The Brilliance of Bespoke

At the pinnacle of prime luxury, bespoke suits are once said to be what makes a man’s image what it is. Alicia Nikkolette Lee explores the phenomenon of why going bespoke is better.  

It’s simple; just buy a package with tuxedoes and wedding gowns included and get on with the photo shoot. Sadly, it is only after the pictures come out do you realise that the shoulder lines don’t flatter yours, the cinching at the waistcoat is slightly off and you don’t look as sharp as you’d like to look. Sure, there are some things that stylists can remedy with pins and clips, but what they can’t do is give you the perfect fit. You settle, shrug it off and accept your fate. But that doesn’t need to be necessarily so.

Gradually increasing in popularity due to the demand of customers, bespoke, a word from the earlier days that has been shoved out of the way in favour of their more affordable, mass produced counterparts, is now coming back into trend. However, what most people fail to realise is while the price is slightly above average, the quality is far off from what you want to shine next your bride on your wedding day.

The Importance of Bespoke

Yes, you can get something off-the-rack in your size, but as the saying goes, “Every man needs a suit, every businessman needs a tailored suit.” So, regardless of whether you’re the Wolf of Wall Street or not, the appearance of a sharp, tailored suit will do you favours in more ways than one. First of all, here is a list of things that you won’t have to deal with: too-long or too-short cuffs, baggy outlines, mismatched shoulder lines, saggy collars and worst of all, having to actually visit multiple stores only to settle for a less-than-perfect fit.

Taking all these factors into consideration, (especially if you’re fussy about fabric) the chances of finding the perfect suit off the rack that ticks all the boxes are incredibly slim. That being said, other than having the perfect fit, convenience plays a huge part in the decision-making when it comes to designing a number for yourself.

Made-to-measure vs. bespoke

Derived from the verb to bespeak or to “speak for something”, bespoke is actually a term that means, “to give an order for it to be made”. Made-to-measure simply means an already established patterned produced according to the measurements of the client. On the other side of the coin, bespoke incorporates personal service and qualified advice over a large selection of fabrics according to a design that best fits the client, on top of having the measurements made according to yours.

Bespoke stores such as The Bespoke Club at Suntec City will generally keep your preferences and measurements on file, making it a breeze to make repeat visits for your different needs. Proclaiming to be the advocate for “Accessible Luxury”, their pricing may be very comparable to that of a similar mass-produced suit of a well-known brand.

Unlike suits that are off the rack, several fittings are required during the process, are required to ensure that all kinks and alterations are ironed out according to your body shape and measurements. More fitting sessions would be expected out of a bespoke store rather than one that only offers made-to-measure garments.

The Psychological Aspect

Just in the innate knowledge that the suit you’re wearing is handmade and was made from an original design cut with premium fabric with your input in every detail generally gives you a confidence boost at the very least. Things that are one of kind that are specially tailored to fit you and only you tend to make the event extra special and, according to most men, move about with more finesse.

Adding on to that, choosing the bespoke option allows customisation options such as adding room for cufflinks, different patterns of fabric within the shirt inside the collar and along the bone of the shirt to add an extra pop. Button customisations are not uncommon as well to add the character that fits yours to a tee. Making wedding gown in Singapore and shirts that are completely yours gives a sense of ownership and possession, enhancing one’s mood and general level of confidence.

Luke Wee Tells You What Not To Include In Your Wedding Speech

Everybody loves a great speech. There is nothing like a room full of people hanging on every word you are saying, being moved to tears and having a good laugh.

Everybody loves a great speech, but unfortunately, not everybody is a great speaker.  Nor does everyone have the manner or appearance to command the attention of an entire room. That is where things can go wrong.

To be suddenly thrown into the spotlight can be quite daunting, and with all this pressure to impress the guests, some may rely on age-old cliches to get the crowd going. Some work, some don’t; others are pure wedding speech suicide.

Whether you are the emcee, the best man or the groom, these are things that you should avoid mentioning in your speech.

