Every man should own at least one great suit. That sartorial commandment has been passed down for generations, but many of us have never had a custom suit made, and may wonder what to keep in mind when investing in a bespoke suit or tuxedo. Enter Alan David Custom. The family-run suitmaker has been creating fine American-made suits, tuxes and shirts since 1913. Located on Madison Avenue in midtown Manhattan, the dapper outfitters craft each individual piece with meticulous attention to detail, creating bespoke garments designed to fit flawlessly and enhance your silhouette with elegance and comfort. Here, ten essential suit-buying tips from ADC owner Alan Horowitz and his team of expert stylists.

 1. Never Get Measured By Your Salesperson

“Measuring and selling are two completely different skills, so always get measured by a tailor. You wouldn’t let the person giving you a test drive also run your credit score. It’s the same idea here.”

2. Ask For A Basted Fitting

“A basted fitting is what really differentiates a true bespoke from made-to-measure or made-to-order. Without a basted fitting, a suit can’t really be called a full custom. After a client’s measurements have been taken, a unique paper pattern is created. It’s from this pattern that the garment is carefully hand cut, assembled and temporarily hand stitched with white basting thread. At this point, the basted garment is ready for fitting.”

3. Buy From Well-Reviewed Suitmakers With Experience

“Do some research and look at online reviews before making a decision. Track record definitely matters, whether it’s years of experience or praised reviews. “

4. Your Suit Should Both Fit And Flatter You

“A custom garment shouldn’t just be about measurements, it should also enhance your body. Even if a suit technically fits, a trim cut on a heavyset build or a loose cut on a slimmer man won’t be flattering.”

5. Get A Second Pair Of Trousers

“Jackets last much longer than trousers as they wear much quicker. So a second pair of trousers can ensure your suit lasts much longer.”

6. Be Aware Of Button Stance

“If the top button is too high, it can accentuate the belly, and if it’s too low it can tend to look rather old-fashioned and unflattering. It should sit at the fullest part of the stomach.”

7. Sleeve Pitch Matters

“Everyone’s arm position is going to be slightly different so if the sleeve pitch doesn’t match, it’ll cause wrinkles near the bicep. If you’re looking at it from the side view, the sleeve line should fall cleanly from the shoulder to the cuff.”

8. Choose Tuxedo Fabric Wisely

“A tuxedo should never use the same cloth as a basic black suit, so you want to look for barathea weaves or blends with mohair for more structure, drape, and reduced wrinkling. Fabrics with mohair are great for tuxedos, they give a bit of a sheen but really hold the crease very well. But no more than 20% mohair, otherwise it’s too shiny.”

9. Consider Fabric Durability

“Not all fabrics that are good for trousers are also good for jackets. For example, faile cloth lacks body and volume for a jacket, but holds up well to the rigors of the trousers.”

10. Match Your Suit To The Occasion

“Your suit needs to match its purpose—whether it’s work, a wedding, or another special occasion.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alan David Custom (@alandavidcustomsuits)

If it feels like your social calendar has undergone stops and starts, and interruptions aplenty, consider yourself in the same boat as much of the rest of the world. But it’s finally, truly heating up, and we don’t doubt you’re still staring down summer wedding after summer wedding … after summer wedding.

What’s a well-dressed man to do? Approach that packed calendar armed and ready wearing a stylish suit — one of the best summer suits, or at least one of the best summer suits.

Men are more ready than ever to take aim and dress well this season, said Peyton Jenkins, president and co-founder of tailoring company Alton Lane. Bold colors and eye-catching prints are back in full force, blended with a more relaxed and cosmopolitan sense of style, he said.

“During the height of summer, you’re looking at softly constructed jackets paired with pants that are light and easy to wear,” Jenkins told Maxim, noting that the traditional suit is being shaken up with accessories and more colorful, bold shirting.

And despite COVID pushing wardrobes into more casual territory, Jenkins said guys across the board are still looking to amp up their style.

