Isaia is a brand synonymous with excellent suits. The Napoli-based company’s signature coral lapel pin is basically a calling card for any guy to announce that he’s currently stunting in some seriously well-made—and pricey—tailoring. Tom Cruise, meanwhile, is one of the most famous men on planet Earth and one of the most successful actors of all time. So it makes sense that these icons of their respective crafts have come together on Cruise’s recent press tour for Jack Reacher 2.

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    But when you’re Tom-Freaking-Cruise, off-the-rack suits won’t cut it—even if they’re made by one of Italy’s best tailoring houses. Hell, a bespoke suit made of the brand’s proprietary fabric isn’t even enough. No, when you’re Tom Cruise, only Isaia’s Solo Otto suits will do. The program is like made-to-measure on steroids, utilizing fabric so rare that only enough yardage is made to produce eight suits. After that, the finely woven yarns are decommissioned and moved into the archives for good, never to be reissued again.

    SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 12: American actor Tom Cruise attends the press conference of director Edward Zwick’s film “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” on October 12, 2016 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
    VCG via Getty Images

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    This week, Cruise stepped out in a navy blue, soft-shouldered suit (below) made of the label’s 14.5 Selection fabric, the name of which alludes to its 14.5-micron-sized Australian merino thread. According to the brand, “the diameter of a red blood cell is equal to 8 microns, while that of a hair varies between 65 and 78 microns.” Translation: These threads are fine—in every sense of the word. Simply put, Cruise has been parading around red carpets this week in a suit made of threads that are way thinner than the hairs on your head.

     

    style-tom-cruise-8As you might imagine, with this kind of rarity comes a hefty price tag, and the fully lined suit like Cruise’s from the Solo Otto collection costs over $8,000. But even if you can’t afford this specific suit (or even one of Isaia’s $4,000 off-the-rack models), there’s an important lesson to be learned: In a menswear world where suits aren’t king of the hill anymore, it’s important to make each tailoring choice as memorable as possible. Memorability can come via the pattern of the suit, the fit, the quality, or all of the above. At Cruise’s age, the best bet is to keep one’s swerves tame, regardless of price (hence the subtle check-pattern navy suit). And while we can’t speak for him, we know we’d get some sense of internal joy in knowing our suit is one of only eight in the entire world. That’s the kind of thing that can make any guy feel like a star, and it’s why suiting up is still the easiest way to look one’s best.