Friday, March 30, 2007

Fashionable Features

The days are gone when women wore resized versions of a men’s companion shirt. Today, many women’s styles have a youthful, more feminine look with different collar options such as the “Y” placket and jonnie collar. Other styling features include different strap widths for tank tops, sleeve length options and women’s plackets with smaller scaled detailing. Companion styles, offering a women’s style that compliments the men’s version, are still available but without the former restrictions. Gone are the days when the cute styles were restricted to junior sizes. Today’s styles fit better and are fashionable to wear.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Ladies: Get Your Best Fit in Polos and Knit Shirts

One of the best recent improvements in the apparel industry is the development of ladies styles that are sized to fit women. Women are no longer restricted to wearing a men’s styled shirt in a smaller size. Businesses would invest in custom embroidered shirts to help brand their corporate image but the women wouldn’t wear the “men’s” shirts. Today there are many women’s styles that fit comfortably and are fun to wear. Discard those once worn men’s shirts and read on!

How can you find the best women’s style for you? One of the primary considerations is the fit. The first thing to check when looking for women’s sizes is to make sure that you are not looking at juniors styles. Junior sizes are modeled on teens and tend to cling to the body. The overall length is often shorter and the sleeves may be shorter too. Once you verify that you are looking at women’s sizes, depending on which sizes you need, you may want to choose styles that have extended sizes. Port Authority brand carries many styles in plus sizes in addition to 1X and 2X sizing. Hanes “Hanes for Her” line includes knits cut to fit different silhouettes. Styles are available in “fitted”, classic” and “relaxed silhouettes. Style information includes a silhouette image showing how the style fits on the body. Choosing a brand with additional sizing options is a good choice when purchasing shirts for a group.

Next…Plackets, Pistachio & Soft Pink

Friday, March 16, 2007

What Is Your Hat Style?

What about cap pricing? As you might expect, styles with more details tend to have a larger price tag. The number of embroidery locations on a cap will affect the price. Expect to pay an additional fee if your caps are embroidered in more than one location. Caps run the gamut from “value” priced caps to designer styles. If you’re unsure about what style will best suite your budget consult your embroiderer. Most embroiderers have samples of styles they like. Occasionally an embroider may recommend against using a particular style because they think your design won’t work well on that style or that cap is difficult to embroider and you won’t be happy with the results.

Still not sure what baseball hat to pick? Ask your embroiderer! He or she can suggest styles that will work well with your logo and satisfy your needs. Most important, don’t forget to order plenty of hats so you have enough to give to your friends, family, customers and employees. Hats make great advertising! People wear hats everywhere and they are seen. Let them be seen wearing your hat advertising your business.

What is your hat style? My favorite is the Adams LP 101 pigment dyed cap. It’s your basic unconstructed, low profile cap in pigment dyed 100% cotton with a mesh lining and adjustable strap. Why this cap? Besides the great quality and styling, I love the leather strap, I'm partial to pigment dyed fabrics and it comes in sixteen different shades including Caribbean blue, coral and cactus!

What is your hat style?

Friday, March 9, 2007

Zippered Pocket? Scrunchie Back??

You may want to choose a hat style with a unique feature. Hyp makes a cap with a zippered pocket. If your need a scrunchie back then Adams has the cap for you. Port Authority carries a few caps with racing flames for racing fans and high visibility caps in safety yellow and orange for workers who must be seen. A few patterned fabric styles can be found including floral fabrics, tie dye and camouflage patterns. If you choose a patterned fabric just make sure that your design will be seen. If your logo contains a lot of detail then it is probably better to use a solid color cap unless you want a subtle, tone-on-tone look where the embroidery closely matches the cap’s fabric. Can’t find the right style in the right color? If you have a large order and are not rushed for time, custom made caps may work for you.

Do all hat styles fit all heads? Most styles come “one size fits all” but there are a few styles such as Yupoong’s Flexfit Cool & Dry Cap that are available in S/M & L/XL. Flexfit hats with the stretch sweatband are a good choice for those who want a snug fitting cap.

The Finale…

Friday, March 2, 2007

Cool Max, Cool Crown…

Don’t forget to check out all the style details before choosing your cap. Details range from contrasting eyelets to stripes. And what are eyelets? Most styles have eyelets in the side of the crown. Often these are sewn with thread that matches the color of the crown. Sometimes they are brass grommets. Styles with contrasting brim, sandwich visor, bill decoration, stripes and contrast stitching can give your hat a unique look. Check out Port Authority’s Vintage Washed Contrast Stitch Cap and Big Accessories’ Brushed Twill Structured Cap with stripes. Trim color details can make your hat stand out in the crowd. If you coordinate these colors with the colors in your logo, you can create a really unique-looking custom embroidered hat.

One of the newest trends in cap design is providing styles that help keep you cool. Features such as mesh linings, “Cool Max” sweatbands and “Cool & Dry” fabrics wick away moisture so you stay comfortable. Check out Port Authority’s Signature Sandwich Bill Cap with a Cool Max sweatband and Yupoong’s Flexfit Cool & Dry X-Cap with mesh fabric and a sweatband designed to keep perspiration away and let air in.

Another option is choosing a hat with the manufacturer’s logo embroidered on the cap. Manufacturers such as Nike, Adidas, Champion and Ping have great hats and depending on your needs this may be a good choice for you.

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