Blog — quality

If you’ve been paying attention to men’s clothing for any period of time, you’re probably well acquainted with how to look for quality. Suits should be half- or fully-canvassed; shoes should be made from full grain leathers; and when possible, shirts should have mother of pearl buttons, rather than plastic ones (although vintage-style plastic buttons do add a nice touch). These, however, are just the basics. For a closer look at quality, you’ll want to look at some of the smaller details. For example, in shirts and pants, see if the seams were made with a high stitch-count.Sewing machines are...

It’s often said that, as a result of the bad economy, companies and consumers alike have refocused on quality. Brands talk more about their production processes and consumers focus on long-term value. Unfortunately, fifteen years later, what passes for a discussion about quality is often little more than a stringing together of buzzwords. Read through any product description to see what I mean. You can easily flip words around – like Madlibs – to make something heritage this, handcrafted that, or artisanal something or other. Even when words have meaning, they’re often inaccurate. Just last month, I saw an online...