The suit. Forever stylish. You can feel the power when you put one on and everyone else can see it. There’s a reason the suit is the next level of fashion for men. Even if you have a suit already, you might be wearing it wrong. Or maybe you’re looking to take some sartorial risks.
Either way, it’s time for a lesson.
Suit Terms To Know
First off, here are some terms you need to know when it comes to suiting up.
Single Vs. Double Breasted: A single-breasted suit has 1-3 buttons, while the double has (you guessed it) about double that (4-8). It’s also twice as formal. Most of the time you’ll be sticking with single-breasted.
Lapel Styles: The “collar” of a suit jacket comes in three main styles from least to most formal: notch, peak, and shawl. Your blazer is probably of the notch variety, while a tuxedo carries a shawl. Wide lapels are bold (ala Tom Ford) and skinny lapels are slicker.
Vent: The slit in the back of a jacket that helps with movement. One or two vents for most situations and no-vent with tuxedos.
Lining: The inner wall of the jacket that gives some space for customization and expression.
Pocket Square: The folded fabric complement to your tie or undershirt. It should work with it without directly matching. You can get bold and unique with the design or keep it simple with an interesting fold.
Bespoke: 100% custom-made and unique. No one else will have your exact suit design. When you’re just starting out you’re likely looking for something made-to-measure, but maybe the suit gods will shine on you with a bespoke get-up someday.
Current Suit Trends
Single-breasted is still the default, but that doesn’t mean there’s only one way to wear it. Here are a few stand-out styles currently making the rounds.
The Spring Suit – Not for the faint of heart. Essentially a traditional, grounded, single-breasted suit with an explosively colored undershirt. If your wardrobe usually consists of neutral greys, you might want to tread carefully here. If you’ve got a knack for flamboyant panache, then go wild!
The ‘80s Suit – The retro blazer is back in style. Vertical stripes, bold checks, and pretty pastels galore. It’s really a whole genre of its own. It offers a lot of freedom for accessorizing in the same era and your Dad probably has a wardrobe full of this stuff. Just keep in mind that trends come and go.
The All-White Suit – Pretty straightforward, it’s white from head to toe. This look definitely stands out, but it better be crisp and clean. You can replace the blazer with a light color too.
Timeless Suit Classics
Here are a few styles that have been around for decades, if not longer, and are here to stay.
The Black Suit – At once that most basic suit and the most timeless. The black suit in itself has a lot of options. You can go skinny tie, narrow lapel. Wide lapel, wider Pucci tie (if you want to dress to impress). All black (meaning the shirt too) and NO tie. Trousers can be anything from cropped to wider legged with cuffs. Black gives you more options than a pinstripe or lighter color suit might, so why not exercise the options if you can.
The Navy Suit – Personally, I am a lover of navy. First off, there are many shades of navy. A dark navy that to an untrained eye can be mistaken for black, a more medium shade of navy, a true blue navy, which really shows the hues of blue…and the list goes on. A navy suit looks great with any number of accent colors. Brown shoes, brown belt. Greys and even black. Of course, you can accent a navy suit with anything from stripes to patterns to a colored dress shirt, but navy and black are one of my favorite combos. Just subtle enough for the difference to be perceptible but not noticeable. It’s an elegant combo and can only be worn by a man of true style.
The Tuxedo – What’s super fun about the tuxedo is that outside of ruffles and powder blue, it’s hard to go wrong. Shawl, notch or peak lapel all work. A collar of the same fabric as the suit is my preference as opposed to a satin collar. And you can go single or double-breasted; for single, a one-button works just as well as a three. So enjoy the flexibility of a Tux and wear it up.
Get Tailored!
A suit is only as good as it fits! Don’t spend hundreds on a snazzy suit without making sure it’s specifically tailored to your body.
You want a taper in your sleeves and leg. A lapel that rests on your chest. Shoulder seams that end at your shoulders. You’re likely not an expert (and that’s okay!) so don’t be afraid to find an experienced tailor to set you right. They’ll know how to make the suit fit your body like it was made to.
Of course, you could get a fully bespoke (custom-made) suit and wrap the whole process together too.
Now Suit Up!
The easiest way to feel like a million bucks (without a million bucks) is a perfectly-tailored suit. These aren’t the only ways to wear a suit, so figure out your style and what works for you. Then, stop making excuses and SUIT UP!
