I’ve been wanting for a while a more practical daily-use watch. One that is clearly readable in light and dark, not oversized, water resistant, and shows the date. I’m surprised it took me this long to find all that in Seiko’s venerable “5” series.

“It bears repeating that NATO-style straps do wondrous things. Like otherwise dull clothing, watches transform with some accessorization — making them something like the Russian nesting doll of accessories. Plus, NATO-style straps are so cheap and mindless to deal with, it’s a fun transformation to make.”

How about something made in the USA this American Independence Day weekend? Some weeks ago, I arrived at my apartment door to a hotly anticipated Fedex box. It was my first custom shirt from online made-to-measure shirtmaker, Ratio Clothing.

I hate getting things altered. The effort usually involves toting clothes to work, making an extra subway stop on the way home, getting sized up and dropping the clothes off, and returning in a week with your fingers crossed that a second round of alterations won’t be needed. And that’s making the huge assumption that the off-the-rack clothes were salvageable to begin with — an expensive rarity for my skinny, 5′ 2″ frame.

Fortunately, the rise of online made-to-measure promises to make alterations the expensive rarity. Here’s my thoughts on my first made-to-measure experience — Hong Kong-based MyTailor.com — and why made-to-measure is a must for XS and down.