Shops we like - BlankLabel.com

Custom stuff is great. Everyone likes a little personalization, or just something that's more "you". Custom is even better in clothing, where fit makes all the difference. Having a personal tailor to make all your clothes is out of the range of possibility for most, but Blank Label puts bespoke shirts for men in an affordable price range.

Starting at $50, Blank Label lets you play designer - you pick out the fabric, style, specifics, and custom size of your shirt. Fabrics range from casual to high class, and the range of options covers pretty much anything you can think to do to a classic men's dress shirt, without giving more options than you know what to do with. You can even choose to have your shirt monogrammed, in any or all of three different places, and/or add your own label to the inside collar or front placket.

The innovative, attractive, and easy-to-use website lets you view fabric choices up close, and see an image of what your shirt will look like all through the creation process. It also shows you a little cash register so you can keep track of how your changes are adding up. It's a neat site to play with, and we can't wait to try out a real shirt.

Shops we like - San Filippo Leather

I stumbled across San Filippo Leather when one of their whiskey holsters was featured in an etsy treasury alongside one of our Old West Gentleman soaps. I'd never seen such a thing as a whiskey holster, so naturally I had to click on to learn more. I'm so glad I did, because it lead me to http://www.sanfilippoleather.com/ where they have even more awesome items for sale.

San Filippo Leather handcrafts their leather bags and accessories, and even offers custom orders where you can get your initials, name, or artistic design hand-tooled onto your leather. I especially love that this is a husband and wife team, just like us. As long as you're getting a new belt, wallet, etc, you should go ahead and get a high quality leather one that will last from true artisans.