Jeeves New York Backstage at Fashion for Relief NYC 2010

The highlight of Fashion Week NYC for your man Jeeves was the privilege to be a part of Naomi Campbell’s extraordinary charitable show Fashion for Relief with all proceeds benefiting CARE an organization working to rebuild the health care system for women and children in Haiti.

Your man Jeeves arrived at Bryant Park hours before the show was scheduled to begin in order to set-up his table full of garment care supplies to assist all the stylists , models, and dressers backstage before they took to the catwalk.

Upon arrival Jeeves and his staff could hardly believe their eyes at their sheer volume of couture that greeted them backstage. Your man Jeeves had to take a few deep breaths, since he and his craftsmen were there to collect all these   gorgeous items for cleaning following the show.

Within minutes of being setting up Jeeves’ most experienced seamstress, Marcia Moore was put to work to insert shoulder pads into a shockingly red dress later worn by Kelly Osbourne. This was not the only time throughout the evening that your man Jeeves was at the service of the evening’s celebrity guests, all styled by the ever demanding Rachel Zoe. A very distressed assistant rushed over with a Dolce & Gabbana suit that desperately needed to be pressed before rapper Chris Brown took to the runway. Your man Jeeves was right on it.

Despite the high energy of all the models and celebrities present backstage having quite the raucous reunion, the attitude near our workstation was a bit more somber as we were in the immediate proximity of the individuals from Alexander McQueen just one day after the legendary designers unexpected death. The Jeeves team worked on alterations on two pieces that were both worn in the finale, one by the host Naomi Campbell herself.  Marcia also labored over a pair of exquisite shingled shoes that spoke to the true nature of a McQueen design.

As it drew closer to 7 the backstage area turned into pure chaos as your man Jeeves had a line of individuals waiting to have their gowns pressed before hitting the runway. One gown already had a person in it! This person was none other than Cecily Lopez who giggled as a Jeeves staff member informed her that the dress could not be pressed with her inside of it…

Once the show began Jeeves and his team were able to relax and enjoy a little bubbly as the models changed from their couture to their finale outfits which entailed all models wearing t-shirts that read “To Haiti with Love.” Your man Jeeves was more than willing to offer his seat to an exhausted Malin Akerman (27 dresses) and Olivia from MTV’s reality show The City who swore “ she was never one to complain about sore feet!”

After the show was over the real work began for your man Jeeves and his team to collect all the gowns worn during the show for cleaning. Jeeves has donated his services to Fashion for Relief, so that all gowns will be as good as new when they are auctioned on Net-A-Porter after the London show next week. Jeeves of London is also doing all the cleaning for the Fashion for Relief event being held Friday during London Fashion Week.

There were some trips, tumbles, and unfortunately tears but the New York Fashion for Relief show has already raised over $100,000 just from ticket sales. It truly speaks to Campbell’s legacy that she can organize such a remarkable event on two different continents to help out those suffering a horrible ordeal.

Your man Jeeves will have more to share later about all the extraordinary gowns we have cleaned.

Dressed to Impress

As you may know your man Jeeves always dresses to impress for that is customary of a gentleman. A well fitted suit and a nice tie are the perfect accessory to a well mannered demeanor.

The younger generation has have to fancy this style, and Jeeves has noticed that for both work and play these young men do not seem to be at a shortage of pinstripes, jiggers, and pleats. Recently, Jeeves was enjoying a nice afternoon in Central Park and discovered that The New York Times had observed this trend as well.

The article indicates that those who are in fact “dressing for success” are young men ranging from ages 20-30 and that your man Jeeves and his generation have taken a more casual approach to their wardrobe. It is also mentioned that this fashion change is widespread “from Madison Ave to the shopping malls” and that this is the cause of “the resurgence of the gentleman.”

Please forgive your man Jeeves for so openly disagreeing with this well respected publication, however residing just steps away from Madison Avenue but he is sure that the gentleman never left. Everyone knows Jeeves to be a gentleman and his clients are no different.

While a suit may give one the outward appearance of a gentleman, a true gentleman has his disposition to compliment his attire.

