Let’s get a little disclosure out of the way right off the bat. I work for a company that does custom suits, shirts, etc. – not just as a sales guy, but high enough up the (relatively small) ladder that my input helps shape the direction of the company. Beckett & Robb is technically a competitor to Dragon Inside, although our demographics and approaches are a bit different.

Today’s situation will be similar to the review I did of Combatant Gentlemen a few weeks back. However, while my previous review was done on a suit made for my large brother-in-law, today’s suit was made for my younger brother, who just happens to fall on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Cache is 6′ tall and weighs in just under 130 lbs. He’s tiny. Of all of my family, he’s the skinniest, and he likes it that way. Maybe a few more months of him reading the blog will convince him he needs to put on a bit of muscle, but for now he’s content being long and lean. One of the downsides Cache experiences by having such a build, is that it’s next to impossible to find good-looking suits. He got pretty close with H&M a couple of years ago, but there are some obvious flaws here.

The most egregious is the length of the jacket, and it’s a detail that’s indicative of the overall problem with fast-fashion companies – they rely heavily on trends. A year ago this short jacket would’ve been considered on point, now it’s already silly and outdated. For someone with a build like Cache’s, even more. By having the jacket so short, it exaggerates the length of his legs, making him appear taller, slimmer, and more effeminate. All three of which are implications his build has on its own and don’t need to be over exaggerated.

Add to it the skinny lapels (make his shoulders look small and his head look big), the long pants (make him look both tall and sloppy), and the low rise in the crotch (too Bieberesque) and the suit makes a young, skinny guy look like a kid waiting for someone to treat him like an adult. Not a fun image to battle for a guy who’s getting married in a month, finishing college this year, and starting a career.

Like me, the kid has gorilla arms and finding an off-the-rack shirt with the right sleeve length is next to impossible.

Well a few months back a representative from Dragon Inside reached out to me to see if I was interested in wearing one of their suits. I almost immediately wrote them off because of the name and it’s still the biggest drawback of the company – which is too bad, because they have a lot of good things going for them.

What convinced me to try them out was a mention of an Italian mill called VBC (Vitale Barbaras Canonico), it’s a mill we use at B&R and I have a couple of suits made with their cloth. This is a massive improvement over the cheaper Asian mills that are sources for the majority of online custom tailors and was enough to get me to give them a shot.

The measurement and order experience with Dragon Inside was very similar to what I’ve experienced with other companies. They have the client take measurements and provide instructional videos detailing each step. Once each measurement was submitted, Cache and I went through step-by-step to determine things like lapel width and type, pocket configuration, lining, etc.

All of the above have come to be expected in the online world. However, unlike any other company I’ve dealt with, I received an email from a customer-service rep about two days after submitting the order wanting to clarify a few things. A couple of Cache’s measurements came in beyond their normal allowances and they wanted to ensure that the measurements were taken correctly. It’s a simple step, but a big one and the second major point in favor of Dragon Inside.

Arrival of the suit and shirt took a little over a month. Once it was here, Cache tried everything on and they were pretty close on the first go. The shirt was a bit too tight and restrictive in some areas and Dragon Inside immediately offered to remake it. The jacket sleeves were too long but, this was one of the points that their customer service rep called to talk about. It was an error on my part and, rather than remeasure Cache (who was living a few hours away from me), I let my ego and my apathy get in the way and told her I was sure about the measured length on his sleeves. I guess I deserved to have them come back too long.

With the suit it was a quick alteration and one they’ve offered to reimburse me for. I’m not going to let them give me the money because I need the reminder that tailoring is like woodworking – it’s ALWAYS better to measure twice and cut once.

After we got the new shirt in and the sleeves altered, everything looked great. Here’s the result.