“Before Marriage, a man is incomplete. After marriage, he is finished.”

Hardy har har.

Marriage is a joyful thing. If you have been married a little longer, maybe you are a little cynical, and not as joyful as the newlyweds.  But for goodness sake, hold your cynicism till after the wedding. Nobody loves a wet blanket – unless, of course, they are wet blankets too. If marriage were truly the end, nobody would be walking into it.

“Mr Right, Mrs Always Right.”

Ugh. This one is so overused, and has not been funny since 2010.

Plus, it is obviously not true. Marriage is a partnership. It is about two people coming together, sharpening and refining each other. Both parties take turns to be right. Trust me, the woman does not always win, because no, the Missus is not always right.

“It’s all about the bride.”

No, no, NO!

A bridal boutique said this to me during our first appointment with them. Rolls eyes.  We did not sign with them.

I can imagine this saying was thought up years ago by well-meaning men to suggest their male counterparts give way to the ladies. This meaning, however, has been lost over the years.  Today, it just makes it sound like the women want all the attention, which is not true either.

Anything about “what happens on the wedding night”.

They’re going do it… or are they?

Sadly, the wedding night does not always have a happy ending. A recent survey of 2,128 newlyweds found that 52% do not have sex on their wedding night.  A quarter of whom admitted that it was because the groom was too drunk.

The wedding is also an extremely exhausting ordeal, and some couples can hardly find the time to eat. Is sex the first thing you will think of if you are both tired and hungry?  To assume that the couple will consummate on the wedding night may be a tad presumptuous.

There will be enough pressure on them to “do it” without you mentioning it. Have some class and do not mention this subject.

Anything that hints of any sort of emotional baggage.

A wedding is a celebration of a new life, a new beginning. The bride or groom (or both) may have painful relationships they wish to put behind them, and some wounds may require more time to heal.

It could be an ex, a friendship gone sour, an unaccepting in-law, or perhaps a strained relationship within the family of the bride or groom.

Everyone has baggage, but leave it to the bride, groom and their families to do the unpacking amongst themselves.

Conclusion

You do not have to be a natural born public speaker. You only have to be sincere, respectful, and most of all, a good friend. You are not speaking for the crowd. You are speaking for your friends, the newlyweds.

Join in the celebration with them, and speak from your heart.  Remember:  speaking on the most important day of their lives is an honour. Enjoy the moment, and don’t live to regret saying or not saying anything!

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Get Baby Ready

Both of you are ready for the next step in the relationship: having a baby. Now’s a time to start the prepping your body and mind for a new life growing inside you. Here are your the dos and don’t(s) of getting baby ready.

Do(s)

Getting things checked

Not just you, but getting your partner involved is vital too. It ensures that you both don’t possess any other underlying medical issues (diabetes, thyroid problems) that affect your chances of being pregnant. Problems like having irregular periods can diminish your chances and an obstetrician (ob-gyn) can have that sorted it out for you. Planning an early pre-conception health check up with your obstetrician is recommended, simply because they are able to advise you on how to proceed with your plans.

They are also able to highlight and examine any deterrent factors like family medical history, drug intakes and even your psychosocial issues. Numerous exams like pelvic exams for identifying sexually transmitted disease, ultrasound scans and/or Pap smear for overall reproductive health might be performed. Also, they are more qualified to answer any queries you have. Getting a pre conception screen will assist you in having an uncomplicated pregnancy, in turn a healthy baby.

Eat right

While visiting the obstetrician or gynaecologist, they would offer the same advise to you as well: eating clean. For those always keeping scores of your diet, great! Keep that up. For the rest of us, now is a good time to start. Slowly begin to eliminate unhealthy food from your diet and replace them healthier substitutes. It may take quite some time getting used to, which is why the earlier the better.

