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that boy can dress (and, no, he is not gay!). When our aikido instructor needed a complete outfit (suit, shirt, tie, shoes, socks - the works) for a big gala (40th anniversary of our art in America), he asked my husband, and Gerry sent him to Men's Wearhouse. The Wearhouse is not the cheapest place to shop, although they do have sales, discounts for regular shoppers, etc. However, they are known for their excellent service, many good reliable clothing choices and consistency, plus their huge (no pun intended) big and tall selection that runs from 35 short to 60 long. Their shoe sizes go from 6 to 16, which might not cover the largest of feet, but is still a good range, especially when we are talking about dress shoes.

S&K is another good menswear friend in a slightly lower price range than Men's Wearhouse but still with decent quality and good selection. We bought our male wedding attendants attire from S&K (I can't say groomsmen, because one of them was my Dude of Honor) - suits, shirts, ties and pocket squares. There were a couple of mix ups with sizing, but we did straighten everything out in the end and the boys looked dashing and debonair. Unfortunately, S&K do not offer shoes - oh well, nobody is perfect.

If you have the money to invest into a truly high-quality wardrobe, definitely check out Paul Fredrick. Like Men's Wearhouse, they will be happy to custom-made your clothes for you. In addition, they sell their suits as separates. While it may seem like another way for a ritzy clothier to rip off customers, it actually makes sense - suit sizes are usually based on whatever is your largest measurement. So, if you have broad shoulders and chest, if you buy a suit to match the top portion of your body, your pants will be too big in the waist. With Paul Fredrick you can get a jacket that fits your top and perfectly matching pants that fit your bottom.

Their big and tall section is a little skimpy, although the shirt selection is spectacular, going from 16-37 to 20-37. They also offer a few very nice coats in sizes going as far as double-extra-large tall. Pant waist sizes range from 30 to 48 inches and I think if you buy on line, they come unhemmed, so you can take them to your neighborhood dry cleaner (most offer basic alterations, including hemming) and have them pinned up and hemmed with you present, which is a better way anyway.

Despite running the risk of having to hear your moans and groans (and not in a good way), I would like to conclude the gentlemen's portion of this article with Travel Smith - yet again. Travel Smith is not just a good place to shop for travel-friendly clothing - they are also very good at putting together attractive outfits that are ju-u-ust outside of the traditional but not so much as to shock your sartorial sensibilities. One of their recent collections - washable suedes - is perfect for guys who prefer casual style of dressing but would like to get out of the jeans-and-t-shirts or polo-shirts routine.

They do offer long sizes (jackets - up to 48 Long, pants - up to double-extra-large long) as well as short sizes, because - let's face it - there is Michael Jordan and then there is my dad at 5'6" and my eldest cousin at 5'4".

The shoe selection for men is quite a bit better than that for women and includes business/formal choices, business casual choices and hiking choices in sizes from 7 to 14.

Travel Smith is not cheap, but if you follow the clearance section, you can find some excellent bargains.

Happy shopping and don't let anyone tell you that you don't deserve good service, good selection or good quality just because of the way you look. There IS no "perfect person" template.

Learn more about this author, Maria K..
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