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Experts say men with high-pressure jobs need to look their best if they want to get ahead. But they also say those same professionals should expect to work long hours.

That leads to a problem: How can men find the time to look great in well-fitting clothes when they're sometimes working up to 100-hour weeks?

Busy guys can buy off-the-rack and hope for the best. Or they can burn away their Sundays — often their only day off — getting the right look for work.

But custom-made shirts have a drawback: They can require in-person fittings — or your learning how to measure yourself correctly. That means they can take more time (and money) than you might expect.

It's time to change your shirt

To fix this problem, Matt Harpalani, a tailor who's fitted 10,000 customers, joined forces with long-time customer Gage Mersereau, a Wall Street pro formerly of Deutsche Bank, to form ShirtCycle.

ShirtCycle is a subscription service that quickly gets its customers the best custom-fitted shirts at the best possible price. Because ShirtCycle is a service for men who don't have much time  — but still want high-quality dress shirts — Harpalani and Mersereau decided to keep things simple.

Customers only have to take out their phones and enter some basic information on the ShirtCycle site. Then, for a personal touch, they're asked to include a selfie. ShirtCycle then uses your picture and your off-the-rack shirt size — so there's no measuring involved.

Here's how the process works: Once ShirtCycle receives your order, Harpalani uses the data, but also takes advantage of his long experience in the field to assess your photo. His professional eye takes into account your shoulder slope and body shape. Your skin color and jawline also helps him to curate fabrics and styles that look best on you.

Soon, ShirtCycle sends you a free custom shirt. If the shirt fits you just the way you like it (and it does 75% of the time, which is the same average as going to a tailor the old-fashioned way), ShirtCycle will curate three shirts based on your look, lifestyle, and workplace for $250 ($83 per shirt).

You can confirm or swap their recommendations. But if your free shirt doesn't fit, use the prepaid label on your box to send it back and get it altered, for free. And they won't stop altering until the fit is perfect. 

Harpalani and Mersereau say the service has zero returns because they only send you shirts in the fit, fabric, and style you want. There aren't any surprises. And because of that, ShirtCycle also has a high customer-retention rate. ShirtCycle will also include a prepaid label so you can send your old shirts to Career Gear; your tax-deductible donation will help someone less fortunate interview in style.

Why you need to go custom

We went through a trial run with ShirtCycle, sending them only our pictures and off-the-rack sizes — and they nailed the fit. We also found the fabrics and construction to be of very high quality.

We decided to learn more. When we met with them, they explained that they streamlined the fit process and isolated alterations to the first shirt. That meant they've eliminated the need for returns — which allows ShirtCycle to sell $100-125 shirts for $83.

As Harpalani and Mersereau see it, most guys don't have time to get measured at the tailor. And they don't want to try to figure out how to measure themselves in the proper way. Even if they do go through the process, they may still end up needing alterations.

So ShirtCycle focuses on making alterations easy and getting that problem out of the way. They personally handle alterations for free and verify your fit before curating your shirt styles.

ShirtCycle uses the finest sea island and non-iron fabrics. Its Black Label line tailors shirts using fabric from Thomas Mason, the English mill that has outfitted aristocrats since 1796.

ShirtCycle seams are tight "French seams," the best kind of stitching. Buttons are shell mother of pearl. The shirts are made to last.

According to Harpalani and Mersereau, cutting friction out of the process and switching to a subscription has allowed them to lower their price while maintaining the same high level of quality. Men no longer have to feel like they're swimming in their clothes, or strangled by their ties, or cinched in the waist by too-tight shirts. That is, not when they have the right fitting shirts.

And more: pants, ties, and socks

Harpalani and Mersereau are adding more services for regular customers. They can now get custom-made pants, ones more comfortable than anything off the rack. These pants have details not usually found, like latex grippers to keep your shirt tucked in. They cost $175 and use the finest Italian wools. The $295 Black Label line use fabrics from Vitale Barberis Canonico.

You can add a matching tie and socks to any shirt. Their ties are 100% silk with a wool interlining that releases wrinkles and holds it shape. Each tie and sock set includes a metal clip that attaches to your shirt hanger and preps your look in advance.

ShirtCycle gets it. We all want to look better, but late nights and early flights can make that easier said than done. Their matching sets provide seamless style and leave you with one less thing to think about in the morning.

Focus on what's important

ShirtCycle offers the personal touch of a stylist and the convenience of a subscription service. Harpalani, who still outfits much of the financial world, knows what styles are in play in the professional fields. He also knows which collars and colors are going to look best on his customers.

Busy men no longer have to spend their weekends focusing on fashion. Instead. they can take the time off, or focus on their careers. ShirtCycle takes the guesswork out of getting dressed.

Stop shopping and start living: sign up for ShirtCycle on their website.

Now watch how ShirtCycle works:

This post is sponsored by ShirtCycle

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Headdresses and knock-off Native American patterns on runways are controversial in the fashion industry. 

