Meet Mike
Q: What do you do for work?
A: I’m in construction. I am the managing partner of a construction and engineering firm.
Q: Is there a dress code?
A: When I first started in the business it was jeans and work boots every day. As my career has evolved it has become more business casual. A lot of times our clients are in suits. But we’re also dealing with tradesmen, so we’re kind of in-between—I guess I would call that corporate casual.
Q: What was your first purchase from Blank Label?
A: When I first started I was just getting shirts. Then I branched out into a couple suits. Then I had them do an overcoat last year. That thing is awesome. It’s my favorite piece of clothing that I own.
Q: Had you tried custom before Blank Label?
A: I did. It was too complicated, there were a million choices, and it was rushed. It didn’t work for me, but I liked the idea of clothes that fit me, being able to choose the lapel style and the collars, adding my initials. Then I heard of Blank Label. The first time I went in I got three shirts. The price point was exactly where it needed to be and the shirts fit awesome.
Q: What made Blank Label work for you?
A: I go there and get thirty choices of shirt fabric—not thirty books of shirt fabric. I know a need a white shirt a blue shirt, and two casual shirts. Paige, my Menswear Specialist says, “You already have that one, why not try this one?” They know what’s in my closet, and they know what looks good. That’s important because if I come home with a bad shirt from a department store my wife will say, “That’s not stylish!”
Q: What fit issues did custom solve for you?
A: My shirt size is a 17-32. A lot of people don’t make those, so my shirts never fit and I would always get them altered. At Blank Label, if your clothing doesn’t fit right the first time, you just go back in and they get it to fit right—that’s the best part.
Q: How did the shopping experience compare to off-the-rack?
A: I go to Blank Label, I pick out a pair of pants, and I’m out of there in twenty minutes. Whereas if I go to a department store it would be a three-hour odyssey. The pants wouldn’t fit right, and I would have to go back and pick them up after tailoring—the whole process doesn’t work. Now that I’ve got Blank Label down, I can be at a business meeting in Chicago and call Paige on the phone and say, “I just ruined two white shirts, can you order me another one?” and it’s done.
Q: Are there any customizations you prefer?
A: Semi-spread collars. I wear a watch, so I have one shirt cuff made bigger for my watch. And I love the initials. The dry cleaning guy down the street is always saying, “You’re the guy with the initials on your shirts!”
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I’m not a very stylish person. I don’t know what to buy. I’ve come home from shopping before and my wife has asked if I actually paid for that. But I'm able to go into Blank Label and have Paige help me out, and that works for me. Plus, my wife loves how my Blank Label clothes look and fit.
