00:00The following is brought to you by Plumps & Brighten Skin, New Lifter Plump & Glow Foundation, Maybelline, New York.
00:13Styles, they come and go. Fashion varies with the time or the trends, but class is everlasting.
00:21Joining me today is local fashion designer, Eklif Eli, who has built a brand and a lifestyle on just that.
00:29Bespoke designer, Eklif Eli, thank you so much for having us today.
00:34Most welcome.
00:35How important would you say images in a professional setting, in a social setting, how important is it, the way
00:42you show up?
00:43Well, showing up is very important. You know, there's a saying, never judge a book by its cover.
00:50Unfortunately, we do it every time. So within the first three to four seconds, someone is going to make an
00:57assessment of you,
00:58just the way how you present yourself.
01:01So you would recommend that everyone, both male and female, own a custom suit?
01:06Yes, and the reason I say yes is a customized suit mostly focuses on the fit, apart from the style.
01:15Sometimes they say that a customized suit will cost more. That is why you try to get timeless pieces.
01:20You only need a few timeless pieces that you know how to rotate. For example, let's take a president or
01:27a prime minister, for example.
01:29When you look at them at the World Summit, whether it's the heads of government and so on, nobody ever
01:35asks, wait now, this is the same suit you wear last year, nobody never asks that.
01:40The most you might do is change the color of your tie, maybe a handkerchief.
01:43Talk to us about the different types of suits.
01:46If you get invited to the event and they tell you a black tie, that is a tuxedo, that is
01:50with the sheen lapel, the one button, bow tie.
01:54All right? So a tuxedo is used more for dinners, award ceremonies, state visits, and that kind of thing.
02:02However, you could have an all-black suit, and you could style it like a tuxedo.
02:08And of course, then you must have colors, which is the navy blue, black, gray, tan, and brown.
02:19Those are the five most versatile colors where you can mix and match, and you can get 75 different looks
02:25from it.
02:26And of course, it has the different color sheets that go with it.
02:28It's about choosing the right fabric. First and foremost, with our climate,
02:33we need tropical wool blends that is breathable, that do not trap heat.
02:38Secondly, again, it goes back to styling. Your jacket, you could style it as a blazer,
02:44you could wear it with a jeans, a sneaker, depending, you could wear it over a polo, jersey.
02:49It just elevates your look once you're thrown on a blazer.
02:52Talk to us about some styling do's and don'ts.
02:55Okay, so let's start with the shoes, right?
02:57You want to make sure that the shoes match your belt.
03:00So if you're wearing a brown shoe, you have a brown belt, a black shoe, a black belt,
03:04an oxblood shoe, an oxblood belt.
03:08In terms, if you're going to a very formal event, you want to wear shoes with a lacing,
03:11because a shoe with a lacing is more formal, a slip-on shoes is more casual.
03:16If you want to wear like a different color jacket, a different color trousers,
03:20try and wear the darker color jacket, lighter color trousers.
03:24In terms of your sleeve, make sure it's like one centimeter showing.
03:29Make sure that the sleeve is not all the way down here, or your sleeve is too short.
03:32In terms of your tie and your handkerchief, try and use a different color tie to your handkerchief.
03:38When you use your same color tie, same color handkerchief,
03:41it looks as though you buy one of those boxer things,
03:44where you get the tie, the handkerchief, and the coupling, everything matching.
03:48So those are just a few styling tips for do's and don'ts.
03:52So you're now offering bespoke suits for women.
03:55Now with Caribbean women, we tend to be a bit busty, you know, a bit hippy,
04:00widen the hips, widen the butt area.
04:02How do you make those accommodations to ensure that there's a seamless fit?
04:08So let's talk about the trousers first.
04:10If you notice, the side of the waistband have a strap and a buckle.
04:15That is to bring in the waistline to give you a better fit.
04:19The front seam of the trousers, it is also stitched down.
04:23Even if certain areas is closed or let's just say tight fitting,
04:28the seam is not lost, which will always give you a very neat look.
04:32In terms of the shirt, the buttons is even closer.
04:36So if you have a bigger chest, a bigger bust area, you will not see the buttons splitting.
04:43So those are some of the things you have to pay close attention to
04:47in order for your clothes to fit well.
04:49As women, of course, you know, we love a pop of color, perhaps a print.
04:53How do we go about, I don't want to say it like this, but feminizing a suit?
04:58Or do you even believe that there is really such a thing as a masculine or feminine look for a
05:03suit?
05:03Let's just say do a jacket and a trouser.
05:06You could do a straight dress as well, a pencil skirt.
05:09So you could use that one look and just keep changing it up over and over and over.
05:14Well, Mr. Eli, thank you so much for sharing of your time, your knowledge and your expertise with us.
05:21And to all our viewers, remember, you'll never get a second chance at a first impression.
05:27I am Vanessa Cutting and this was Street Style.
05:30We'll see you all again next week, Thursday.
05:38The Proceeding was brought to you by Plumps & Brighten Skin, New Lifter Plump & Glow Foundation, Maybelline, New York.
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