Karlie Kloss’ Native American-style headdress caused an outcry at the 2012 Victoria Secret Fashion Show — the brand would later apologize and pull the outfit from the broadcast. H&M stopped selling its “hipster” Native American-inspired headdresses after customer complaints in 2013, and rapper Pharrell Williams was forced to apologize after wearing a war bonnet on the cover of Elle UK Magazine in 2014.

And earlier this year, brand KTZ was accused of directly copying a dress by Native American fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail’s “Crow Pop Collection.”

While the KTZ dress was geometric and had seemingly random inverted triangles, Yellowtail’s was made with Crow bead work that dated back to her great grandmother.

(Left:) #Byellowtail #Apsaalooke nights dress launched in fall of 2014. The dress as stated on my website embodies a Crow design from my great great grandmother...funny I didn't realize @ktz_official knew the Yellowtail's or the Crow people. (right) A @ktz_official dress from NYFW walked down the runway yesterday looking mighty familiar... It's one thing for designers to be unoriginal and knock off other peoples designs but what happens when you blatantly take cultural valuable designs from Indigenous people? Let's find out.... 🔥🔥🔥🔥 #CanANativeLive 💆 #boycott #KTZ #ktzofficial #boycottKTZ In an interview he also goes on to say that this collection is a "tribute" to indigenous Native American people. But What kind of honor does this bring?

A photo posted by b.YELLOWTAIL (@byellowtail) on Feb 17, 2015 at 11:53pm PST

Yet even in the face of stolen cultural icons, Yellowtail is pushing back with a new collection called “The Mighty Few" for her brand b.YELLOWTAIL.

“Quite honestly I'm tired of talking about cultural appropriation, I’m doing something about it,” she told Business Insider. “I simply want to carve out a space where an authentic voice and an authentic representation of Native America exists and thrives. If that means we’re combatting cultural appropriation while just being true to ourselves then that’s a bonus.” 

Her collection launched in April and features items like a chiffon maxi dress with an elk tooth pattern and a French lace top with elk teeth replicas hand stitched across the top. The designs are contemporary and flattering while also being rooted in a long and storied culture.

Yellowtail garnered inspiration from her upbringing on the Crow Nation and Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations in southeastern Montana as well as her ancestors and culture. In particular, a photo of her great aunt performing a rare Shoshone war bonnet dance — one of the few ceremonies where a young woman leader wears the symbolic headdress — side-by-side with a photo of another relative performing the same dance in 2013 was a major inspiration.

“The two together gave me an overwhelming feeling,” she said. “It was so beautiful to clearly see the continuity of our people.”

But her designs are more than continuing great traditions and honoring the past. Yellowtail strives to display Natives as modern and fashion-forward people instead of mere stereotypes, and makes a point of collaborating with indigenous artists — her photographer, models, and video director are all Native American, as MIC pointed out.

“My favorite piece is actually one of the accessories from my collection, the Women Warrior Ledger Scarf,” Yellowtail told us. “I collaborated with an incredible Blackfeet artist named John Pepion who specializes in contemporary ledger drawings [Ed note: ledger drawings are narrative drawings or paintings traditional to the plains tribes]. I specifically brought in John to create the art which is featured on the scarf to help me tell a story.”

All of the clothes and accessories are also constructed on native land and are handmade by the b.YELLOWTAIL design team. She told Business Insider that she hopes to own a manufacturer on tribal land one day so that she can contribute to the economic development of these communities.

So far, the response to the latest b.YELLOWTAIL collection has been overwhelmingly positive. The company has received so many orders that numerous items such as a horse hair rope belt and elk tooth necklace are on back order while her team struggles to meet the demand. 

“To be honest I wasn’t fully anticipating this kind of response,” she told Business Insider. “The orders have been flying in and the support from the native and non-native communities has been absolutely astounding.”

Yellowtail hopes that within the next five years, she’ll see mainstream retailers around the country begin selling her designs, and wants to expand her brand into menswear, shoes, more accessories, and perhaps even home decor. 

“When I step back and look at the collection I see a reflection of my loved ones, my ancestors, the communities I come from, the land I was raised, and I also see me,” Yellowtail said. “Though history and circumstances have not always been in our peoples favor, time has not erased us, we are still here, beautiful, strong and resilient.”

You can see more of the b.YELLOWTAIL collection here.

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Jewelry for men is tricky, but founder of Miansai Michael Saiger shows us that with the right pieces, jewelry can add some subtle, yet unique flair to an outfit. Here's how men can pull off jewelry, even in the office. 

Produced by Justin Gmoser. Additional camera by Jason Gaines. 

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John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, took to Twitter on Friday after conservative blogger Matt Drudge mocked his fashion choices.

On Tuesday, the campaign unveiled a T-shirt designed to look like one of Clinton's trademark pantsuits. On Friday, Podesta posted a picture of himself wearing the shirt to encourage supporters to buy one in the campaign store.

Drudge subsequently made Podesta's picture the top story on his widely read website, which featured the headline "PODESTA IN DRAG FOR HILLARY?"

