I have always had a thing for a suit that serves the wearer. For me, such sartorial servitude starts with the wearer’s ability to subject his or her sovereignty by making the right choice. The choice of style (double or single breasted), fit (slim or regular), buttons (1, 2 or 3) length (short or long), lapels (notch, peaked, or shawl), color (bold or bland) material (heavy or light), vents (single or double) and I can go on but for your sanity, I wouldn’t. If you want all the info, keep coming back to my blog to learn them all or leave a request comment.
Most who fall prey to the crime of ‘the suit wearing the wearer” tend to fail because of the lack of knowledge. It may be proverbial but “for lack of knowledge people do perish”, and by this I mean fall in the pit of men’s fashion fails kind of perish. Thankfully, modern style trends have made room for the rule breakers, but this is for those few with supreme style and confidence to carry whatever they choose to wear. For everyone else, limited know-how can be credited with many men walking around looking like they don’t know any better.
I have been asked many times, how to choose a great suit, for me the answer lies in the aforementioned, which I will expand upon in future moments. For now, I will give you a few tips. For centuries our Italian friends have reigned supreme in the suiting arena. So, on a recent trip to Italy, I made a few choices of my own and took to the streets of Florence for a “suitable” stroll in one my of finest get-ups. Read on and I will give you my men’s suiting style hack’s in three C’s, as demonstrated in a few captures below by Adrian Richards. Whoever and where ever you are, your suit game should always be strong.
Men’s Suit Style Hacks: 3 C’s
Character: I have worked for the United Nations, Goldman Sachs, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. It’s safe to say I know the sartorial requirements of the corporate world. For too long, color (perhaps not in banking) and texture has been frowned upon by the white collar set. However, this has never prohibited me from buying a great suit. Back then, for work, I practiced reservation and spared my colleagues that jealous feeling but I did no such thing for the rest of the world (JUST KIDDING). Every suit you own should have character, the foundation of this begins with color and the material with which it’s made. Other elements, such as the type of lapel, buttons, vents build upon this base. Break the black, blue and gray mold and embrace some vibrant hues. It’s 2017, for God’s sake!
Comfort: One should always buy a suit he (or she) can sit in. With the slim fit movement in full swing, I have seen so many guys in get-ups that surely constrict their nether regions. This is not cool and certainly is not a sight for sore eyes. Camel toes on men aren’t healthy (both for our eyes and your reputation) and it is surely not good for one’s children making abilities. One should always make sure your jacket is the right size and your trouser has a front and back rise with enough room for you to squat, stoop or sit comfortably. Anything other than that is just self and public abuse.
Confidence: Whatever you do, do it confidently. I’d like to take credit for that phrase but I heard somewhere, but more importantly, it is very true for men’s suiting. If you can’t confidently walk around in a suit, you shouldn’t be wearing or have bought it in the first place. Confidence comes when you put on a suit and you know you look good in it. This is a direct result of the choices you’ve made concerning the details, the very choices I wrote about earlier.
Hope this has helped you with you suiting decisions and I look forward to seeing you spiffy and sprezzing in 2017. Here’s a bonus shot I quite love… the wonders of black and white imagery. Be well.
