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This week we take a closer look at the very basics of Men's suit jackets and blazer styles. 

There are many variations and customization options for men's suit jackets and blazers these days. The custom, made-to-measure market has never been hotter or more affordable in North America. We will focus on the proper fit in one of our upcoming segments where we will interview an expert, but for now we will just go over the basics of the more popular styles. 

First we will look at the lapel styles:

Above are the three basic styles of lapels. Below we show the 2 basic jacket styles.

The single breasted can come with one or more buttons in a row and the double breasted jacket is defined by the overlapping front flap with 2 rows of parallel buttons. 

The options for the back of the jacket are shown below, the double vent (the far left) is the most popular.

There are many detailed custom features that you can add to your suit or blazer to make it more personal, some of the more popular items are:

Ticket pocket - the small pocket that is occasionally found above the right hip pocket on a jacket. It follows the angle and style of the pocket below it. 

Pick stitching - visible stitches around the lapel of the suit jacket or blazer, using hand sewn.

Surgeon's cuffs - this is where the buttons on the cuff of the jacket are functional and not just decorative.

Contrast stitching - a detail where the lapel hole has a contrast color thread or one or more of the cuff holes has a contrast color thread.

 Patch pockets - a pocket made of a separate piece of cloth sewn onto the outside of a garment.

Here are some questions answered that may be helpful.

what type of hanger can I use for my suits and blazers?
never use a wire hanger, always use the big hanger that came with the suit or blazer, this will help preserve the shape and structure of the shoulders of the suit, and hang up your suit! .....every. single. time!

should I dry clean my suit jacket and suit pants always at the same time?
yes, dry cleaning can fade the original color of the fabric over time so its best to always dry clean the complete suit at the same time

why are the outside, side pockets sewn shut on my jacket?
you should never use the side pockets of your suit jacket, using them will compromise the shape of your jacket so its best to keep them sewn shut

is the fit of my jacket important?
this is the most important part, the #1 issue in menswear is a lot of guys buy clothes that are too big for them, we will interview an expert in one of our future segments

Don't forget to visit us next week and make sure you sign up for our email list on our homepage, we may or may not be sending a big sale promo code next week! 

In this weeks video, we review some of the more common styles of men's dress shoes. We cover the basics in our video, however, there are many variations and combinations to suit any style or occasion. The important thing to remember is to make sure you buy good quality shoes that fit well, and you take proper care of them.  

Below is a visual summary of some of the toe styles we covered:

Whatever your preference, it's important to make sure you care for your shoes in the right way. Properly polished shoes say a lot about a person and bad shoes can really break your outfit. If in doubt, just ask a girls opinion. 

I recommend using non-finished, cedar shoe trees. Exactly like the ones shown below. 

For best results, use your shoe trees right after you wear your shoes, they will help absorb the moisture and allow your shoes to last longer. 

Be sure to polish your shoes on a regular basis, it not only keeps them looking sharp but it will help protect the leather from the elements. Here are some tips from our friends at Esquire:

How to Polish a Shoe:

1. Wipe your shoes down with a damp cloth to remove superficial dirt and stains.

2. Wet the welt brush and scrub out the entire welt strip.

3. If the shoes need it, apply sole-edge dressing — carefully. If you get it on the uppers, it will stain them permanently. Let edge dressing dry before going any further.

4. Apply polish, using a circular rubbing motion. You don't need to slather it on. You don't need to be gentle. And the more you rub, the better. Let the polish dry. It should take about five minutes.

5. Buff the entire shoe with a polishing brush. For extra gleam, hold the shoe between your knees and buff the toe vigorously with a lint-free cloth.

Polishing: The Materials:

You'll need the right tools — just a few, but each with a crucial purpose.

Shoe polish: Kiwi wax-based polish is as good a brand as any other. (Cream polishes, applied with a brush, may be easier to use, but they won't give you the same shine.) And you don't need every color under the sun. Black, of course; a chestnut or darker brown; and something middling or neutral for light-colored shoes.

Welt brush: Looks like a toothbrush (and you can use one in its place). It's designed to get the grit out of the welt, the seam where the shoe's upper joins the sole. You'd be amazed how much dirt gets in there.

Polishing cloth: In lint-free cotton or linen. Use the same one for putting on the polish that you use for buffing, regardless of the color you're using. And hang on to it: The longer you use the same cloth, the more it becomes suffused with rich oils and dyes.

Polishing brush: To get the high shine out of the shoe once you've got all that wax into the leather. Horsehair is recommended.

Sole dressing: The edge of the sole takes a scuffing from doorjambs and sidewalks. Restore the pristine look of your shoes with an edge dressing, applied with a small craft brush or a cotton swab.

Lastly, for a punch of color, visit our friends at Stolen Riches for the most amazing colored laces!

This week we review some of the basic styles of shirt collars and shirt cuffs. Keep in mind there are other variations of some of the basic shirt collar styles. For example, we speak about the spread collar, there are many variations of the Spread Collar including the English Spread,  Italian Spread and Abbreviated Spread with availability depending on the shirt maker. 

