A suit is the gentlemen’s battle gear. His armour. He wears it when he needs to display power and affluence: at conferences, at interviews, and even lighter functions, like weddings. The suit has become a symbol of masculinity and culture. And knowing how to wear a suit the right way can give you that added aesthetic boost, people who see you will realize that you speak style and you mean business.
You can tap into this power by following some simple, timeless style rules. If given the chance, always go for a bespoke suit. Getting something off the rack is hit or miss. You can always have it adjusted, but getting it custom tailored means it was made to fit you exactly.
Things to Know About Wearing a Suit
- The objective of the suit is to make it appear as if you have the ideal male physique. For that, nailing the fit is imperative.
- Starting from top to bottom, make sure you get the shoulder size perfect. The shoulder fit is one of the few things you cannot get adjusted from an-off-the rack suit.
- The V-taper of the suit needs to be perfect. Again, this goes back to the concept of the suit making you out to have a more masculine physique. A strong V-taper is associated with a muscular physique and therefore is representative of power and masculinity.
- When buttoned, there shouldn’t be too many creases in the fabric. This means that the fit is too tight. Follow the immortal legacy of the current James Bond, Daniel Craig and go for a fit that is ‘taut, not tight’. As for the buttons, in a two button suit, only button the top button, and for a three button suit, button the middle button, or, at most, the top and middle button.
- The sleeve should fit well. This serves as an optical illusion to, again, make you look more muscular and fit. Baggy sleeves make it look like you have skinny arms. Pay special attention to how Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) tailors his sleeves. That should be the standard you’re going for. Also, your sleeves should end a quarter inch early to show a sliver of the cuffs of your shirt sleeve.
- Always aim for slimmer pants. At the very least, make sure they’re tapered. Strangely enough, this gives the impression that you’re taller. The fall of the fabric on your shoes is also crucial. Contemporary style advocates a single to no break. The last thing you want is the bottom of your pants to be pooling around your shoes. It gives off a very sloppy and unsophisticated vibe.
- Now let’s delve into some finer points. Black, charcoal grey and navy blue are staple suit colors. They never go out of style. If you’re going for your first, or second suit, it should be one of those. Once you’ve pulled those off, you can explore pin-stripes and checks.
- Your tie width should always match your lapel width. Narrow lapels means you need a narrower tie, wide lapels means a wider, more classic tie.
The last piece of advice we can give you is to observe how stylish men where suits. Tom Hiddleston. Harvey Spectar. Every James Bond knew how to don a suit. Study their image and internalize their style, then add some personal flair to make their style, your own.