BY CNYSC PRESS & PUBLICITY PORTFOLIO
The importance of first impressions has been imprinted upon us ever since we stepped into secondary school and had a first taste of etiquette classes. You only have one chance to make a first impression, and judgments about you are finalized within 30 seconds. For most of us, our physical features are beyond our control, but we can and should take charge of our dressing and grooming.
Aptly described by a number of our scholars, with university comes the time when you can be overwhelmed by presentations, interviews, convocation dinners, networking sessions…(and the list goes on). Under such circumstances, a first impression could be our only chance to make a personal statement.
When it comes to grooming, we have to consider formality and practicality. Depending on the occasion (bonding events to job interviews), dress codes can range from ‘casual’ to ‘black tie’. These terms can be mind-blogging but as a rule of thumb, the level of formality ranges from casual <business casual <smart casual <business <semi-formal <black tie. While seemingly universal, the requirement for each dress code can also vary depending on climate, but it is always useful to have a set of formal attire at hand.
For ladies, departmental stores are often overflowing with black dinner dresses that would usually suffice for most occasions (depending on the amount you’re willing to spend on your attire). But for men, the misconception that all they have to do is to whip out a ‘button-down collar, dress pants, shoes and some hair gel’ does not, unfortunately, extend to business suits.
Men’s business suits can be expensive, and they have to be well fitted or risk looking sloppy. For many, off-the-shelves suits might not fit with body proportions and in comes the dreaded task of finding a suitable tailor.
When it comes to tailoring, a typical fitting session begins with detailed measurements of (and not limited to) one’s over-arm shoulder width, chest, left and right sleeves, biceps, wrists, front jacket length, crotch, thigh and knee. For us greenhorns, a fitting session itself can be intimidating enough, and the need for subsequent selection of fabric and customization can turn us off.
It was thus a privilege for the CN Yang Scholars’ Club to have Mr. Gentleman (Mr. G) drop by the Crescent and Pioneer Hall Seminar Room earlier this month to provide a fitting session for our scholars. Established by Gary Ong and Jonathan Wong when they were second year NTU undergraduate students, Mr. G focuses on crafting custom-made bespoke suits while offering their clients the flexibility of deciding on the location of their measurement and fitting sessions.
Offering intense personalization with an eye for detail, clients are given the choice of selecting a single-breasted or double-breasted jacket. To help facilitate understanding, Jonathan brought his iPad along to offer us visual aid while utilizing such technical jargon with ease. Thereafter, clients will decide on lapel types (shawl, peak or notch), the colour of their lapel and sleeve buttonholes, as well as the type of jacket pocket they would prefer. With genuine passion for crafting suits of a high quality, Mr. G even offers the option of having a ticket pocket and assures that every pocket on the suit is a working one.
Such tailoring services offered by local entrepreneurs have made the possession of well-fitted suits a much more enjoyable and convenient affair. With the importance of dressing and grooming in the development of first impressions, perhaps it is time that we set aside our initial reservations (should we have any) and take charge of ourselves today.