“People still want comfort and ease, but the idea of what comfort feels and looks like is changing.” Jenkins said. “During COVID, it meant soft, sweat-like, and stretchy bottoms and easy-to-wear tops, like T-shirts. Now, we’re seeing that style give way to more polish.”

Jenkins is also seeing more innovative fabric blends — like wool, linen and silk — make their way into the market, and recommends guys lighten things up when shopping for summer suiting.

Jenkins has a few tips for those looking to step back out into the world dressed to the nines. especially for a summer wedding or rehearsal dinner. Chief among them: Ditch the tie, press your suit and pair it with a medium to light brown loafer to stand out stylishly and subtly.

If you can’t ditch the tie, stick with a classic knit tie, and for the most formal of occasions, let one piece stand out, like a dinner jacket with a pop of color. With those tips and tricks in mind, you’ve surely got suiting on the brain — these are the best summer suits to wear now.

SuitSupply Mid Green Havana Suit

Lean into Jenkins’ suggestion with a wool-linen-silk blend suit featuring clean lines, a contemporary fit and a rich mid-green color that’ll stand out from the pack. $779

Alton Lane Wesley Suit in Heathered Linen

Linen is nearly an undefeated summer fabric as far as keeping you cool while still retaining some polish, and it only gets better when you consider the seasonally friendly oatmeal color on display here. Feel free to customize it (or visit an Alton Lane shop) to dial in your perfect fit. $699

Brioni Cotton and Cashmere Suit

Go super-luxe — and we mean, super luxurious — with a handsome, refined cotton and cashmere suit made from some of the finest materials on Earth. It helps that this style of suit pairs nicely with a crisp white shirt and brown leather loafers for on-point seasonal style. $4,300

Todd Snyder Italian Unconstructed Linen Double-Breasted Suit

Leave it to menswear master Todd Snyder to make the double-breasted suit feel fresh, cool and modern, not stuffy. It all comes down to the ultra-premium Italian linen fabric and the unconstructed design for breezy summer style. $1,146

Joseph Abboud Light Gray Modern Fit Suit

Just ask James Bond in Skyfall — light gray is a flattering shade of suiting on any guy, and it helps that this aptly named Modern Fit style is much more affordable than 007’s taste, too. $249.99

State & Liberty Athletic Fit Stretch Suit

Guys with more bulk need suiting options, too, and it’s all the better if those suiting options are both premium and yet affordable. Bonus points for the bright, engaging Heathered Blue color here, which pops nicely in a sea of navy suits. $550

In the late 1950s, word started to spread amongst American style cognoscenti: “Visitors new to Rome should do two things: first go see the Vatican, and then go to Brioni.”

The now-legendary Italian tailoring house, whose motto is “For a man’s wardrobe, elegance consists in discretion,” had gained a cult following since it was first established in the late 1940s, having come to invent “an international style that was less stiff and starchy than its British counterpart, with a colorful Italian flair.”

This according to a definitive new book on the luxury brand, Brioni: Tailoring Legends, by Olivier Saillard, recently published by Assouline and fully as beautiful one of the firm’s bespoke creations.

“Brioni’s vision for menswear was a correction to an overly casual vision of American menswear, offering a wardrobe that, by combining the precision of haute couture skills with a new awareness of the masculine physique, was free from the bondage of the stiff and heavy suit without sacrificing elegance or appropriateness,” Saillard writes.

That’s a vision  they’ve maintained to the present day, when as Saillard notes, “Anywhere that worldly men need to make an impression with their style, Brioni can be found, from sidelines of basketball courts to Silicon Valley and the halls of academia, worn by Nobel Prize winners, rap stars and heads of state.”

In its formative years, the likes of Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and John Wayne among others all made pilgrimages to Brioni to have suits made when traveling to Italy. The firm remained a favorite of stylish leading men well into the mid-’90s, when Brioni was commissioned to make Pierce Brosnan’s suits for GoldenEye, the first modern reboot of the James Bond franchise. By 2006, Daniel Craig had inherited the role along with a Brioni cashmere tuxedo that he wore in Casino Royale.