If any gentlemen in Manhattan are in need of a tailor for their suits the wonderful alteration team at Jeeves can ensure that you remain dapper for your day to day affairs.  In addition to suit alterations the team can:

• Mend missing buttons
• Fix stuck zippers
• Shorten or lengthen sleeves & hems
• Repair holes & tears

Whether you are trying to emulate the look of Don Draper, or keep up with your fashion forward employees your man Jeeves will make sure you put your best foot forward when you leave our store. For alterations and tailoring NYC come to Jeeves of Belgravia.

Gentlemen and Dinner Jackets

Your man Jeeves has always had an opinion on what well dressed men should wear to formal events. Jeeves has always made sure the woman is the star of the event, and the gentleman accompanying her should be well dressed but not the focus.

A sharp suit, including a shirt which fits well if first and foremost. A gentleman should own his own tuxedo, as a rented tux always looks like a rental.

Jeeves has run across an interesting article in WA Today about dinner jackets that you may enjoy.

If you have a tuxedo in your closet that just is not right, the tailoring team at Jeeves can make it perfect for you. Or if you need a custom tuxedo shirt, Jeeves can measure you at our location or come to you.

Jeeves has partnered with L. Gamerbert custom shirts to provide our clients with a simple way to have custom shirts measured and made by whom Jeeves feels is the best in the business.

If you would like to have your man Jeeves measure you for a custom shirt from L. Gamerbert, just give us a ring to make the arrangements.

Jeeves is just steps from Madison Avenue and the only dry cleaning firm on the Upper East Side that has been selected as one of America’s Best Cleaners.

President Obama’s Wardrobe and Tailoring

Your man Jeeves ran across an interesting article about the dress habits of President Obama in the Boston Globe.

It seems that the style pundits have been carefully studying the Presidents wardrobe and have made suggestions to help him look better.

It seems that first and foremost President Obama is in need of a good tailor.  According to the article his suits just don’t fit well. The length of his trousers is wrong (too long) and his jackets tend to have a “bolero” effect because they are too pinched at the sternum.

None the less, the tailors at Jeeves can help.

Clothing that fits less than perfect can be made to fit perfectly. Our craftsmen who work in our tailoring division are truly that. With an eye for detail our tailors can work wonders with any wardrobe, presidential or not.

If President Obama would like the services of your man Jeeves, we would be pleased to tailor his first suit complimentary.

Jeeves of Belgravia has the Royal Warrant as the Dry Cleaner for HRH the Prince of Wales, and maybe tailors to President Obama.

How to Repair Holes and Tears

What do you do when you get a hole in your favorite garment? Maybe you got caught on your desk at the office or perhaps an errant cigarette ash burned a hole in your pants.

Invisible weaving is almost a lost art that is still practiced at Jeeves of Belgravia. In most cases we can make the most horrific hole just about invisible.

Our weaving craftsman take individual threads from your garment to re-weave your garment where the hole is giving you an almost perfect repair.

Small tears, moth holes, cigarette holes and punctures into a fabric are all repairable by invisible weaving. Even knitwear can be woven to match the original pattern.

Keep in mind that weaving is tedious and time consuming and often the repairs are expensive. Weaving a small hole starts at $95 and can quickly escalate into hundreds of dollars, but can easily save a garment that cost thousands of dollars.

Jeeves of Belgravia, New York has a full invisible weaving department ready to take care of your damaged wardrobe.

Give Jeeves a call to arrange a pick-up and no obligation estimate of your items in need of this highly specialized service.

Jeeves of Belgravia, New York has been selected as one of America’s Best Cleaners for the last two years.

Jeeves also holds the Royal Warrant as the Dry Cleaner to HRH the Prince of Wales.

Jeeves has been selected as the best dry cleaner NYC by City Spur.

Custom Shirts, Part 2

The last article I wrote discussed the importance of proper measurement to insure the best fit for your custom shirt. Now comes the fun part, creating your Mel Gambert shirt with Jeeves’ help.

You get to choose how your shirt looks, and you get to pick just about everything including;

• Collar
• Yolk
• Back Pleats
• Front Style
• Cuffs
• Length
• Buttons
• Fabric Quality
• Color and Patterns

When choosing your first custom shirt you may want to start with a style of shirt that you absolutely “love” so that we have a starting point. From there you can start to define your own personal style by creating a shirt which is your signature.

The type of fabric that you choose for your shirt change the price from moderate to very expensive as the higher thread count fabrics are more costly. Jeeves has fabric swatches for the full line of Mel Gambert shirts so you can “feel” the difference in quality from swatch to swatch.

