Most guys don’t own a ton of custom clothes. In fact, most of the men out there are pretty happy buying everything they need off the rack, including blazers and suits that they wear in professional settings and in their personal lives.

However, off the rack blazers just don’t look as good as a custom piece.

If you’re looking to step up your wardrobe and feel like you’re finally wearing clothing that’s right for an adult man with your job and ambition, it’s time to step up to a custom blazer.

When it comes to buying a custom blazer, a lot of men are going to be pretty confused about the process. A lot of people reading this right now probably don’t even know where they would go about getting a custom blazer in their area!

The process isn’t as hard as you think, and you might just find that once you get your first custom blazer, you want more custom clothes. You wouldn’t be the first man to feel like a million bucks in custom clothing, and for many, it becomes a way of life.

Find a Special Tailor

Once you’ve decided that you need to add a custom blazer to your wardrobe you need to take care of the most important aspect first. You need to find a tailor that you can trust and build a relationship with.

When you’re looking for a tailor, you want to first ask them about how much custom work they do. Believe it or not, a lot of tailors have never done custom pieces at all. Other tailors do them once in a while but don’t specialize in them. What you’re looking for is a tailor who works on custom clothing all the time.

The next is to simply have a conversation about what it is you want from a custom blazer. Your tailor will likely ask you questions, like why you’re buying and for what sort of events you plan on wearing the blazer.

After all, a blazer that you wear to work might need to be a little more formal than one you wear on the weekends to go out with friends or take your partner on dates.

You’ll also want to talk to your tailor about styling at this point, at least briefly. If you prefer a modern style, let your tailor know and see if they are familiar with your basic desires, like a slim-fit blazer.

Not all tailors stay up on what is fashionable, and if you choose the wrong one you may find yourself in a custom blazer that reminds you more of your grandpa than the spread you saw in GQ last week.

Pick Your Style

While you might have discussed your basic styling needs with your tailor during a consultation, you need to talk more in depth about what you’re looking for from a custom blazer.

Do you want an ultra-slim fit blazer that looks great with jeans, or are you looking for something more professional that you can wear to dinner with your business colleagues?

If you’re not totally sure about what style you want, your tailor should be able to show you different examples of pre-made blazers. They’ll also be able to show you and tell you which type of blazer might be right for you based on your lifestyle.

Picking your style is one of the most important reasons that you should take your time choosing a tailor who understands you. If you don’t, you could end up with a custom blazer that sits in the closet most of the time.

Get a Fitting

Finding a tailor to build your custom blazer is perhaps the hardest thing that you’ll do, and you may need to meet a few different ones. Once you find one that you really like, you’ll need to move to the next step, which is getting a fitting.

When you buy custom clothing your measurements will be taken by the tailor. You’ll likely find that the measurements are more detailed than you’ve ever hard before, especially if you’ve only had alterations done on off the rack blazers and suits in the past.

The reason the measurements are so precise and take longer is because the tailor is literally going to build your custom blazer out of the basic elements for you.

That means they need to know exactly how to make the suit so that it fits your body perfectly – not just a fit that’s pretty close to whatever your size is! The custom blazer you get will fit you better than anybody else in the world.

In many cases you’ll find that another fitting is scheduled once the basics of the blazer building process are completed. You will have to come back, but this ensures that you get the perfect blazer you’ve always dreamed off.

Second fittings usually don’t take long at all, and for a guy that cares about his appearance, they are well worth the minimal effort.

Choose Your Materials

The fit of the blazer being made for you is perhaps the most important part of looking your best, but a close second is the material that you choose. When you choose to have a custom blazer made for you, you’ll get to pick anything you want, and the sky really is the limit.

When choosing material, consider what occasion you’re planning on wearing your blazer for. Do you want to wear it out at night and live in a cold climate? A heavy wool could be an ideal option. Do you live in a more moderate climate? Consider a tropical wool that can be more appropriate all year round.

If you’re not quite sure what material you want, you should let your tailor know. They’ll give you plenty of options based on the color you pick, so you’ll be able to get exactly what you want.

Take your time looking through the options, too. When you buy a custom blazer you want to make sure you’re getting something you want to wear practically every day!

Choose Your Details

Having a custom blazer made also means that you’ll be able to pick out all of the small details that make up a jacket. For example, you’ll be able to choose the lining on the inside of your blazer as well as the material on the outside.

It might not seem like a big deal, but you can choose interesting patterns to give your open jacket a bit of flair, or go for a high-quality silk that’s out of this world.

You’ll also be able to pick materials that are warm or particularly cool, which can be beneficial because of your particular climate.

When you have a custom blazer made for you, you’ll also be able to pick things like the buttons on your jacket and even the size of the pockets on the inside and outside of the blazer.

Whether you want a pocket for your smart phone or you favorite business card case, you can have it when you choose a custom blazer.