Misaligned

This post is not focused on style. This is an article to help promote posture awareness.

In our line of work, we have come across a lot of men with unique body-structures. Some of the more commonly encountered features include high-low shoulders, high-low hips, forward tilting of the neck, overly arched back, shoulder twist, pulled-back chest and hunched-back.

Front tilt of head, pulled-back shoulders - ideally, the ear should line up in a straight line with the shoulders.

Our head weighs as much as a bowling ball. If you hold the bowling ball with our arms straight out in front of your body, you will feel pain and ache after some time. The ache you feel in your neck could  be due to this misalignment.  

Uneven shoulder level, hunched-back, side-shifted spine.

Years of poor posture or carrying of heavy loads on one side can lead to this happening. I have got an uneven shoulder level myself. In a perfect world, everything should be square and straight.

Most people will have some sort of asymmetry in their bodies. However, just because something is commonly seen, does not mean it is normal/correct. Most of these abnormalities can be traced to the misalignment of the spinal cord - medically known as VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION.

You might think one of your legs is longer than the other, but it could be due to the tilt in your hips, making your legs appear like they are of different lengths. The same thing with the length your arms. It could be due to the uneven level in your shoulders.

The root cause of this misalignment can be due to a whole range of reasons, like accidents resulting in trauma, poor posture, carrying of heavy loads, surgeries etc. Subluxation can even happen at birth, if the doctor pulling you out of your mom used excessive force. Yikes.

Now, subluxation can trigger a host of ailments. The misaligned spine puts unwanted pressure and stress on the nerves along the spinal cord. These nerves control all your bodily functions, and the misalignment prevents the nerves from sending messages to your brain effectively, thus affecting your health. Sinus, insomnia, fatigue, weak immunity, headaches, lack of concentration, body aches and other general health conditions could be the effects you feel from subluxation.

After experiencing nagging shoulder and back aches for years, I finally decided to undergo chiropractic treatment, albeit with some forceful persuading from a good friend. This is usually a long process, and mine is scheduled for a 12-month monitoring period. After 4 months of committed treatment, I feel a considerable decrease in my body aches. 

If you're experiencing the above mentioned problems, maybe it'll be good to get yourself checked by a chiropractor. I will be happy to recommend my chiropractor should anyone wish to get in touch. I am neither affiliated to, nor receiving any form of commission from, the clinic and its doctors.

Just spreading a bit of awareness, that's all.

Ectomorphs

We all know losing weight is a difficult thing to do. It requires a lot of mental toughness, drive and discipline (just ask your girlfriend/wife/female colleagues). At the other end of the spectrum, there are a bunch of guys who find it extremely hard to maintain or gain weight. Welcome to the world of the ectomorphs.

Very skinny guys also have problems finding clothes that fit them, just like their heavier counterparts. The most critical aspect of getting the fit right is to not go too slim - this will only make them look even skinner. Having too much waist suppression creates a very acute silhouette, which can be pretty intimidating.

Go easy on the waist suppression!

Equally critical is the correct choice of fabrics. Cloths that are too lightweight and soft should be avoided at all costs. Here, my good friend is getting fitted using an immensely popular summer wool fresco. The excellent shape and structure of the cloth can - for lack of a better word, disguise - a lot of flaws. Full-bodied cloths from UK are usually preferred. Sturdier cotton drills are also strongly recommended, with our favorite being Scabal's Ascona range.

Two additional things to avoid:

- distinct or wide pin-stripes

- oversized-checks

This is what tailors do - we try our best to disguise the imperfections and accentuate the positives. 

CNY

Dear all,

Please note that we will be closed from 9-17FEB for Chinese New Year. Regular business hours expected to resume on 18FEB. Gong xi fa cai everyone!

For the Love of Laundry

For the Love of Laundry is the preferred dry-cleaners for Dylan & Son. Sartorial.

How you take care of your clothes can directly determine its lifespan. Just like a good pair of shoes, if well taken care of, it will reward you every time you put it on.

For the modern man, we do understand that it can be quite a bitch to have to hand-wash your clothes after a hard day's night. Therefore, finding a good cleaner is very important. The last thing you'd want is for a dry-cleaner to completely destroy the soft and luxurious hand of your forest-green cashmere jacket.

Our dry-cleaners of choice is For the Love of Laundry. With four strategically located outlets, we urge all our customers to give their services a try. Go onto their website and get acquainted!

Technical Bugs!

We are experiencing some technical issues with our online server at the moment. As such, we are unable to access our email accounts.

Should you wish to contact us, please call our shop at 6220 0628 (during operation hours) or leave us a message on Facebook.

Brace Yourself

This post is for all my plus-sized friends. Let's not beat about the bush and go straight to the point here - you have a tummy.

OK. Now that's out of the way, we can start to talk a little more. 

The most common problem faced by gentlemen carrying a little extra weight is that their trousers always seem to slip down after some time. It's practically impossible to keep the trousers on the waist and some will simply wear it underneath the tummy, held in place by a tightly pulled belt. We'd think that's not a very flattering sight. Trousers worn below the tummy create a very unnatural sense of proportion. 

There is a solution to this - braces. A good pair of braces, not those skinny clip-on-fashion rubbish, allows you to 'float' the trousers at the waist, holding it at the right level all day long. Too few people are wearing braces these days, and that, we believe, is the biggest reason why guys feel apprehensive about wearing one. They fear being teased by the co-workers.

However, do consider who are the people dishing out these remarks. Putting the question of style aside, are they aware of the functionality of a pair of braces? You should never dress yourself in accordance to their - dare I say, misinformed - opinions.

Remember, tigers don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep. You are a fat man. You can also be the best dressed fat man.

If you're gonna get one, look no further than the Rolls Royce of braces - Albert Thurston. If it's good enough for James Bond, it's good enough for you.

Deadstock

Rummaging through the suppliers' dusty warehouse can sometimes unearth wonderful treasures. Our moment of serendipity came when we chanced upon a whole bundle of Italian lightweight hopsack cloth.

Shades of ochre, olive, bronze, wheat and French-blue with faint, overlaying windowpane. Stocks are extremely limited. Some with only enough yardage for just one very dapper sportsjacket.

Blink, and it'll be gone.