These days, “the list of exceptional actors, across generations, who choose Brioni for appearances is long, and includes the biggest stars of our era,” Saillard writes, from Tom Cruise to Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons, Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, and Jude Law, star of Brioni’s latest ad campaign. And we expect there are many more to come.

As Saillard puts it, courtesy of Assouline, “Just as great monuments are built by architects and stonemasons working together, in the world of [men’s] fashion, scientists, technicians and craftspeople all strive together to build cathedrals of taste”—and who wouldn’t want to worship at the altar of Brioni?

Four Belgian brands have joined forces to create a modern bike package that’s as speedy as it is stylish. 

At two-wheeled core of the electrifying collab is a Sarolea Manx7 e-superbike that the storied motorcycle manufacturer converted into a sleek streetfighter called the N60 MM.01. 

Thanks to a lightweight body that boasts a carbon fiber chassis and fairings, titanium fasteners, and forged aluminum OZ Gass-R wheels, the EV’s air-cooled, 163-horsepower electric motor and single-speed transmission are good for 62 mph in under three seconds, according to Hi Consumption. 

With regard to range, the N60 on par with some of the most impressive e-bikes we’ve seen: Riders can cruise for 205 miles before pulling over to get an 80-percent charge in just 20 minutes. 

The rest of the includes collection includes a Cafe Costume slim-cut tailored biker suit, a Hedon “Carbon Heroine” racing helmet, and a Studio Blade commemorative Damascus steel knife—everything you need to rule the road. 

Only 20 N60 packages will be produced, so contact Sarolea now if you just have to have it.  

Black Lapel will keep you looking sharp with its rough and ready new made-to-measure “Traveler Suit.”

Bespoke suits look sharp but typically lack in functionality. Upending that notion is Black Lapel, the menswear e-commerce brand that delivers impeccably tailored yet practical bespoke suits to your doorstep.

Its latest offering is the aptly-named Traveler Suit, which is made for jet setters that still want to dress to kill on the plane or when catching a train.

High twist yarn performance wool lends it wrinkle-resistance, so it will hold up on long flights overseas and even during longer nights out on the town.

Specially formulated woven fabric ensures breathability and is also liquid-repellent, warding of spills, stains and sweat. Antimicrobial properties are an added bonus, keeping you smelling fresh even if you are wearing it for a second or third day in a row.

Stash your wallet or passport in its easy-access pocket and valuables in its hidden zipper component. A secure sunglasses loop will hold your shades if you are traveling to sunnier climes.

While these suits are made with dashing world travelers in mind, really… anyone who likes to avoid a trip to the dry cleaners will benefit. Brick-and-mortar shops have similar travel-ready jackets, but thankfully there’s no need to schlep to a lame department store for something off the rack.

Founded in 2012 by former finance bros Derek Tian and Warren Liao, Black Lapel has cut out the middleman to make bespoke suiting more accessible.

Here is how it’s done: enter your measurements on the Black Lapel website and take advantage of its many customization options. The number of buttons, lapel type, vents, pockets and inner lining can all be altered per your personal preferences. You can even have a sleeve monogrammed.

A proprietary algorithm as well as an in-house team will catch any mistakes you (or your tailor) might have made while measuring.

If for any reason the suit does not fit like a glove once it is shipped in three to four weeks, you can have it altered at a local tailor, and Black Lapel will cover the costs.

“After the suit arrives, we’ll still proactively work with them to look at the fit, and so we’ll offer a second opinion service, and usually we’ll catch things that the customers will even miss,” co-founder Derek Tian said in an interview with Bloomberg Markets.

“We’ll say, ‘Hey, tweak your sleeves a little bit, or maybe shorten your hems if you want less of a break.’”

Tailoring traditionalists can always stop by its showroom in New York City for a proper fitting, but there is ultimately no need.

For bespoke novices, Black Lapel even has a style journal on its website, The Compass, with advice on how to maximize your new suit.