Podesta responded with another tweet referencing Drudge's famous fedora.

Business Insider reached out to Podesta to ask if he would be sending Drudge a T-shirt. 

"No free loaders here," Podesta said. "Drudge will have to buy his own." 

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(Warning: This post contains explicit language.)

A while back, I wrote about beards. Specifically, I declared the trend of increasingly gruff beards was over.

For some reason, this article enjoyed some increased popularity in the last couple of days, thanks to a couple of Facebook posts

As a result, I got some... fan mail.

Here's the first message I received this morning:

 And another, later in the afternoon: 

I finally figured out that these emails seem to be linked to this somewhat offensive Facebook post:

If you have any more trends you think I should report on, please get in touch at sferro@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: The beard trend is over — it's time to shave

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When Dolly Singh first met Elon Musk, it was 2007, and SpaceX had already seen its share of rocket launch failures. 

Singh had spent the past six years as a recruiter in southern California, matching those who could build rockets with the companies who wanted to enter the next frontier. Then there was Musk, who to the aerospace community was the software guy from Silicon Valley, and he wanted Singh to come work for him and give up her own independent business and clients.

She knew his résumé, but she also knew rockets were hard.

Musk drew her two lines, Singh said, reenacting it for Business Insider on a Starbucks table in San Francisco seven years later.

One line slanted up, showing the acceleration of Silicon Valley, "better, faster, cheaper." The famous Moore's law. The other line was flat. The U.S. rocket industry, Musk told Singh, pretty much hadn't moved over the last 50 years.

Singh says Musk told her: "It's not a leap of faith to say that you can take these technologies and pull this laggard industry into the 21st industry."

Singh took the leap of faith, and spent the next five and a half years touring candidates through the SpaceX campus and watching Musk try to pull the rocket industry forward.

After years of walking around the hard factory floors, Singh realized there was a different industry that needed to be pulled forward, whose line had likewise remained stagnant.

For Musk, it may have been rockets. For Singh, it was the high heel.

"To me, when you’re surrounded by some of the smartest people on the planet, building some of the biggest and most badass machines on this world, the idea that my shoes are such crap became really obnoxiously unbearable," Singh said.

Why you need an astronaut and a rocket scientist to design high heels

Singh had been thinking about her high heel problem for about a year and a half before she approached some of her friends at SpaceX, former astronaut Garrett Reisman and rocket scientist Hans Koenigsmann.

Instead of asking for help with high heels, she approached them with an engineering problem: how would they redesign a chassis to support a human's weight and range of motion?

They took a cue from Musk and broke the problem down to the fundamental laws of physics acting on high heels, or chassis depending on your approach. When it comes to high heels, there's three: how the shoe distributes weight, what happens when it hits the ground and the friction between your foot and the shoe. 

Those are the only design constraints, Singh said. The basic shape of the high heel and its materials — a metal plate, a metal shank and compressed cardboard — haven't changed in many years.

"A skinny metal rod and cardboard is basically all you're standing on when you're wearing stilettos, so it doesn't take a lot for scientists to see that it's not a particularly sophisticated structure from an engineering standpoint," Singh said.

Maybe you need more than an astronaut, though

If Singh had stopped there, however, she joked that her friends could've helped her design a great chassis, but not a great shoe. She adapted Musk's approach to building a team, one that had become her own when she helped expand SpaceX.

"Elon isolated to say, 'Find me the single best person on the freaking planet, then convince me why out of how many billion people on the planet that this is that guy,'" Singh said. "And he does that even if it's the cook. When we built a yogurt booth inside of SpaceX, he said, 'Go to Pinkberry and find me the employee of the month, and I want to hire the employee of the month.'”

Realizing that there was potential in remaking the high heel, Singh left SpaceX in June 2013 to join the Founder's Institute, an incubator, to launch Thesis Couture. As soon as she left, though, Nate Mitchell of Oculus reached out and brought on Singh as Director of Talent where she stayed until the company was acquired by Facebook.

While working double duty at Oculus, Singh recruited Amanda Parkes, who has degrees from MIT and Stanford, to be the company's design director. Her role was to help transform the initial engineering work and vision into something that doesn't look like an orthopedic shoe, but something a woman would want to wear.

Part of the process, Singh explained, has been finding a way to manufacture heels and prototype them cheaply. Most heels traditionally can't be manufactured without a mold, but it's hard to shell out the tens of thousands required to make one if you don't have a prototype to try to make sure it's correct.

This is where those lines Musk first drew came back in.

"When something hasn't changed for more than 50 years, it doesn't take more than a leap of faith to say I can take the technology and everything that has matured and go back and apply them," Singh said. "High heels are a $40 billion a year plus industry."

Singh brought on Matt Thomas, who had done work with Oakley's military team and had worked at Oculus, to help with the architectural elements and turn the company's designs into something that can be manufactured. 

Thomas also has a background in plastics, which is what the team decided to make the heel out of instead of the old metal and cardboard.

