5 /5 john george: A couple of weeks, I stopped into Sam Michael’s, a custom tailoring men’s apparel and tuxedo rental store located at 29437 W. 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills Michigan. I was looking for a shirt to wear with my tuxedo for an upcoming wedding.
Let me tell you one thing right off the bat, if you’ve never been in this store, you’ll be shocked the moment you walk through the doors. They have an incredible inventory of high-end sweaters, shirts, slacks, suits, and tailor-made clothing to fit whatever occasion you’re looking for. It honestly felt like I walked into Von Maur or Nordstrom, but no, I walked into Sam Michael’s and met a very nice gentleman by the name of Wally.
I shared with Wally exactly what I was after: a tuxedo shirt with a wingtip collar, pleats, and French cuffs. I explained how I planned to wear a bow tie with suspenders and a cummerbund. He lowered his head, looked over the top rim of his glasses, and said, “No sir, that’s not what you want to wear.” He explained that unless the wedding was extremely formal and everyone was to be dressed in formal attire, less than one percent of people dress like that anymore. I’m 72 years old, and I guess he was gently telling me I was living in the past. lol
I excused myself and went home to think it over. In the end, I took his advice. I still wanted a tuxedo shirt with French cuffs, but not a wingtip collar, no studs, no cummerbund, no patent leather shoes and yes, he convinced me to go with a tie instead.
I returned to the store two weeks later and Wally immediately recognized me and welcomed me back. I asked to look at some tuxedo shirts, and he showed me some beautiful 100% cotton options. He measured me and had me try one on. My neck is only 16 inches, but my sleeves are closer to 36 inches. When Wally says, “We take care of our customers,” he truly means it.
He asked when I needed the shirt. I told him I was leaving town in the morning and needed it that day. Without hesitation, he said, “No problem.” He explained that the 37 inch sleeves needed to be shortened a little and he would need to remove a few inches along the length of the arms because the sleeves were too baggy. I asked if I should come back later in the day, and he said, “No, this is what I do.” He told me it would take about 15 minutes. I thought, no way.
Sure enough, he came back with a shirt that fit perfectly. I was completely impressed that someone could do that level of quality work in such a short amount of time, on a shirt, nonetheless. Not only did it fit perfectly, but he had even pressed it. When I went to pay, he had already covered the shirt in plastic and placed it in a garment bag. I told him that wasn’t necessary, but he said, “No, this is how we do it here. We take care of our customers like family.”
If you have a special occasion, or if you simply want to look like a million dollars and you need slacks, shirts, suits, sport coats, sweaters, vests, or even a tuxedo, you need to walk into this store and meet Wally. He is one of the most attentive and kind gentlemen you’ll ever come across, and he truly knows his craft when it comes to tailoring.
Thank you, Wally, for taking such great care of me. Your expertise and personalized service were a game changer. I’m glad I listened to your words of wisdom and trusted you. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a shirt that fit this well.
