Every man should have at least one good suit. However, different events often call for different attire, and keeping multiple suits around is a luxury few of us can (or want to) afford. Still, you'd be surprised how much versatility you can get out of one sharp-looking suit if you buy smart and get the right accessories. Suit up guys: here's what you need to know.
Buying a suit can be tiresome and frustrating if you've never done it before. If you're not into formalwear at all, it can be a pain to spend so much on something you'll rarely wear. It doesn't have to be that way. We sat down with some style experts at Indochino, your favorite online custom clothing store, and came up with some tips to help you get the most bang for your buck—and more importantly, buy a suit that will work any time you need to dress up, whether it's for a job interview, a funeral, a fancy party or dinner, or a night on the town.
Consider Your Needs
The first thing to do before you drop what could be hundreds or thousands of dollars on a well made suit is consider what you need the suit for. Even if you're not buying your first suit, you should still consider the occasion that inspired your shopping trip, and what other formal occasions you may encounter where you'll need to make use of your new suit.
Here's your rule of thumb: If you can make your purchase fit as many situations as possible, you're making a smart decision. If you're buying for a job interview, you'll want something classic and middle of the road, but try to look for something that will look good in other situations too. If you're buying because of a formal dinner or a banquet, you may want to go for a more casual look, but if you opt for something a bit more traditional, you'll get plenty of daytime wear from it as well. Ask yourself when you consider colors and patterns, "would this look good any other time?" Don't pigeonhole yourself into buying a suit for a specific affair, and you'll be fine.
Remember the Rule of Three: Fit, Style, and Versatility
There's a lot to consider when you head to an online clothier or you head into a clothing store to buy a suit. Fabrics, cuts, styles, colors, it's all overwhelming, but if you're buying for flexibility and to get the most value from your suit, you don't have to worry too much about a lot of those things. Take a deep breath, and remember the rule of three: Fit, style, and versatility. Let's dive into each.
Fit: Wear Your Suit, Don't Let It Wear You
For most people, fit is the single most important thing to consider when buying a suit. Obviously you'll want to make sure that it's comfortable, hangs well, and is easy to wear. If you're not sure how a suit should fit, check out this visual guide that illustrates how it should look while you're wearing it. It's important to make sure the jacket and pants actually fit—this is a situation where buying large doesn't give you room to move, it just makes you look like a schoolboy wearing his father's duds. Shoulder pads should end at the shoulders, not over and bunched back to your arms, and your arms should hang straight and long, not bunched up around the forearm. Here are some more tricks to consider when trying to figure out if something actually fits (or if you want to know what a good fit looks like before you shop), and this interactive guide will help too.
If you want to buy a well-tailored, well made suit, you have options. You can visit an online measure-to-fit retailer like Indochino or Black Lapel, where you choose what you're interested in, send in your measurements, and they send you a suit crafted to your specifications. If you prefer brick and mortar stores and personal attention, hit your favorite menswear retailer. They give you the flexibility to come in, have your measurements taken, talk to someone and have your questions answered right there (and do ask questions!) You can have something made specifically for you, or to choose something off the rack and have it tailored and altered to fit.
However, whatever you do and wherever you get your suit, make sure you get it properly tailored to your measurements. When I bought my first suit, the gentleman who took my measurements gave me his tailor's card and explained that every gentleman needs a good tailor the same way he needs a good suit. Don't assume a tailor will be expensive, either—there's probably a tailor or seamstress in your neighborhood who'd be more than happy for your business, whether it's a few pants hems here and there or fitting dress shirts so they look better on you. The money you'll spend is well worth it for the sharp, well-fitted look you'll get out of it.
Style: Choose Timeless, Flexible Patterns and Cuts that fit any Occasion
Remember, the goal here is to get a suit that works in almost any situation, and at different levels of formality. Not all formal affairs are alike. An awards dinner is different from a job interview, which is different than a fancy dinner date. If you choose timeless, sharp styles that are well fitted to you, you'll look good in the same suit in all of those situations. Indochino has a few customization suggestions that will play up your body type:
Slimmer guys should consider having their jackets made with broad lapels to broaden their shoulders, and one vent to keep the slim look. Larger guys should opt for two vents for maximum maneuverability. Regardless of shape, no one should select pleated pants. Another common customization is with pockets, and while slanted pockets are trendy, flat pockets are more timeless—and should be chosen with flaps (which can always be tucked into the pocket) for versatility.
We've talked about the "sometimes, always, never" rule for suit coats before, and while that applies to three-button jackets, the "never" part of it always applies to bottom buttons. Indochino is right about pleated pants as well—all too often they're recommended to larger men because they're "supposed" to make you look slimmer, but they almost always have the opposite effect. Avoid pleats like the plague. The modern suit style is a "slim" cut, but if you're choosing a style that's timeless and flexible, you may want to go for a more traditional fit. Still, get it tailored to you so whatever cut it is looks great on you.
On a recent episode of The Alton Browncast, Alton talked to Sid Mashburn about suit styles and fits, and what types of suits can stand the test of time. The whole episode is well worth a listen, even if you're nowhere near Sid Mashburn's Atlanta store (or don't have the money for one of their hand-crafted, beautifully designed suits).
Versatility: Select Pieces, Colors, and Fabrics that Will Serve You Well in any Situation
We tipped our hand a little bit on this, but versatility is another important factor to consider. The benefit of choosing classic or timeless styles and cuts is that you'll have a suit that you can wear just as well at a job interview as you can out for drinks with your (hopefully) new boss. Next, you'll want to choose a suit type and a color that works in virtually any situation.