Thanks to 3D printing and computer programs, the Thesis team has been able to prototype faster and without the high cost initial investment. The company is also going to experiment with manufacturing in both Brazil and Italy.

The mother of four kids has been making the rounds with investors, trying to raise $1 million in angel funding. So far, she's raised $700,00 from investors including Salesforce's Marc Benioff and Tom Mueller, co-founder of SpaceX. Musk has not invested in the company, although he did review the slide deck, Singh said.

While they are still in the R&D phase, the company's first 1,500 pairs will be available for pre-order in the fall. The first pairs will be sold for about $925. After that, the initial selection of Thesis Couture heels will range between $350-950 for different styles.

When it comes to the pre-orders though, Singh has a Musk-like goal: "I want to have it sell out in 60 seconds."

SEE ALSO: What it's really like to work for Elon Musk

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It turns out that you are probably folding your T-shirts and socks all wrong. Marie Kondo, an organization celebrity in Japan, shows us the folding methods that earned her a spot on Time's 2015 "Top 100 Influential People" list. 

You can learn more about her tidying methods from her book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing."

Produced by Justin Gmoser and Megan Willett. Additional camera by Jason Gaines. Special thanks to Caroline Moss, Julie Zeveloff, Sam Rega, Graham Flanagan and Molly Mulshine. 

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In sixth grade, my mom and dad forced me to bring a rolling backpack to school.

Even though I was bullied constantly and claimed that a socially unacceptable rolling backpack would just give the other students more opportunities to be cruel, my parents said it was more important to take care of my postural health than blend in with the others.

The hatred for roller backpacks is well-established in schools though, as shown in this short clip about why people can't stand them:

"If anyone laughs at you, just say they're going to have back problems in their twenties and you won't," my mom would tell me.

As you can imagine, that "comeback" was real effective on those mean-spirited kids. Even my math instructor often joked before recess, "Don't miss your flight, Laura!" It wasn't until a repeated harasser managed to kick a wheel off my backpack that my parents allowed me to embrace a regular JanSport like everyone else my age.

By freshman year of high school, the book and homework load was light enough that I could use a single-strap bag, which followed me to college.

It wasn't until I landed my first post-graduation job that my single-strap bag began to hurt, as I had to carry my computer five days a week. At 5' 5" and 130 pounds, that's a lot of weight on my lean build.

But half a decade later, it looks like all those years of lugging around my laptop took a toll on one side of my body.

I recently attended the 2015 West Coast ISPA Media Event, where a Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program representative provided me with a full postural analysis. As a writer who spends a lot of time sitting in front of a computer, has a "text neck" issue with smartphone overuse, and carries my laptop every day from point A to point B, I was expecting to hear I had the postural health of an 80-year-old woman.

As it turned out, I have Kyphosis-Lordosis Posture, the most common postural scenario:

 The Healthy Living Program associate also noted that my left shoulder, which I always use to carry my computer bag, is lower than my right, which is reserved for my purse.

The average laptop weighs five pounds, and the average purse can weigh even more than that at 6.27 pounds, according to a 2012 study by StyleList. According to the American Chiropractic Association, this can be a bad combination for slender individuals who use a purse and laptop bag at the same time because "[c]arrying a bag with detectable weight — more than 10 percent of your body weight — can cause improper balance."

I don't think my purse is that heavy, but I have put more items in it over time — like a book, wallet, smart phone, smartphone charger, handful of pens, and Altoids.

Though it's certainly a major player, my computer bag isn't the only thing at fault for my physical imbalance. I also have Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD), a jaw problem that has given me problems since adolescence, and uneven facial structure, which the Healthy Living Program rep said could impact my posture.

I also tend to lean my head and chin forward, likely from all those years of looking closely at my computer screen.

Postural issues affecting young people.

Dr. Phil Hagen, who works in the Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told ATTN: that the long-term postural issues young people face often stem from our ability to maintain imperfect posture for long periods of time.

"I would say it's either focusing on something where it's a game controller or a computer or small screen, therefore it's that rounded shoulders, neck forward kind of posture that they have," Dr. Hagen told ATTN:.

He says that our attention spans actually hurt our posture.

"Because young people are capable of pretty intense focus, they may do that for hours," Hagen said. "Since the spine is not in its neutral position, it tends to put a little stress on the spine, which puts pressure on things like the discs in between the spine and on some of the muscles and ligaments. It's not that they're doing damage, it's just that they're going to cause pain because they're holding [themselves] in that fixed position and that causes inflammation."

What to do if you frequently carry a single-strap laptop bag?

Dr. Hagen advises folks who carry laptop bags on one shoulder to swap shoulders from time to time so as not to overwork a single side of the body. He also said exercises like shrugs or bent over rolls can strengthen the trapezius muscles.

"Because muscles are paired and the body is fairly well balanced, [one thing] is to switch shoulders," Dr. Hagen said. "So if you have a heavy thing [to carry], just put it on your right shoulder and sometimes turn it around and put it on your left shoulder. The trapezii are holding your shoulders up, and so when you're carrying something on your shoulder, you're putting the trapezius on stretch, so exercises that strengthen the trapezius [will make them] much more resilient and more able to take the weight."