Addressing the issues from before, the length of the jacket is perfect – especially for someone as tall and slim as Cache, the break and rise of the pants are now right where they should be, and the wider peak lapels add some visual heft to his shoulders. The jacket is a bit snug in the waist for my taste, but it’s how a Cache likes it and we can let it out when he comes around to wanting it a bit larger. By going with the third piece it makes him look older and more respectable. They also made a shirt for him, and the sleeve length is right where it should be. Cache told me his fiancée became visibly weak in the knees the first time he walked out in this thing.

A few more details on the suit. It’s a half-canvassed jacket and construction is done in Bulgaria. It is the Premium Dark Grey Fine Herringbone 3-Piece and retails for $689 custom or $639 RTW. The shirt is their White Two-Fold Twill and it retails for $119. Dragon Inside has a 365 day limit on alterations, which is pretty generous in this industry.

All-in-all a great this is a great suit. High-quality material, construction standards that go beyond the norm, great customer service. The price isn’t as friendly as others and for a bit more it’s possible to purchase clothing that’s made better, but Dragon Inside knows their niche. If only the name were different…

The title may sound hyperbolic or click-baity, but I mean it.

A dad’s obligation to dress well doesn’t mean his kids need to see him in a suit every day, but it does mean they need to see him in one when it’s appropriate to wear it. The same applies for every article of clothing he owns. It needs to have a time and a place in which it is appropriately worn.

Why?

Well, one of the most important things a father can teach his children is the concept of consequences. It’s a word we all hated hearing as kids, but shaped us into functioning adults. Those who didn’t have the concept drilled into their brains by loving parents are either forced to face the reality of it in a more shocking manner in later years, or continue to have their delusions subsidized by the rest of society. Either way, it’s much better for kids to learn that “one can choose his actions but not the resulting consequences” when they are young.

One thing I’ve learned as a father of two very young children is how much teaching is done unintentionally. About four months ago whenever my daughter was ready to go somewhere or try something she’d say “Let’s do it!” My wife and I would both chuckle at how adult it sounded and both of us wondered where she’d learn the phrase as it wasn’t familiar to either one of us.

A few weeks later I was with a friend trying to figure out where to shoot some photos for an upcoming feature. He made a suggestion I agreed with and my response was an immediate “let’s do it” in the same tone and cadence as I’d heard my daughter use. I realized, as I listened to myself, that she’d learned that little phrase from me; it was such a throwaway sentence and my wife and I were so used to hearing that it didn’t register as something in either of our brains – just a saying as common as “ok” or “great.” However, to my daughter, a careful observer and mimicker of the actions of her parents, it was an appropriate response to any action she was willing to engage in.

The first thing it did was make me realize how much I communicate to my children without intending to do so. I have plenty of opportunities to point out to my kids what Guzy’s do and don’t do, but they pick up on so much more than just the things I choose to point out to them.

It was upon learning this lesson that I realized the importance of clothing. Whenever my daughter sees me in a suit, she knows I’m either going to work or to church. She knows I’m not staying home to play with her. My clothing communicates my intentions and my activities.

On the flip side, whenever I come out of my bedroom and am wearing shorts, a tank top, and a pair of Nikes, she knows I’m on my way to the gym and asks if she can come too.

I don’t have to tell her where I’m headed, she knows by the clothing I’ve put on. So, as a father I have an opportunity to teach my children the impact clothing has on the world.

There are two key advantages to this.

First, it teaches them, whether we like it or not, people make assessments of us based on our clothing. It may be a simple conclusion, like “dad’s going to the gym,” but a judgment is made without any communication other than the clothes being worn. By helping my children see the reality of these judgments, especially in innocent, non-valued assessments, I can better help them realize the importance of putting their best foot forward when a judgment is being made.

Second, it teaches them intentionality in all things. A father can verbally tell his children that there are consequences in life and then demonstrate that through his clothing. More often than not, men who dress like slobs, don’t care for their appearance, fail to properly and routinely groom themselves, and/or continue to dress like large children are not men who are happy, ambitious, deliberate, or influential. Those are all things I want to be and I want my children to want to be.

