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How To Buy A Suit
So with casual basics done and dusted, let’s move onto more important things – Suits. If you thought people were getting casual fashion all wrong, then you haven’t seen anything yet. On my regular morning walks to the office it’s unbelievable the amount of baggy, oversized suits I see slowly drowning the ‘business’ men that are wearing them. It’s this awful look and the stigma associated with ‘knotting up’ for the workplace that give suits such a bad reputation and have men sighing with relief when dress down Friday and the weekend finally arrive. That is such a tragedy because suits are fantastic items of clothing. Well, the right suit is. There is nothing more unique and essentially ‘male’ than the suit and the options that are available to you when it comes to colour, patterns and what to pair them with are never ending; you’re life could never get boring.
However, before you do start going out and buying yourself a suit, know why you’re purchasing one in the first place. Is it for the office? So it’s going to be worn a lot during the week so it’ll need to be versatile and you’ll probably need another one to alternate with. Or is it for just those rare formal occasions? So weddings, funerals and the random ‘dressed to the nines’ events. In which case I would suggest something in black or navy.
Fit Basics
Once you’ve got that figured out next is (as always guys) the FIT! Yes, that old chestnut again. It’s important that when buying your suit to know your way around one and what you should be looking for. This is as follows:
- Shoulders – the suit should be hugging them, not tight in any way. Also, the pads should not be sticking out further than your own shoulders do.
- Chest – here you should be able to button it with ease but with no more than a fists width between your shirt and the jacket.
- Length – with your arms straight down by your sides you should be able to cup your fingers inside your suit jacket, if you can’t it’s too short, if you can but have lots of material in your hand then it’s too long! You should be able to see 3/4 to an inch of your shirt cuff out of the sleeves as well.
- Trouser – these, ultimately, should be comfortable for you because you’ll be wearing them regularly but with a rise that isn’t too high or low below your hips and with little to no break of the trouser hem when they reach your shoes.
Other Considerations
With fit sorted there are only two other things to decide on. The first is buttons and the second is what kind of lapel you want on your jacket. With a lapel you have two options; notch or peaked. Notch is standard for most business suits and is the kind of lapel that comes to mind when most people think a traditional suit. Peak equals old money and elegance. Popular throughout most of 80′s and Tom Ford is a big fan of having them on his suits, it is for a bold man wanting to make a bold statement. If you’re unsure stick with an notch lapel for the moment. A good rule go by when it comes to lapels is that if it’s a thinner lapel then make sure you have a slim tie and shirt collar to match.
Buttons on the other hand are all about personal preference. Three is classic 90′s and the go to look for a lot of business men in America that I saw. Just never button the bottom or top one so as not to restrict your movement and create stretch lines on the jacket. Two buttons are for the David Cameron’s amongst us; conservative and safe. Again no bottom button for maximum movement and style. My personal favourite is the one button and the European standard. Sleek, debonair and very ‘high style’ but it isn’t for everyone and may not be appropriate for the office in some instances.
Finally, always remember to try your suit on with a good fitting work shirt and a pair of shoes so that you can get the full picture when you see yourself in the shops mirror. I also find that a trusted and reliably blunt friend coming with you always helps and means that if you do happen to make some bad choices you’re going to be called on it. It is a big plus, believe me.
Conclusion
Other than the above points, buying a suit becomes massively about personal preference. Colour, material, patterns, shirt and tie combos, shoes, the list goes on. Obviously, these will all be covered shortly but hold off on buying a new suit just yet because I do still have a few tips on what suit to get to match your body shape and what a tailor can and can’t do for you.
But that will wait for next week, so until then guys…
Matt Allinson
Men's Fashion Basics - Part 18 - Suits For Your Body Type
Men's Fashion Basics - Part 16 - A Casual Round-Up
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I think, more than any other investment piece in your wardrobe, with the suit, you REALLY DO get what you pay for. Pay £100 for a suit on the high street and it’ll get threadbare quickly. Conversely, research your options carefully and invest, say £300 upwards and you are looking at something that will not only last longer but will also look better on you.
As Matt points out, fit is of paramount importance so go somehwre that obviously invests time in making sure that their suits hang well and where the staff know what they are talking about. This is not meant to be a snub of people’s favourite high st brands but rather indicate that quality is a defining factor. Check out Jaeger (especially their London range) and Reiss for starters. If you’ve got a bit more cash then go bespoke.
People generally don a suit when they want to look their best. Can you put a price on that?
I got my suit from Jump The Gun in Brighton, it cost £350 before tailoring. I’m all for the mod fit when it comes to suits but i guess its all personal preference.
Good article, but I find problems buying suits – Ted Baker, Hugo Boss, TM Lewin – nothing fits very well.
I hit the gym regularly and am a quite thick arms and shouldered 44 chest and a 32 waist…you can imagine the state of the trousers…and a jacket that sits comfortably in the shoulder is too long and much too big in the body…
The best jacket Ive found lately was a £14 sale blazer in New Look…
Any advice…Id love bespoke but budget wont allow…
If your looking for the kind of thing, then I would recommend visiting a tailor, if you hit the gym a lot, then you will be gaining mass quickly and getting bigger, at which point, you will need to keep adjusting it
You should try a bespoke tailor then. You will get a suit that is fitted exactly to your body shape. There are a few in London that aren’t too pricely either. Try Apsley Tailors in Pall Mall, I’ve had a couple made from them, really great
this is completely unrelated right but is it not part 17? other than that though I think what Olly has said in conjunction with Matt’s points is completely correct and i find the advice useful.
@Jonny don’t worry mate!! next weeks article will cover all of that.
Jonny, if you’re looking at Boss and TM Lewin then that’s the best part of £600 retail. It would seem that the only option for someone of your proportions would be to go bespoke. Slap £100 onto the £600 that you were probably going to spend on something from Boss and you have more than enough to go bespoke. Perhaps not Saville Row but a local tailor that has been around for years will be more than qualified to give you the fit that you’ve been looking for. Having said that, a slimmer silhouette may not hang well on your frame. In any case, talk to your tailor and see what he suggests. If he’s worth his salt then he’ll be able to give you some ideas of what will suit (sorry, I couldn’t resist).