First of all Drew, we'd like to personally thank you for helping men dress better! There is nothing hotter than a man that knows how to dress (or knows when he needs to pay someone to help him!) So, your story is quite interesting! Tell us, how did it all begin?
Thank you! It excites me to be able to work closely with our clients and build strong relationships with them while meeting their lifestyle needs through our collection and advice.
I moved to Beijing, China in August 2006, after graduating from Texas A&M to work for the U.S. Embassy. It was there that the D. Jones brand had its start. While I was there I met a beautiful girl, who lucky me, is now my wife! I asked her out on a date and did not have a suit to wear. I went to a local tailor and I experienced for the first time the luxury of a custom tailor-made suit. After this experience, I started getting suits made for my close family and friends. I loved the idea of bringing this luxury to the United States for an affordable price. I traveled around China for eight months, doing research, learning to take measurements, understanding the process and how to produce high quality suits and menswear that would meet the needs of my customers. It was in 2007 that I launched D. Jones Tailored Collection in the United States.
Clearly, your first tailored suit literally changed your life, but what would you say to other men who just don't get WHY they should have a tailor, yet?
The greatest thing that men don’t understand is that by working directly with a clothier, they get more than just a great fit every time; it is all about building a relationship with someone that understands your needs and can provide you with fashion advice in all aspects of your life. It is very important that every wardrobe consultant on the D. Jones team gets to know our clients extremely well and can provide style consulting that fits their personality and lifestyle. Having a personal tailor also saves so much time. People are so busy these days, the ease of picking up the phone, having your measurements on file and getting a custom suit, custom shirt, or a custom wardrobe delivered to your door is priceless.
Take us through the steps of the tailoring experience at Drew Jones.
The D. Jones experience starts with matching the right wardrobe consultant with the right customer. The D. Jones wardrobe consultant will then meet you at your home or office; and start by taking 25 measurements to make sure we provide the perfect fit. We will help you choose from hundreds of fabrics available and will make sure the chosen style fits our customers personality and lifestyle. After 4-6 weeks your custom menswear will be personally delivered for a 2nd fitting. If any alterations are needed, we will quickly get your custom items altered and it will be delivered for a 3rd fitting to make sure your custom menswear fit perfectly.
Your fabrics are amazing! Where do you find them and how many choices do your clients have to choose from?
Picking out all of the fabrics is the fun part! We have over 800 fabrics for custom suits, shirts, tuxedos, vests, sport coats, and slacks. Our fabrics come from all over the world including Scotland, Italy, and Asia.
When men think "tailor", a lot of them think expensive. But you are proving that's not true. How do you keep it affordable?
I have worked diligently to make sure that we are using the highest quality fabrics and the greatest tailors this world has to offer. All of our menswear is made in Asia and we work directly with our tailors and suppliers and focus on our loyalty and relationships with them. Since we work directly with our suppliers and tailors, there is no middleman, which is a great cost for many clothiers in the United States. We also have little overhead since all of our consultations are in our customer’s home or office. We do not plan on having retail locations. This in turn keeps our overhead lower so we do not have to pass on that cost to our customers.
What trends do you see in suiting right now and what is happening in suiting in the near future?
Men’s fashion and trends are very different to women’s fashion, particularly in suiting. Men’s lines tend to moves much slower, generally taking a lead from the women’s lines. Single breasted suits are huge in 2011; there will be a few different silhouettes that make the most buzz.
The first is a slimmer suit that has a notched lapel or shawl collar and enough room for a pocket square, queue Don Draper. The pant to this suit will have straight clean lines.
The second is a modern day flashback to 1970, this jacket is also single breasted suit, but with much more flair, peaked lapels, bigger handkerchiefs in multi colors and patterns, the wearer of this suit will be making much more of a statement.
We will also see a renewal of the double breasted suit this year. The body will be much slimmer with peaked lapels and enough room in the breast pocket for a handkerchief, done in a very fitted, modern way.
Over the last few season’s waist coats have made a huge statement in men’s fashion, so fitting the dapper three piece suit is becoming very popular again this year.
I am very excited about what is happening for Spring/Summer 2011. We are currently working on expanding the accessories line within D.Jones. This coming year in fashion is all about accessorizing, so you need a beautifully made suit and some rockin’ accessories. Spring/Summer 2011 is pushing past the dark and moody vibe of Fall/Winter 2010 and going the complete opposite direction, colors will be bright, uplifting and exciting.
What is one mistake you constantly see men making when it comes to suiting?
The mistake that men often make when buying a new suit is buying something that does not fit properly. The biggest problem is that if your jacket is too big in the shoulders, it shows throughout the rest of the outfit. It will lead to a baggy jacket, baggy pant and an overall sloppy look. The best suit to invest in is one that is made with a full canvas lining and cotton shoulder pads.
Suits can be confusing for someone not used to wearing them. What buttons are you supposed to button on your jacket? Is it different depending on if you are standing or sitting?
It really depends on the style of the jacket; you generally will never button the bottom button of a suit, unless it is double breasted. The reason for leaving the bottom one unbuttoned is because the waist is smaller than the hips and it allows for more room in the seat. On a two button suit, only button the top one. With a three button suit you will only button the middle one and possibly the top one. It is also acceptable to leave all of the buttons undone and definitely unbutton your jacket when you are sitting down.
What about the ladies?? We want power suits too!! Any plans to include tailored jackets or suits for women? Even just for us Wardrobe Wire girls??
Haha, yes! We have considered expanding our line to include women’s wear…the Wardrobe Wire girls will be the first to know! Menswear for women is a huge trend right now, D Jones can make you a custom tuxedo shirt to wear with skinny black pants and a bow tie…let me know when you are ready for your first fitting.
If our readers can't get to one of your locations, what should they look for in their search for a tailor?
If someone cannot get to one of our locations, we often travel to meet with a client. We currently have clients that we service in Austin, Dallas and Houston. If that is not an option, D. Jones is a member of the CTDA, the Custom Tailors and Designers Association (www.ctda.com). If you go to their website the CTDA will provide you with experienced clothiers from all over the United States.
Visit Drew’s website at http://www.djones.com
Follow him on twitter @DREWwithDJONES
Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/DJonesTailoredCollection