Everyone is a little uneven. That's not a problem.

Humans are attracted to symmetry, so Dr. Hagen understands that many people are self-conscious about being uneven, however, the health implications of this are much more alarming than appearing slightly off.

"We all have a little asymmetry, so if people notice they're a little asymmetric, they shouldn't freak out about it, especially when we're younger and have pretty intense body image [issues] and think 'God, we ought to be perfectly even,'" Dr. Hagen said. "But I think that the balance in terms of strength is important, so if you're right-handed, your right-sided muscles tend to be stronger.

"Muscles are paired around the joints — your bicep bends the elbow and your tricep straightens the elbow — so keeping paired muscles in balance is important. So whenever you go do an exercise, if you do a bicep exercise, you should do a tricep exercise."

Dr. Hagen's advice for laptop bag users is wonderful, but I'm going a step further and investing in a two-strap backpack to more evenly distribute the weight on my shoulders. As a 2004 French study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information found, "Carrying the backpack with two shoulder straps affects posture and gait less than carrying it on one shoulder."

It won't be as chic as a one-strap bag, but at least it's not as geeky as a rolling backpack.

SEE ALSO: 'Battle ropes' could be the next trendy workout

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Like a lot of guys who appreciate style and good footwear, come the spring/summer seasons I rarely wear socks.

Personally, I find going sockless more comfortable; I like the feeling of good leather on my feet and, combined with a no break hem, the ankle breeze provides a significant cooling effect.

We get a lot of questions about this, so if you’re not comfortable with socklessness yet, here are some tips to make it easier.

1. Buy the Right Shoe Size

It’s surprising how many guys are wearing the wrong size shoes, especially in terms of width. Men’s shoes come in a range of widths from “A” (very narrow) to “EEE” (very wide), with “D” or “M” usually representing “Regular/Medium” width. Buying the correct width for your foot (I’m an “E”, for example) is crucial to feeling comfortable in your shoes, whether you’re wearing socks or not. 

2. Take Care of Your Feet

Foot stink comes from bacteria on your feet. Make sure you scrub your dogs with a strong soap (and maybe a brush) every day. I like Dr. Bronners for this. The fresher your feet are, the less they will stink. You don’t want to take your shoes off at a house party and clear out the room. A pedicure is not a terrible idea from time to time, either. Yes, plenty of men get pedicures, especially in the summer when they’re wearing sandals and hitting the beach. 

3. Break Them In Gradually

If you just picked up a pair of brand new shoes, I would suggest breaking them in with socks first. Going sockless in a fresh pair of leather shoes is asking for swollen blistering feet — which is never a good look. 

4. Stick to Loafers

I always thought the idea of going sockless in a pair of fancy business shoes, like brogue captoes or wingtips, looks a little unnatural or forced. Going barefoot is a casual, leisurely move, so make sure the shoes convey that same message. Check out our Guide to Loafers for some ideas.

5. Look for Softer Leathers  

A genuine shell cordovan (made form the strong rear muscle of a horse) is going to be extremely stiff and rigid (and take longer to break in) while a unlined supple suede is going to be soft and flexible from the start. 

6. Give Them a Day to Dry

You should never wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row, especially if you’re wearing them without socks. Give them at least a day in between to dry out completely. Extended periods of moisture can affect the leather and only add to the stinking problem. Keep them in steady rotation and always keep cedar shoe trees in them on their days off.

7. Get Yourself a Shoe Horn

A thin dress sock helps you slip into a pair of shoes. With bare feet it can be a little more difficult to get them on. For this reason, I live and die by one of these. (I prefer the extended length so I don’t have to bend down too much.) 

8. Wear Breathable Fabrics

Going sockless is a move that should be reserved for warm weather. Try to stay cool by wearing lightweight fabrics (linen, hopsack, fresco, tropical wool, cotton, seersucker, mohair, etc.) and a hemline that’s high enough to give you a little breathing room. 

9. Powder Your Shoes

If you have issues with sweating, consider throwing a little anti-stink powder in your shoes between wears. 

10. Consider “Loafer Liners”

If you’re still having trouble, you can cheat the sockless look by using “no show” loafer socks. Ideally they would match the color of your shoes, like these for example. This should be a last resort, as personally I think you should keep it authentic! The sockless feel might just take some time to get used to…

SEE ALSO: How to pick the perfect pair of shoes for every color suit

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J. Crew is floundering.

It has been struggling for some time, alienating some of its most loyal customers with recent styles that — under creative director Jenna Lyons — have strayed from the classic fashions J. Crew is best known for. 

But the company won't directly blame Lyons for its decline, even if she is at the helm of the creative decisions. Instead, CEO Mickey Drexler is blaming sweaters, reports Bloomberg.

For the most recent quarter, J. Crew sales dropped 5.2% to $508.7 million. 