It can be a bit overwhelming at first with all of the choices, but at Jeeves we can make suggestions to insure that you love your custom shirts.

After your first shirt is created for you, the staff at Jeeves will make minor adjustments to further define the fit. Your first custom shirt should be considered a starting point and you should never order more than one shirt after your first fitting. Don’t be disappointed if the fit isn’t perfect, custom shirts are a process but the final result will be well worth the extra effort.

Jeeves of Belgravia, New York is the only garment care firm that has world-wide locations, holds The Royal Warrant as the dry cleaner to HRH The Prince of Wales, selected as one of America’s Best Cleaners and chosen by City Spur as the best dry cleaning firm in New York City.

Jeeves has also been selected by Vera Wang as the dry cleaner of choice for her extensive bridal gown collection.

How to Choose a Custom Shirt

One of the most affordable luxuries in a gentleman’s wardrobe is the custom shirt. There is nothing quite like the feeling of getting dressed in the morning and slipping on a shirt that was created just for you.

Your man Jeeves has found an incredible source for fine custom shirts, just a stones throw from New York City. Across the Hudson in Newark, New Jersey is a gem of a shirt maker, Mel Gambert.

What impressed Jeeves most during his visit to the factory was that the small details, over-looked by many custom shirt makers, were attended to by the staff of Mel Gambert.

Jeeves watched with fascination the amount of hand cutting involved with the proper setting of the collar on each shirt. Many other makers omit this step which is a tragedy, because it allows to the collar to lay perfectly.

Considering details, the buttons on Mr. Gambert’s shirts can be of the finest pearl, and triple the thickness of  a typical button.

Whilst you are measured for a custom shirt by Mel Gambert, every aspect of your physique and posture are taken into account.

Many other custom shirt makers only take basic measurements, but with Mel Gambert that is not the case, and your custom shirt becomes almost bespoke.

Each aspect of your shirt is chosen by you and these style options will be discussed in our next post.

Jeeves of Belgravia, New York is now offering Mel Gambert shirts. Fittings are by appointment only and can be arranged at your NYC home or office.

Jeeves of Belgravia, NYC has been listed as the best dry cleaner NYC by City Spur as well as selected as one of America’s Best Cleaners for the last three years in a row.

Jeeves clients include; Vera Wang, Valentino, J Mendel, Dolce & Gabanna, Roberto Cavalli, Calvin Klein and countless other.

Tailoring to go!

Yesterday day while I was consulting with  a client on the Lower East Side I got a call from another client in Oregon.  She owns an on-line clothing service for men.

It seems that her company was getting major press with an opportunity to be seen on a national morning show, but… she needed a tailor to take the measurements for the reporter doing the story in 1/2 hour, on the Upper West Side. Plus the cameras would be rolling.

Without a moment to waste, I jumped into a taxi, stopped at Jeeves of Belgravia on East 65th Street to get my on-site tailoring supplies, and rushed to the West side.

The reporter and camera operator were just wrapping up their last shot as I jumped in with my trusty tape measure in hand.

In just a few minutes  all the measurements were taken and I trust the camera got my good side.

I’ll let you know the name of the company and the morning show once I have an “air date”.  I don’t want to speak prematurely.

Thanks for listening, Jerry Pozniak.

How to Use a Tailor

Silly statement don’t you think. How to use a tailor; everyone knows what a tailor does.

Or do you?

Besides the usual mending of loose buttons, stuck zippers and having your shortened, are you aware of the services a great tailor can provide?

Here is a list of little known things that can be accomplished with tailoring.

1. Making clothes truly fit. Have something in the back of your closet that never “feels right”. Most of the time we can fix this for you. As they used to say on Saturday Night Live, “When you look good you feel good.”
2. Change the style of a garment. Within reason some garments can be altered to give you a new look.
3. Repair rather than replace. In many occasions it will cost you less to repair a garment than replacing it.

At Jeeves of Belgrava we have truly “great” tailors that are wizards.In fact our head seamstress, Amporo Flores has been with our firm for 28 years.  Bring us something that you would like us to “save” and we will give you an honest assessment of the feasibility.

So when you are looking for a tailor Manhattan, or alterations in Manhattan, just give us a ring and we will take great care of both you and your garments.

Thanks for listening. Jerry Pozniak, owner.