Tips on buying a men's suit and what features you should be looking for while doing so. A mens suit is the anchor of any man's formal wardrobe, even though, everyday mens business attire may have become more casual. Start with a classic navy suit and move on to gray, black, or a neutral tone. You can purchase separate pieces or buy a men's suit with the jacket and pants sold together.
Buying a Men's Suit Should Include:
The men's Suit
or a sports Jacket and dress pants
Coordinated Men's Dress
Shirt
Cufflinks (optional)
Dress Socks
Men's Dress Belt
Men's Dress
Shoes
Necktie
First thing to consider when buying a men's suit is to
choose a suit jacket style. The two-button, single-breasted jacket is a popular
style, but three or four-button suit jackets are also available. Keep in mind
that fashions change from time to time in men's clothing, just as they do for
women's. Only thin men should wear formal double-breasted suit jackets, which
add bulk to the figure. These should be kept buttoned at all times, as the suit
jacket hangs awkwardly if left opened.
Decide a fabric color and pattern
for your mens suit. If you opt for a patterned fabric, check to see that
patterns line up at shoulder and lapel seams.
Choose a suit fabric.
High-quality worsted wool is the most seasonally versatile fabric. Cotton and
linen fabrics are good for summer wear. Avoid blends that are made with too
much polyester, as they don't breathe well and may look cheap.
Make sure
the fabric doesn't wrinkle easily by bunching it up, if it bounces back instead
of wrinkling it's a good fabric. Linen is the only fabric that should do this.
Decide the style you want in your dress pants. Pleated dress pants
appear dressy and provide room for movement, while flat-front pants tend to be
slimming. Dress pants that are cuffed are formal wear. These add a little
weight to the pants, so they hang better. They can also make the leg seem
shorter; uncuffed dress pants elongate the leg and are more
informal.
Test the suit jacket for fit. Make sure the collar lies flat
against the back of your neck and shows a 1/4-inch rim of shirt collar.
Shoulders should be lightly padded and neither too boxy nor too sloped. Sleeves
should reveal 1/4 to 1/2 inch of shirt cuff and fall 5 inches above the tip of
your thumb.
Button the suit jacket and sit down to verify that it is
comfortable when you do so, not too tight or too loose.
Make sure the
dress pants sit directly on the waist line, not hips. They should drape over
and break slightly at the tops of your shoes. Also check that your socks aren't
visible when you walk, they shouldn't be.
The Necktie
Learn how to match a tie to any dress shirt, simply. Add the finishing touch to
your mens suit by properly coordinating your dress shirt and tie.
How to Buy a Men's Tie
Special
Advice:
Buying a sports jacket and dress pants separately will give you
more style choices. If you require tailoring, so be it. It may be difficult to
match the suit jacket and the pants, though.
Tall men should avoid pintripes
and emphasize horizontal lines. Double-breasted mens business suits often
flatter tall, thin men. Short men should consider single-breasted mens business
suits, shorter jackets in pinstripes or dark solids. Heavier men should also opt
for pinstripes and avoid double-breasted mens business suits.
You can save
money by buying a men's suit off the rack. The only drawback to doing this is
that you have to take whatever dress pants come with the jacket. If this is the
case, the sports jacket style, which is more noticeable, should take precedence
over the style of the dress pants. Know that cuffs can be added to or removed
from most pairs of dress pants when tailoring.