? Do you choose traditional quality or technological solutions? Happily, you don’t have to choose: a “marriage” of craftsmanship and technology allows you to enjoy both, in a partnership that combines the best of yesterday and today. Custom clothing offers today’s discriminating gentleman the same painstaking attention to detail and craft as the tailors of old. You don’t have to settle for any of today’s rushed, shoddy workmanship that is merely “good enough” and rarely achieves lasting quality. The fabrics in your custom wardrobe are refined and elegant. Modern textile fabrication methods offer lightweight fabrics with unsurpassed durability and ease of movement. You don’t have to...

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J Kent Erickson
Wardrobe Basics
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Care & Maintenance

90/10 System: Every 90 Days, Replace 10% of Your Wardrobe

Jan 26 2015

Keeping your image polished and up-to-date is an important part of being a professional. You can maintain a fantastic wardrobe without it becoming a hassle with this easy 90/10 system. Every 90 days, go through your business wardrobe. Look at every piece and evaluate it based on fabric quality and coloring, fit, and general appearance. Take the bottom 10 percent, and donate it to a charity. (If there is one in your area, consider a charity which helps provide interview clothes to job seekers.) Next, replace the discarded 10 percent of your wardrobe with a garment which is slightly better quality than your best pieces of clothing. Rather than simply adding more pieces of clothing to your closet, you’re improving your wardrobe with each clothing investment. This 90/10 system doesn’t require huge, expensive shopping trips or a large time commitment. Instead, you gradually build up a wardrobe that is not only professional-looking and...

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J Kent Erickson
Care & Maintenance
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Care & Maintenance

New Year’s Resolution: Renew Your Wardrobe

Jan 19 2015

Instead of making the same, old, still-not-accomplished resolutions every year, we suggest that this year, you make a resolution that’s not difficult, will bring you great satisfaction, and will support career success: renew your wardrobe. Here’s how to get it done without getting stressed: Restock the basics. Your go-to shirts will be the first to fray at the collar and cuffs. Replenishing your supply of white and blue shirts will ensure you always have your most dependable options available. Embrace new colors. Expand your color choices in whichever palette works best for you, including light, medium, and dark shades of your favorite colors. Enjoy subtle textures. Weave patterns and a variety of natural fibers can bring a fresh look to your clothing, whether used for a sport coat, a working-week suit, or for shirts designed for a night on the town. Accentuate. The easiest way to improve the visual appeal of your wardrobe is...

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J Kent Erickson
Care & Maintenance
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Image & Lifestyle

Investing in Custom Clothing Is Investing in You

Nov 24 2014

You wouldn’t neglect your professional skills and expect to be accepted as a professional, yet many businessmen neglect their wardrobe and expect to be accepted as a gentleman. Just as your professional skills and abilities must be first-rate and up-to-date if you’re to succeed in business, your image should be stylish and polished. Each piece of clothing in your closet must work hard to create the external expression of your internal confidence and business savvy. Custom clothing is the easiest, most practical way to achieve this hard-working wardrobe....

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J Kent Erickson
Image & Lifestyle
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