Available in navy and gray, the Traveler Suit is now available at Black Lapel starting at $799.

You’ve probably wondered how action stars like John Wick can jump off burning buildings and still keep their suits looking spick and span.

It’s not impossible. Grayman and Company is a tactical tailoring house that crafts suits for intelligence and special operations forces, and their suits could mean life or death when up against a gang of Russian baddies.

Here are some killer features they offer: a holster liner for packing heat, a quickdraw button on the front so its easier to draw your gun, an elasticated back so you can crouch into an isosceles shooting stance, cut-resistant sleeves to protect you in a knife fight and RFID shield pockets to block out wireless electronic signals.

Made in luxurious Loro Piana wool and silk, their suits are virtually indistinguishable from your ordinary bespoke lounge coat… until you’ve got to make a sudden getaway.

Buy yours now on Grayman and Company. Prices begin at $1,300. 

h/t HiConsumption

A man’s first trip to Savile Row is akin to a second baptism—a rite of passage into the world of bespoke tailoring. 

The process is no less exacting than it was when Henry Poole & Co. first set up shop on the unassuming London street in 1846. Tailors often require that clients sit through multiple fittings, fabrics are cut and stitched by hand for up to 12 weeks, and three-piece suits typically cost more than $5,000. No client—not a Hollywood movie star or a member of the British nobility—is exempt from these customs.

The immediacy of a ready-to-wear lounge coat may seem more appealing (and less intimidating), but men of taste continue to make the pilgrimage to the Row, and with good reason: The result is an impeccably bespoke suit that flatters a man’s build at every inch and instills in him a unique sense of confidence and stature.

Savile Row may be just under a quarter mile long, but its history is varied and its options are many. Here, its five essential tailors:

Henry Poole & Co.—No. 15 Savile Row

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbcTBadB2Sw

The “founder of Savile Row” and the originator of the modern dinner jacket, Henry Poole still hews closely to tradition. Ready-to-wear and made-to-measure suiting is verboten in this strictly bespoke tailoring house. A modest storefront belies an impressive selection of over 6,000 fine fabrics and a small army of around 30 of the world’s best tailors toiling away in the basement. They sew a sense of history into every seam.

Gieves & Hawkes—No. 1 Savile Row

https://www.instagram.com/p/BamFwUyA9Bv

Housed in a stately white building on the corner of Savile Row and Vigo Street, Gieves & Hawkes is the first shop many passersby notice. While the tailoring house has more than 200 years of experience crafting bespoke suits, it has since incorporated ready-to-wear clothing and accessories. A diversified repertoire has not hurt business: Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jackson, and David Beckham have all been clients.

Chittleborough & Morgan—No. 12 Savile Row

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcZs014nXQl

London still swings in the exuberant suits of Chittleborough & Morgan, founded in 1981. Cofounders Roy Chittleborough and Joseph Morgan previously worked in the bygone tailoring house Nutters of Savile Row in the 1960s and ’70s, when it revolutionized British sensibility with broad lapels, high-waisted trousers, and eccentric designs. Chittleborough & Morgan is for men who aspire to dress like John Lennon rather than Beau Brummell.

Richard James—No. 29 Savile Row

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcz1STmlTQa

Another wave of modernization hit in 1992, when tailor Richard James introduced slimmer silhouettes and brighter colors to the Row. His neighbors gave him a lukewarm welcome at the start, but James has since been credited with revitalizing British tailoring. His shop on Savile Row was fully refurbished in 2013, and the glass and steel storefront stands apart from its stark brick surroundings.

Cad & The Dandy—No. 13 Savile Row

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdu8qpYgWEG

The youngest tailor on Savile Row, Cad & The Dandy, generally offers its most attainable prices. In fact, a fully handmade suit starts at just over $1,300. Founded in 2008 by two laid-off London bankers, Cad & The Dandy is celebrated for the quality of its fabrics, its vast customization options, and an utter lack of pretense. It may be a controversial choice among tailoring purists, but its business is now the largest on Savile Row.

