Meet The YouTube Tailoring Historian Behind Some Of Harlem’s Greatest Fits

Last summer, the chain on my ancient ten-speed bike took a bite out of a brand-new pair of trousers. Too broke to get them mended professionally, I turned to YouTube for help, which is how I stumbled on “Gentleman Jim the Tailor.” Gentleman Jim is not the average YouTuber. For one, he’s 75 years old. For another, he wears resplendent custom clothing of his own design in his tailoring how-to tutorials: in the video where I first found him, he’s wearing a orange-gold brocade vest over a white shirt, topped off with an ascot. At the time Jim (née McFarland) had already published 150 tutorial videos on every tailoring technique and tip imaginable. He also has a separate vlog, titled “The Brother From Harlem (with the High School Education),” about his uptown upbringing, which currently clocks in at 55 episodes. Despite Jim’s crystal-clear tailoring advice, I still messed up my pants. But I was hooked on his channel. Read more at GQ.