                                                                                                                                    Source WSJ

 For formal occasions there is also the Wing Tip collar shown below. This style isn't as popular as it was in the 80's. 

Shirt cuffs can come down to personal preference, we review some of the basic ones and once again each can have variation on the finishing. For example, you can have a "cut away" or "bevelled"  cuff. We show an example below on a French cuff, however, you can also create this detail on a barrel cuff. The finishing is really about personal preference and attention to detail. 

The latest trend is the growth in the convertible cuff shirt, where cufflinks are an option. We are seeing department stores in particular carrying more of this style. Cufflinks must be used when wearing a French cuff or "foldover cuff" shirt. The concept of exclusivity for French cuff shirts and cufflinks only for high ranking executives and formal occasions is over. French cuffs and cufflinks are now appropriate for every day wear and it is now common for entry level business people to wear cufflinks to work. 

There are a lot of variables when it comes to men's shirts and we will be sharing a video and post in a few weeks where we review the proper fit and other important details to make sure you look your best!

In the meantime, if you haven't already moved to custom, made to measure shirts, I highly recommend it. There are options to suit every budget and once you start, it's difficult to go back.

Here are my favourite place to buy custom, made to measure shirts in Toronto. I have listed them in terms of price point from lowest to highest.

1. Empire Customs -  $120 +      empirecustoms.ca

2. Clive Richard - $159 +            cliverichard.com

3. Quattro - $195 +                      quattromenswear.com

4. Gotstyle  - $200 +                   shop.gotstyle.ca

5. Marlon Durrant Bespoke $250 +  mdbespoke.ca

Visit us again next week for another episode of our Cuffwear video series. 

Check out our first video of our new series, today we introduce the magnetic Power Stays by Wurkin Stiffs.

In this video, we give you a brief introduction to one of our favourite products. Invented and patented by Wurkin Stiffs founder Jonathan Boos, the magnetic power stays from Wurkin Stiffs are one of best menswear products on the market. Now that neck ties are not required at most office jobs, it just takes a brief walk around the financial district in any North American city to see how bad men's collars are. Most dress shirts have a slot for a removable collar stay and typically they arrive with plastic stays. Depending on the shirt, these may have little positive effect as they will curl or bend over time. How many times have you forgot to take the plastic stays out when you take your shirts to the dry cleaner? Without a tie, the collar can fly way out of control, curl upwards or if you a wearing a blazer, it may try and hide under the blazer collar. None of these is ideal.  

Have you ever felt your collar had a mind of its own and would't stay in the right spot? This is what kept happening to the inventor Jonathan Boos. While at a romantic dinner with his wife Amy, Jonathan's shirt was driving him crazy, the collar just would not stay in the right spot. When he arrived home after dinner, he was determined to figure out a way to secure his collar. He tried a bunch of different things including paper clips and finally he came up with the idea to use magnets with metal stays.  

The patented power stays have been a huge hit, they are now carried in Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks, Nieman Marcus, Harry Rosen and a large number of menswear and gift shops. Jonathan has been featured on Shark Tank and CNBC. 

You can order the Wurkin Stiffs Magnetic Power Stays from the Cuffwear site in the category called wurkinstiffs

Be sure to tune in to our new youtube channel for weekly style tips, cool products and great interviews. 

There's a lot of buzz around our cufflink vending machine in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood.  CTV News got in touch:

Cuffwear president Chris Zownir says the high-tech, touchscreen-enabled vending machines are a "fun user experience," and far more advanced than the typical candy bar dispenser.

"The machine is made in Italy, it's a very sexy-looking machine, and so I think people are just drawn over by the appearance of it," Zownir told CTVNews.ca by phone on Wednesday.

The Cuffwear vending machine has 42 cufflink styles on display in a purple LED-lit glass display case. Customers use a touchscreen interface to pick the cufflinks they want, then charge the purchase ($65 per pair) to their credit card. The machine uses a mechanical tray to retrieve the pre-gift-wrapped cufflinks and deposit them to the customer.

Zownir says it made a lot of sense to put cufflinks in a vending machine. The one-size-fits-all, often-changed (and easily lost) fashion accessories are a hot item among fashion-forward men.

"Guys that love wearing cufflinks, it's just an easy fit," Zownir said. He added that he's also seen many women use the vending machine to buy cufflinks as gifts for the men in their lives.

If you're not in the Toronto area, don't fret -- Cuffwear offers free ground shipping on all North American orders.  Take a look at our full selection!

Cuffwear's Yorkville vending machine was featured in the National Post today:

One Riverdale woman who bought cufflinks for her husband – she did not want her name published, because it would spoil a Christmas surprise — said she noticed a lot of excitement around the two ‘‘very posh looking vending machines.’’

‘‘I couldn’t believe that you could buy doughnuts and cuff links. There was a man there who couldn’t resist buying both. I had to take  a look.

‘‘Of course once I saw that they had cuff links with guitars on them I was sold. It was a totally impulsive and I honestly don’t know if they were worth the $65, but they came in a nice box and a very swish little bag. It was just  lot of fun. And I resisted the doughnuts!’’

Come down to the Cumberland Terrace mall to see it in action!