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Browse through online clothing forums today, where tailored clothing enthusiasts congregate, and you’ll find dozens of threads where people argue over which makers produce the best suits. In fact, in one StyleForum thread, there’s a working hierarchical list that aims to organize producers according to tiers. One user suggests that Kiton be placed under the “Excellent” category, while Canali is just “Good” and Brooks Brothers is simply “Satisfactory.” A couple of posts later, one happy Canali customer bravely bumps up the Canali ranking to “Very Good,” and no one seems to object. The problem with these rankings is that they...

If the world can thank GQ and #menswear for anything, it might be the return of bold prints to the clothing mainstream. Where five years ago you’d find nothing but an array of white, blue – and if daring – pink medium weight oxford cloths, now you can see exotic patterns gracing shirts everywhere. Even business casual mavens aren’t afraid to throw on an indigo dot or sailboat print button down. When buying these shirts, though, it’s important to bear in mind that not all patterned shirts are created equal: there are shirts made from fabrics produced by Jacquard weaving...

A common misconception today is that clothes are just commodities. That is, if you find two similarly styled shirts – blue, striped, and spread collared – then they’re substitutable and differ only in price. This is an understandable attitude when you consider how few men today understand how clothes are made, or are able to meet the men and women who produce what they wear. Contrast this to the early 20th century, when men had clothes custom made for them by their tailors, and had to be conversant in a certain language. Of course, clothes are not just commodities. Take...

It’s both easy and difficult to determine the quality of a sweater. It’s easy in the sense that there aren’t many variables to consider, at least in comparison to suit jackets and sport coats. A well made sweater will be densely knitted, which will require more material, but also allow the garment to hold its shape better. The yarns will also be made from longer fibers, which will give it fewer “weak points” (microscopic to the eye), and thus result in less pilling. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to tell whether a sweater is made from a good yarn by simply looking...