When you’re picking color, skip the black. Black is for funerals. Don’t get black. A classic charcoal or navy is your best bet, and will be the most versatile. You can wear either to almost any occasion—even a funeral.
Flat black may seem like it goes with everything, and at one time it probably did, but flexibility demands a different color. A plain black suit can look great if you can pull it off, but for most people it's a bit too formal and a too dark, and actually limits your accessory options. If you gravitate towards black (like I do), opt for charcoal or navy instead. You'll be close enough to feel comfortable and you'll look great. If you want a pattern, go for something simple and understated—simple pinstripes, for example. Stick to the usual fabrics, like wool and wool blends (merino and cashmere).
At the end of the day, you want a suit that would look good if you were to wear the jacket with something else, or the slacks with a different top like a vest or sweater. That kind of flexibility is worth your money, and gives you multiple permutations of the same outfit that you can match to the occasion you're dressing for. However, you want to be careful how often you omit components from your suit—you don't want the pants to fade faster than the jacket, for example, or vice versa, and they wind up not matching when you need them together. It would take a lot for that to happen, but it's worth keeping in mind.
Finish Your Look with Accessories that Match Your Personal Style (and the Occasion)
So we've discussed how to go about buying your actual suit, but there's something else you should consider. Whether it's your first suit or your tenth, you should think about accessories: Shirts, ties, shoes, belts, cufflinks if you like wearing French cuffs (and trust me, you should), and so on. Again, you don't have to spend a fortune here. A few broadly applicable choices can work with any event anytime you need them, but if you saved some money on the actual suit, you might consider spending a little on accessories that let you express yourself, or work with the affair you're headed to.
I'm a pretty flexible when it comes to shirts—I've found that if you can pull them off, darker shirts and jewel tones work well (especially with lighter charcoal suits—with dark navy or black suits dark shirts tend to muddle together), especially on larger guys. However, if you're just getting started or have no intention of taking off your jacket, a charcoal or navy jacket with a lighter shirt underneath generally looks great.
When it comes to ties, I generally prefer more conservative tie approaches that that work in more situations—solid colors, simple patterns, and geometric designs. I've rarely seen paisley that I liked (although I know some people swear by it) and unfortunately because ties are one place where people really try to "express themselves," they can get goofy pretty quickly. Stick to the basics and you'll look sharp and classy. If you want a little guidance, here's what our style expert suggested:
Get a few button-up shirts if you don’t have any, and while white is still the classic choice and the most versatile, you can swap in any lightly saturated shirt where you’d wear a white. Light blues and purples are perennially popular and in style.
Get some patterned ties – a few stripes, a polka dot, another pattern and a solid black. The novice should pair them with solid shirts and jackets. For more advanced guys, follow the major-minor-major rule of pattern mixing. Pair two bolder prints with a subtle print in a similar color palette. For a more understated look, reverse the order and try a minor print on the suit, a major print on the shirt, and a minor print on the tie.
The beauty of shirts, ties, and accessories is that they really make your single suit more flexible. If you're doing something more casual, where a modern look is called for, you can follow Indochino's advice and grab a purple or coral colored shirt and even go without the tie. Suit up and you're ready for a night out with the guys. Have a job interview the next day? Switch the shirt for a classic white or cream, put on a classic solid-color or patterned tie, and you're off to make a great impression. No need for different outfits.
Next, pocket squares and shoes. Both are important to consider, and can change the formality of your look. A pocket square can instantly add formality to your suit, especially when it's flat white or draws a color from your tie. Shoes on the other hand can be tricky. Dark brown shoes are a in vogue (as our style expert is about to mention), but I tend to prefer standard black and a black belt, just for flexibility's sake. Black shoes will serve you well at a wedding, a funeral, a job interview, or a night on the town. Just take good care of them.
A white pocket square goes with everything, and a subtle tie bar (which should always be narrower than the width of the tie) will add more flair. A bow tie can make for a fashion forward casual look when in an unusual fabric, and a more formal look in a traditional black silk.
Shoes finish off the look. If you only have the budget for one pair of dress shoes, make them dark brown. Get genuine leather and keep them well-polished, and they’ll last for years – and no one will know how much (or little) you spent on them. Most shoemakers also make belts, so when you’re looking a belt (which should be matching, with a conservative buckle) using the same manufacturer is the easiest way of ensuring a perfect leather match.
Bow ties may put you off. Don't let them. They're making quite the comeback (see this episode of the Alton Browncast, where he discusses his love of them and his line of custom Hook + Albert bow ties), and switching from a standard tie to a bow tie can turn a wedding suit into a after-party suit in minutes. Don't be afraid to branch out, but stick to what you're comfortable wearing.
The bottom line though, is that you don't have to spend a ton of money to get a suit that looks great on you and will rise to whatever challenge you're presented with. The same suit can be perfect for a night on the town, a Sunday morning at church, a big presentation at work, your best friend's wedding—whatever event may come your way, whenever that is. If you choose something versatile and choose some smart accessories, you can even pull out parts of it and mix and match to get more sharp-looking mileage for your hard-earned dollar.
Photos by DVARG (Shutterstock) and Vinko93 (Shutterstock), Christian Mairitsch, Emilio Labrador, Miki Yoshihito, JMR Photography, Robert Sheie, and deejayqueue.