This article appears in the January/February issue of Maxim. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an issue.

If you’re looking for a piece of NFL apparel that’ll keep you screaming for your team long after your voice gives out, then look no further! 

Shinesty—the same outfitters that allowed men everywhere to transform their junk into wild beasts with absurd-but-awesome animal print boxers—continues to make good on their promise to curate “the most outlandish collection of clothing the world has ever seen” with their NFL licensed team blazers. 

“Never before has one garment been able to satisfy the work dress code, your wife’s desires, and your borderline obsessive compulsion to will the boys to victory on Sunday by yelling into your 60″ television like a madman.” 

We’re not sure these things will really make the wife or boss very happy, but it’s worth a shot, damn it! 

Each tailored-fit jacket is made from 100 percent polyester and comes with a matching tie. By our estimation, they’ll instantly transform you into the most batshit fan in the crowd. 

With 27 different franchise patterns to choose from, chances are good they’ve got a blazer emblazoned with your team’s trademark. 

New England Patriots

Chicago Bears

Philadelphia Eagles 

Denver Broncos 

Washington Redskins 

Minnesota Vikings 

Seattle Seahawks

New Orleans Saints 

Miami Dolphins 

Carolina Panthers 

As the NFL season approaches, we’re guessing these things are going to sell out fast, so head over to Shinesty’s website and get yours for $99 now before they’re gone. 

Conor McGregor has getting inside an opponent’s head down to an art. He’s a great MMA fighter but he’s also a clever cut-down artist, and he’s not afraid to be what amounts to subtle—at least for combat sports. 

In the first joint press conference McGregor did with Floyd Mayweather in Los Angeles to promote their big Mishegoss in Vegas, the UFC champ showed up in what appeared to be one of his typically perfectly-tailored suits. It looked like a dark blue pinstriped three-piece from a distance, but close inspection revealed just how deep McGregor will go to mess with someone else’s head. 

The pinstripes are actually just the words “Fuck You” repeated throughout the pattern. 

The suit, designed by David August, received a ton of attention after that—because of course it did—so the designer has decided to make it available to anyone for purchase for a limited time.

Aside from the fabric, this suit is no joke. It’s a custom job with hand-stitching and a slew of other fine options available. David August Heil will also number and autograph every one. 

If you’re ready to go for it, click here. Prepare to wait up to three months for delivery and pay at least $6500 USD. 

We’re not sure exactly what this suit would be appropriate for outside of pro athlete showboating, but the idea of someone wearing it in a negotiation or any other formal, typically staid business situation is pretty damn funny. 

However, if your minister or rabbi shows up for services decked out in this, he’s probably ready to move on from the job.

h/t Hypebeast

The lead up to tonight’s NBA Draft has been as exciting as any in recent memory. A slew of uber-talented prospects are on the board, 29 teams need to improve if they want to catch the Warriors, and one overly involved helicopter dad is ready to make sure the world knows his name.

Hours before the first pick is set to be made at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, there’s already been plenty of draft action. The Celtics traded the number one overall pick to the Sixers for the number three pick and a pick in next year’s draft. The Lakers flipped former number-two pick D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov’s huge contract to the Nets for Brook Lopez and a late first-round pick. And any minute now, Phil Jackson could blow up the Knicks and trade Kristaps Porzingis. 

Secondary to the basketball drama, but just as entertaining, will be the suit watching tonight. There are few joys greater than seeing a young man blossom into a man at the NBA Draft, all while wearing a piss-yellow suit that’s eight sizes too big. Fingers crossed there’s one awful enough that it makes next year’s list of hideous NBA Draft suits. Here’s a look back at some favorites from year’s past. 

1994: Jalen Rose

1996: Samaki Walker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AsqFQygT4I

1997: Tim Thomas

1998: Raef LaFrentz

1998: Bonzi Wells

2001: Eddie Griffin

2003: LeBron James

2007: Joakim Noah

2010: Greg Monroe

2011: Kawhi Leonard

2014: Andrew Wiggins

2015: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson