THE NEXT EFREN “BATA” REYES

sTyLE

hacK FOrmal Wear

maKe an OlD Suit lOOK beSPOKe Cues from A Suit That Fits (asuitthatfits.com)

01 A handmade buttonhole is an instantly recognizable feature that a jacket is bespoke. This can easily be done by a tailor, but the buttonhole should be open and usable, not still stitched up.

02 Alterations will depend on whether the suit’s too big or too small, but always try to get the jacket to fit on the shoulders and taper in at the waist for that perfect V-shape.

03 Changing the very last buttonhole on the cuff to a contrast colour is another way of making a subtle change that can give the appearance of going bespoke.

FOrmal Wear DOS anD DOn’tS Look your best and get the most out of your old faithful

01 If you’re wearing a check-suit, you need a calm shirt. A loud shirt needs a plain jacket and a plain tie. The plainer the fabric, the wilder your shirt can be and vice versa.

02 Don’t cram everything into one pocket. Spread your wallet, phone, and keys around your jacket and pants. It helps the suit hang—if it pulls on one side of your body, the sleeves and pants will look wrong.

03 Always do a button up when you’re being photographed—if it’s a two-button suit, just do the top one. Got a three-button suit? Do the middle one. Suit-buYinG anD beSPOKe tiPS Whether it’s department store-bought or patahi, keep these maxims in mind…

01 necK A slouchy neck is a giveaway of a badly-fitted suit, but any good tailor can easily alter that.

02 ShOulDerS Most people are “down right” i.e. slightly lower on one side, as you mostly pick up things with the same hand. You can alter the padding to suit this.

03 cOlOr If you only buy one suit, it should be blue—but you can add a little to it with a slight design on the cloth.

04 armS An off-the-peg suit will have huge armholes as the maker is catering for the largest arms. A bespoke suit will be made to fit yours only. It’s fiddly, but armholes can be altered.

05 cuFFS You want to show around 3/8 of cuff—that should be about 1 cm of cuff to beneath your jacket with a relaxed arm. When you raise your arm, that should be about 5/8 of the cuff.

06 lenGth The jacket should ideally reach the cup of the hand or the tip of the thumb when you stand.

07 leGS The back of the jacket should just hit the welt (where the heel is). Any lower and it’s called “puddling.” Avoid this.

K EEP T H E BAL L

R O L L ING

A d E c A d E OR s O BA c K , B ILLIAR ds us E d TO BE A HOT P INO y s PORT AN d A y O u TH OB s E ss ION . Ef REN “B ATA ” R E y E s w A s KING . N O w HE ’s OL d AN d HI s E y E s IGHT I s f AILING . T HE POOL HALL s AREN ’ T A s c OOL TO HANG O u T IN . wE ’ RE s TILL LOOKING f OR THE NE w cu E KING . wHAT HAPPENE d?

WORDS PAULO AGUILERA