As fathers we want our children to grow up confident, to have respect for themselves and for those with whom they interact. We want them to know how to navigate nature and society. We want them to have a sense of who they are, what they want, and how they want to leave their mark. It would be foolish and pompous for me to claim that what a father wears will be a primary factor in teaching these lessons, but it is foolish for any man to claim that his clothing choices don’t either work to support or contradict the principles he teaches his progeny.

As I’ve discussed multiple times in the past, one of the best ways in which a man can improve his style is by investing in a better pair of shoes. My friends over at Cobbler Union are full force behind the idea of intentional men. So much so that they sent me a pair of their Chelsea boots to show how buying a versatile and simple shoe can improve a man’s wardrobe.

The beauty of a Chelsea is its range. It can be worn from early fall through late spring and look appropriate with casual clothing and even suits. I’ve seen streetwear blogs typically peppered with sneakerheads advocate the Chelsea boot and seen them on some of the best dressed Sartorialists in England and Italy.

Cobbler Union’s iteration of the classic style – the Benjamin – has a little go-to-hell punch with red elastic at the ankles. They’re built on a  more aggressive last with a goodyear welt and have served me very well over the last few months. These guys are doing big things in the world of footwear and are offering some beautiful shoes through many different styles and lasts. Be sure to check them out.

My parents have been working with Treg for the last few months and honing in their diets and exercise routines. It’s been fun to see how their bodies and goals have changed over that time. They went from being avid marathoners, to avid marathoners who also enjoy lifting weights. Haha.

While the new exercise routine has been an adjustment, the thing that’s really taken some getting used to is following a meal plan. Treg created one for each of them by factoring in things like age, activity level, current weight, goals, etc. After utilizing all of that info, he gave them a breakdown of how many calories they should be eating each day, what their macronutrient ratios should be, and a fleshed-out meal plan that included four or five options for each meal that all fit within those parameters.

At first it was hard because being strict about anything is tough. Even though my parents have always been good about eating well, having to use a little more self-control makes things more difficult. However, over the last few months, it got progressively more difficult. Not because they had a hard time with the quantity or the quality of the food, but because of its variety – or lack thereof. My parents have been getting extremely bored with eating the same 12 meals every week.

After some time on the phone with Treg, and some time in person with my wife and me, we introduced them to MyFitnessPal. We took the time to show them how the concept works, and how they can open up their food variety by keeping track of what they eat. As long as they hit their macro and calorie goals (and keep their food clean), they will continue to see the same results as they did while strictly following the meal plan Treg outlined for them.

Now, this isn’t a fitness post but one geared towards style, and there is a solid parallel between this concept in the realm of diet and that of clothing. When most men start to improve their wardrobe, they need a strict clothing plan. They need to be told what to wear, when to wear it, and why – commandments. Some never get beyond this phase because they never need to. I have no problem eating the same few things every week and see it as comforting instead of monotonous (for the most part), and many men feel the same way about their wardrobes.

But others will start to chafe at the idea of a limited wardrobe and a uniform. They’ll start to want to expand what they wear as a way to introduce some variety to the mix. As long as they stick to the fundamental principles, things like contrast type, pattern size, etc. they can expand as much as they want. Knowing and using the basic principles allows them to expand what they wear in terms of items, formality, and archetype to an entirely different level.

This is ultimately the reason I write the site and coach my clients. I want to give the framework and the principles, along with the initial strict wardrobe commandments as a way to get the momentum going, but then once a man gets bored with what I’ve suggested, I want him to take the principles I’ve taught and start to expand on them. I love working with a client when the balance has shifted from my putting up recommendations of what he should purchase to him sending me things he wants with my either confirming or questioning his choices. The latter is the goal with the former being necessary only at first.

Just like with a diet, this doesn’t mean a man should abandon everything he learns once he gets bored with what he started wearing as he began improving his style, it just means he can avoid the strictness of a formalized plan and, instead, embrace the openness of understanding the underlying principle and how to apply it more freely.