"The lion's share of our women's issues is isolated to knits and sweaters, which has been an outsize portion of our business," Drexler said on a conference call with analysts, according to Bloomberg.

He said the retailer "got sloppy" with an ill-fitting cardigan and ran out of one popular hit, the Tippi sweater, according to The New York Post.

“We didn’t have the right cardigan,” Drexler said on the call, according to The Post. "...It didn’t fit that well and we didn’t buy enough of the perfect crew. We’ve become a T-shirt destination.”

J. Crew's off-kilter items have been lampooned by Meaghan Keane on The Gloss. Women's lifestyle website The Hairpin also mocked Jenna Lyons for championing so many outrageously priced and largely unwearable items.

In March, Drexler confessed, "we’ve made some missteps over the last year and we are working hard to course correct," on an earnings call, according to The Wall Street Journal.  In the same call, he reportedly admitted, "I don’t think J.Crew women’s looked like J.Crew women’s as much as it could have."

The company also recently infuriated many of its female customers by changing its signature ballet flats, proving that it may have a long way to go before it resolves its problems.

Fortunately, the brand can at least count on its sister company Madewell, whose sales are booming, per Bloomberg.

SEE ALSO: J. Crew is alienating its most important customers

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LA-based men's clothing label, Buck Mason, doesn't care about insider-y, fashion-industry stuff, like which menswear designer took home this year's top prize at the CFDA Fashion Awards last week. (It was Tom Ford, in case you're wondering.)

The company's sole focus since its inception in 2013 is on quality and timelessness. It doesn't involve itself with seasonal trends or of-the-moment fashion items (ie. whatever Pharrell Williams is deeming stylish these days.) It didn't even let the panel on "Shark Tank" sway it in deciding what to offer. This is a non-fashion fashion label with serious moral high ground, folks. 

We talked with Buck Mason founders Erik Schnakenberg and Sasha Koehn about the trials and tribulations of running a start-up, on manufacturing their products exclusively in the US, why they turned down a lucrative round of funding from "Shark Tank"'s Robert Herjavec, and much more. We think you'll agree the made-in-America brand is a good fit for your lifestyle in more ways than one. 

BUSINESS INSIDER: In Buck Mason’s mission statement, it says it’s “not excited by fashion.” What does that mean to you? 

ERIK SCHNAKENBERG: We don’t focus much on fashion; the Pantone color of the month and trend forecasting isn’t really our thing. We take the staples — oxfords, khakis, jeans, and tees — and we strip it down. No unnecessary branding, no filler. Then we rebuild them with incredible fabrics and in cuts and colors guys look great in. The classics made better than the classics, that’s what we do.

BI: Timelessness and effortlessness are words the company uses to describe itself. How did you decide the image for the brand? And, what research went into its minimalist, all-American aesthetic? 

ES: We just took our daily wardrobes and made it for everybody else. You look at Shoshuke Ishuzu’s editorial photography of American university students in the early sixties for his book, Take Ivy, and you realize stylish guys have been dressing the same way forever.

Henley shirts, khakis, jeans — it’s all codified. Buck Mason makes the same clothes that have existed forever using prime, domestic manufacturing, but we’ve completely revolutionized how you hear about it and how you shop for it.

BI: That's right. Buck Mason’s clothes are made in America. Why did you decide to keep your operations stateside instead of opting for cheaper manufacturing overseas?

ES: Producing domestically means keeping both eyes on quality. We design everything in Los Angeles and most of the fabric is knit six blocks from the office. We cut, sew, finish, and dye here, so we can catch mistakes any time during production. It’s accountability down to the thread.

SASHA KOEHN: You want to know who’s making your stuff. Job creation is important, too. It feels good to hire people stateside. There’s nothing we’re prouder of than the little team we’ve brought together. If we can make better products than our competitors and create jobs doing it, we’re on the right track.

ES: 97% of clothing purchased in America is made overseas and sold at a retail mark up of over 600%. It didn’t sit right to be an “American” brand that didn’t make stuff here. We knew a few companies that were creating American-made pieces, but your typical guy (us included) couldn’t afford them. So, we thought, “Let’s make high-quality, affordable goods, and let’s make them here.”

BI: A basic (but high-quality) T-shirt for $24 — we were not sure this still existed. How does the company keep prices affordable while also manufacturing everything in the US?

SK: Retail has evolved so much; e-commerce has totally eliminated the need for wholesale distribution and traditional media campaigns. And, reaching customers and creating buzz through inexpensive social channels has never been easier.

ES: It’s a sixty-dollar tee by any other brand. We source, cut, and sew it for $12. We could have sold it for $25 wholesale with retailers charging $60, but we figure our customers will keep coming back for the savings. Affordable pricing allows us to serve more customers and not be limited to a small demographic, like most of our peers in the luxury space.

BI: Tell us about Shark Tank: How has that experience changed your brand? We imagine being on national TV brought in a large number of first-time shoppers to the site. 

