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MAN, TAILOR, CLOSET,
BETTER
Closet encounters with
clothier Paco Fernandez
Paco Fernandez of Paco’s Custom Clothiers started his own business in 1999 after
working for 28 years at the Custom Shop in Chicago, where he was the clothing
director. He now travels the country and the world servicing his clients. He
regularly visits Chicago, Tampa, Phoenix, Orlando, St. Louis, Norfolk and Puerto
Rico, and even has customers in London and Africa.
How was I able to get this talented and busy clothier into my closet for a
personal consultation? Easy; it’s just a part of the service Paco provides.
Actually, even though I have grown used to my wife complaining that I never
throw anything away and still have clothes from the eighth grade, I was still a
bit nervous about a professional evaluation. What would he think of my taste?
What about all the clothes I bought at a store he didn’t like? These fears
continued to race through my mind as I answered the door.
I worried for nothing. Once you meet Paco, you are immediately overcome by his
charm. He never criticizes or makes you feel uncomfortable. In fact, the whole
purpose of the closet inventory is a fact-finding and repair mission, not a hard
sell. It is another way he gets to know you as a person, and it works in
conjunction with the initial interview. Paco arms himself with a clipboard and
closet inventory list. The initial question is: what do you have that needs
repair? Feeling good about myself and on top of my game, I show him a pair of
suit pants that needs a pocket repaired. He takes the pants and asks if there is
anything else. No, that’s it, I say. The expert goes to work taking each coat
and suit out. A button missing on this sleeve—humph, never saw that; a rip in a
lining; try this coat on (it’s a Zegna)—beautiful material, but this was never
tailored for you—he will adjust it. And it goes into the pile. A couple of my B
suits are held up for inspection, and I meekly explain that I wear them when it
rains or snows and I know I will be outside. He says he totally understands, and
we move on to my shirts and ties.
All my shirts are 100 percent cotton and, Paco explains, when I have them
cleaned and heavily starched it takes a toll. He suggests that I place a coffee
cup in my closet to hold my collar stays when I take a shirt off before it goes
to the cleaners. This will prevent the marks that result from pressing the
collar, and I just place the stays back in when I put the shirt on again. He
shows me that because I am tall I need to tie my tie in such a way that it hangs
to my belt, even if it doesn’t go into the holder. He demonstrates how I should
run my finger inside the collar to smooth it and then give the knot a firm tug.
We agree that a couple of shirts need to go, have seen better days, and I don’t
object. He holds up a shirt and says this is very nice, but it’s not one of
mine. Busted, I admit it’s a Thomas Pink. I explain that for reasons beyond my
control, whenever I go to Washington I stop at the Thomas Pink store at the
Mayflower Hotel and buy a shirt and tie. I don’t know what it is; I love the
service, the colors and the little pink bag. It’s a hopeless addiction.
Paco quickly informs me that the reason for the closet inspection is solely
related to keeping me, his customer, looking my best, whether it’s in his shirt
or someone else’s. We look through my ties and I do pretty well; he says that
it’s important not to have a tie cleaned unless it becomes spotted. Most quality
silk ties will hang out the wrinkles, or they can be pressed. He glances through
my casual clothes and comments that if you find you haven’t worn something in
several months, then you probably should get rid of it.
This brought us to the issue of the plastic bags used to keep my shirts until I
wear them. An absolute no-no. He explains that it’s not as important for my
dress shirts, because I have a regular weekly rotation and they are worn pretty
fast, but some of the others can sit for months. Paco went on to explain this
ban on plastic bags also applies to wool suits. The garment can absorb the smell
of the plastic from the bag, and you have petrochemical cologne following you
around. Another valuable tip I learned: when you come home from work, hang your
suits on a wood hanger on the door overnight. We all sweat, and it is absorbed
by our clothes. If you cram it in the closet, the wool can’t breathe, and all of
your clothes will smell. When you take your new suit out in the morning, hang
yesterday’s away and repeat the process.
He also pointed out that I had several suits hanging on wire hangers (shades of
Mommie Dearest). I was told that this is the worst thing you can do to the
garment, because it ruins the top of the suit. When a garment comes back from
the cleaners, take it out of the bag and put it on a wood hanger, and never,
never have it cleaned and put away for the season on a wire hanger.
I brought out a summer tan suit to show him, and said that I needed to think
about replacing it. He said the time to do that was in March. He advised me to
wear it the rest of the summer, and then he wrote down in my file to follow up
and replace it next year. This makes perfect sense when you think about it;
summer would be almost over when I got the new one. While we discussed new
stuff, he told me that anything I see in a magazine that I like I should just
cut out and save, and it can be replicated. He told me a story about a customer
who called him and asked if he had seen the movie Ocean’s Eleven. Paco said no,
and the customer said he would overnight a copy of the movie to him, because at
the end, the casino owner was wearing a tuxedo the customer loved and wanted
Paco to make. Paco watched the movie, the customer got the tuxedo and loves it,
and Paco has a customer for life.
Well, I survived the inspection, have all my repairs back, and my clothes look
better than ever. The advice I got from Paco in the hour or so he spent in my
closet was priceless. I can’t wait for him to return in the spring. |