The weather gets the better of you sometimes and you slurped up more servings of ice-kachang or iced lemon tea than expected. It is good to keep your diet in check using a food diary, or a food journaling app. Be especially conscious of what you put in your body. Thus, when you are pregnant you are already used to your diet and it would be less of a dread when coupled with potential pregnancy symptoms.

Additionally, you can start stocking up on folic acid supplements or pre-natal vitamins. Daily intake of at least 400mg of folic acid prevents serious birth defects of the brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida) by up to 70 percent.  These defects are a result of neural tube defects, when the end of the neural tube fails to close up. This occurs in the very early stages of pregnancy, even before many women know that they are pregnant.

Being active

We all know our sedentary lifestyle isn’t the best for our health, no less for a baby. Reason like having a hectic lifestyle, just cannot cut it anymore, especially when it comes to your baby’s health. Exercise does not necessarily mean lifting heavy weights and intense cardio. Pilates and yoga are a great start, because you can actually continue to do so during pregnancy. Pilates strengthens your core muscles that support your pelvic and tummy muscles.

Whereas yoga relaxes your body and mind while keeping you toned. Stress can wreck havoc on your body (like irregular periods), so practicing yoga can keep your stress levels in check too. Again, starting incorporating such exercises into your lifestyle only serves to make your pregnancy easier. Once pregnant, you can take it slower. For yoga, it is ideal that you pause the lessons until you are in your second trimester. For convenience’s sake, do check with the centres whether if they offer pre-natal lessons. So that even after you are pregnant, you can continue your lessons there.

Don’t(s)

Birth control

This is an obvious one. Cutting the contraceptive before you try to conceive is a no brainer. Depending on the type of contraception, it will affect your ovulation period. For oral intakes like pills, some of you may immediately start ovulating again, which means you are fertile again. However, some of you may take months to start ovulating again, especially if you have been using it for quite some time. If it is three months since you last stopped the pill and still no period in sight, do check in with your doctor or gynaecologist. If you gave an Intrauterine Device (IUD), do get it removed. Once removed, your menstrual cycle will resume as well. Contraceptive injections like Depo Provera have effects that last up to three months, so you just have to wait till it wears off. For those using barrier methods (e.g. condoms), just ditch them!

Toxins and endocrine disruptors

There are loads of environmental toxins that are surrounding us. With air pollution like the haze situation running amok, it can be hard to avoid these toxins. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t try our best to avoid them, particularly those endocrine disruptors. They have the ability to disrupt our endocrine system, which regulates our hormones. Like Bisphenol A (BPA) for example, it has been linked to breasts, reproductive and hormonal problems. Pesticides, too contains such disruptors, so its best you wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly. A research paper published in the US National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information reveals that such industrial contaminants like pesticides and plasticisers and naturally occurring phytoestrogens (found in soy) have effects on wildlife animals’ lactation and breast growth.

Kicking bad habits

Bad habits like smoking, excessive alcohol and coffee intake takes time to change. Precisely why, it is high time you kick these bad habits away anyway. Something as innocuously as caffeine, in high dosages can delay conception. However, there are conflicting research evidence in regards to such notion. But experts do advise you to err on the side of caution. The Fertility Society of Australia recommends limiting your coffee intake to one to two cups per day for women trying to conceive.

Similarly, evidence against alcohol consumption are unclear and with limited studies. Nevertheless, it still poses as a health risk as maternal alcohol consumption is dangerous to the unborn child. Spread this message to your partner too as alcohol can reduce libido, affect sperm quality and causing impotence. When combined, male and female alcohol consumption can increase the risk of miscarriages.

Last but not least, smoking is also known to cause damage on a micro-cellular level in human sperm cells. That certainly doesn’t bode well when you are trying for a baby. Furthermore, it decreases your fertility as well as causing egg depletion. Tobacco is also associated with increased health risk for the baby like increase chances of childhood leukaemia and heart problems. Exposure to second-hand smoke can also suffer all these risks. Thus it is vital that you and your partner are committed to stave off those cigarettes.

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