ES: Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Sales increased 6,300% in three days, and in-store revenue went up 500% — easy. Of the surge in online traffic, roughly 65% of it came from consumers in the middle of the country. We've definitely introduced our brand to an incredible amount of people between the two coasts; we're selling products faster than we can make them right now.

SK: [Prior to Shark Tank], our guys were definitely more anchored on the two coasts… Our call for domestic manufacturing resonates with the middle of the country in a big way.

BI: Was it difficult to walk away from Shark Tank’s $200,000 offer? Why, ultimately, did you turn it down?

SK: It was certainly enticing. We both really like Robert and were excited that he came back in with an offer, but we were still giving up too much equity for our first round of funding. They didn’t air this, but we explained to the Sharks that we were anticipating raising more rounds and that this didn't align with our future growth plans. It was a tough decision, but we both stuck to our guns. No regrets.

BI: What are the best and most challenging aspects of working for a start-up? What lessons have you gleaned from the experience?

SK: Starting out, we had to do everything ourselves, which us gave us an all-encompassing grasp of the business — because we couldn’t afford to hire out. You keep that perspective as you transition back into leadership.

[With start-ups] there’s also no bureaucracy holding you back, which it’s incredibly refreshing. It’s a bit of a paradox, of course, because then there are immediate, potentially devastating financial consequences for every decision you make.

ES: It’s like always thinking that your girlfriend is going to leave you.

BI: Well said, Erik.

Now, we can probably all agree shopping at certain stores can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of products. Why was it important for Buck Mason to stick to a very select inventory? How did you decide what products to sell?

ES: Culling the line was essential. We really try to stick to what we’re good at, and what guys need. For example, we saw so much excess in men’s denim — so much needless filigree — so we got rid of everything. Subtracting, simple math: 5 pockets, no logos, and in three perfect fits using some of the best fabric in the world. Period. We think jeans should be vessels to the man — they should make you look good. No accoutrement, no statements.

[All of our clothing] harkens back to that subtractive approach. Our stuff is so pared down and smart, you’d be hard pressed to put together an outfit that looks bad.

For an outfit that'll never look bad, you can check out everything there is to shop at Buck Mason, here. 

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If there's one thing I'm personally sick of as a sneaker editor, it's the rise of the brands trying to charge high-end prices for Italian-made, all-white sneakers that are basically knockoffs of the Adidas Stan Smith. It's boring, contrived, and usually perpetrated by people who are jumping on a bandwagon rather than having a genuine appreciation for sneakers. I'm not the only person who feels that way.

Skylar Bergl at Four Pins — he's sitting two desks away as I type this — has had enough of the Common Projects copycats and decided to do a takedown on this topic, titled "We Don't Need Another Minimal Sneaker Brand."

In his piece, he states that this sneaker trend is very similar to the selvedge denim wave that rose a few years ago, with brands coming out of the woodwork to create a simple product at a luxury price point. As Bergl writes, "The basic sneaker has been beaten like a dead horse ready to head to the glue factory. Why not try something a little different? Put a spin on the design and make it something that doesn't immediately elicit groans of "rip-off." Sure, that requires some extra ingenuity, creativity, design, research and time. Undoubtedly, some people will probably hate it. But at least we'll have an opinion."

Read the rest of his complaints here.

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British luxury brand Mulberry reported a 9% drop in total revenue to £148.7 million ($230.2 million) for the year ending March 31, from £163.5 million ($253.1 million) in the previous period.

This may seem pretty diabolical for a luxury brand right now but actually the group identified that there was a problem with revenue during 2014 and made a massive change to its products to boost retail sales - it made sure all its handbags fell within a specific price range.

"I am pleased that the strategy we approved as a Board last year is beginning to bear fruit," said Thierry Andretta, CEO of Mulberry in a statement."We are committed to strengthening our position in the UK whilst continuing to pursue our international growth strategy. We are focused upon translating the luxury values and Britishness of the Mulberry brand to a global audience."

Basically, Mulberry found that by making sure its handbags fell within a £500-£1,000 ($775-$1548) price range, more people would buy them. Prior to the new strategy, lots of the company's bags sold for over £1,100. The proportion of bags in the new lower price range rose from 45% in the Spring/Summer 2014 collection to 66% of its Spring/Summer 2015 range. 

The changes seem to be working — retail sales rose by 1% in £109.9 million ($170 million) for the year. In the first half of the year, retail sales fell by 9% but then picked up by 9% in the second half due to the pricing strategy.

This is a big deal because, as expected by the company, wholesale sales were down 29% to £38.8 million ($60 million), so it needs to boost sales from retail — the people going into shops and buying products off the shelves. And getting it right on handbags is a big part of that as leather goods account for 90% of Mulberry's revenue.

"The recent improvement in sales momentum suggests that this is a successful strategy," said the group.

"We have seen a positive uplift in sales since November as a result of the actions we took at the beginning of the year," said Godfrey Davis, Chairman of Mulberry in a statement. "We have focused on creating desirable new products across the entire Mulberry range whilst continuing to invest for the longer term. Our initiatives to re-engage with our customers have delivered promising results."

Mulberry are pretty happy with the results from the new pricing strategy and confirmed that they are going to apply a "critical" price range to ALL product categories, "aligning the price point of shoes and ready-to-wear collections with bags in order to make those collections more relevant to the Group's core customers."

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Republicans and Democrats in Congress don't agree on very much these days — but they'll stand together when it comes to Seersucker suits. 

Yesterday, Congress celebrated the annual Seersucker Thursday and flooded Twitter with congressional selfies.

Eager to show off his Southern-inspired fashion sense, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was just one of the representatives to get in on the action, as seen in this photo with Rep. Patrick McHenry yesterday.

The tradition dates back to the days when the US Capitol building lacked air-conditioning, and "senators from the South had much to teach their colleagues from other regions about proper attire," according to the Senate historian.  

When air conditioning was installed, seersucker suits became less popular among members of Congress. Lucky, the seersucker tradition was revived in the 1990s by Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott. Hoping to show that the "the Senate isn’t just a bunch of dour folks wearing dark suits and in the case of men — red or blue ties," Lott encouraged his colleagues to wear seersucker suits on a designated Thursday in June.

In 2004, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California worked to boost female participation in the tradition. In 2005, 11 of the 14 female senators wore seersucker suits that Feinstein had given them as a gift.

This year, many women participated by wearing seersucker attire.  

Seersucker suits became popular after a New Orleans clothier designed the fabric in 1907. 

The tradition almost died in 2012. On the night before the designated Thursday, the staff of the Senate cloakroom notified members of Congress that the tradition was coming to an end. Many in the Senate felt that "it would be politically unwise to be seen doing something frivolous when there's so much conflict over major issues," reported the Washington Post. 

Lott returned to the Capitol yesterday to celebrate the tradition.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana worked to keep the tradition alive in 2014, noting that "seersucker is more than fabric — it's a symbol of American-made products that create manufacturing, shipping, and sales jobs across the country. It is also the melding of fashion with comfort," according to KLCC, a public radio station in Oregon. 

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Celebrities often make red-carpet appearances look easy as they breeze by photographers with perfect smiles, well-coiffed hair, and beautiful dresses that have been tailored to fit every inch of their bodies like a glove.

But there's a lot of behind-the-scenes work — and secret deals with fashion designers — that goes into getting a celebrity looking perfect for the red carpet and its awaiting flashbulbs.

Celebrity stylists Jessica Paster, Erin Walsh, Brad Goreski, and Brandon Maxwell recently sat down with The Cut senior editor Isabel Wilkinson at the Vulture Festival to discuss a side of the business that is rarely talked about — the financials.

Oftentimes, designers pay celebrities and their stylists for a certain dress to be worn at a big event.

While stylists Goreski and Maxwell said they've never been offered money to dress an A-list client, Paster painted a very different picture.

"It's prevalent across the board," said Paster, whose clients have included Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Miranda Kerr, Sandra Bullock, and Rachel McAdams, among many others. "Jewelry people are paying, shoe people are paying, tampon companies are paying, everyone is paying!"

When it comes to celebrity dressing, Paster says the financial breakdown looks something like this:

"It could be just paying the stylist and we get anywhere between $30,000 to $50,0000. Or it's paying the actress something between $100,000 and $250,000."

But, she warns, "Nothing is ever signed, if a dress works, it works. But if the dress looks awful on a client, $250,000 or less is not worth wearing it."

"If it looks gorgeous on you and this is the dress we were going to pick anyway, why not be paid?" asked Paster, explaining that she prefers to call paid relationships between celebrities and brands "ambassadorships."

"They're ambassadorships and you start relationships with them [the brand], and then eventually, the actress often does get a campaign from them because they have a relationship with her," explains Paster.

"I don't seek these things out, but I think you put the most beautiful dress on the girl and if you get paid that's a plus," Paster continued. "I'm not going to use a dress that's not right for a girl and get paid, that's wrong. I always tell my assistants, don't worry about the money the money will come, just do a beautiful job."

Celebrity stylist Goreski admits that brands often do pay to be showcased on the red carpet.

"If someone shows up to the Oscars in a black dress and huge statement necklace, chances are they're being paid by a jewelry company," Goreski revealed.

But as for why the topic of celebs being paid to wear certain gowns is so hush-hush, Goreski thinks it's nobody else's business.

"Why do any of us need to know how they're making their money?" asked Goreski. "It's not like they're trafficking drugs, they're being paid to wear a dress. So what? If someone offered me $150,000 to show up in a beautiful custom made gown by X designer, I'd be like, 'Where do I sign?!'"

Maxwell summed it up quite nicely: "The whole point of an actress having a stylist is so you can make more money, or more people want to hire you, or the brand that you're wearing is making more money because it's driving sales. It's all wrapped up in money — it's Hollywood — we're not at church."

Watch the full panel discussion below (discussion begins about 32:45):

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