Every man should have a suit. Even though dress codes in the work place and beyond have become more casual, there are circumstances where your football jersey and jeans are less appropriate.
Places where you should never assume it is okay to dress down: funerals, weddings and business meetings. I'm not saying that you can't wear jeans and a button down, but if you want to show that you actually respect others (or want respect yourself) then quit whining and put on proper attire.
Multi-Purpose Suit
$797.00 by Hugo Boss at Zappos
There are guys out there that will only need to have one suit for certain occasions. If you have a job where every day is Hawaiian shirt day, I'm talking to you. Choose a quality, versatile suit that will last . This way, you don't have to go through what seems to be the heinous torture of clothes shopping again until you get too fat to fit into it.
Price: This is a little above average for a well made suit. If you buy a suit from Target for 34.95, wear it once for an interview and never again, I suppose that you don't need the garment to last. Spend the money, especially if you plan on making this your go-to suit. Be a bit more frugal on your shirts and ties if you need to be. Keep in mind though, synthetic blends or cheap cotton will wrinkle and stain easier. Read the labels for materials. If it sounds highly flammable, it probably is.
Color: It's black. Nothing too original about that, but it can be worn on everywhere. You can easily swap the shirt and tie with different colors and textures.
Style: Basic two button suits will never go out of style. Wear with or with out a tie, depending on how formal you need to look.
The Business Suit
$1089 by Brooks Brothers
You don't have to sport chalk-white pinstripes atop navy blue to read "power." That is, unless you're an 80 year old real estate mogul with bad hair. (and if you happen to be the aforementioned, thanks for reading) Nor do you have to look like a gangster. I suggest avoiding double breasted jackets all together when choosing a suit since they can look dated.
Price: The Brooks Brothers suit is going to cost you some serious cash, but if I can entice you by saying, if I saw this man walking down the street, I'd ask him for directions, though I'd know how to get there. The three piece suit says to me, I have my shit together. So much so, I wear three pieces.
Color: Its a neutral gray that looks good on all. The stripes are a subtle enough detail that is not emulating a God Father flick.
Style: You don't always have to wear the vest with it, but it adds an extra element of class.
Seasonal Suits
$599 at Men's Wearhouse
If you find yourself needing to wear a suit more often than not, then have more than one. If this is your situation, you can be a more flexible with colors and materials. A friend of mine asked advice on buying a suit. I suggest the one above and he replied "but you don't understand how hot suits are!" Well, here is your solution.
Many suit-makers like Brooks Brothers have reasonably priced suits that have technology like "BrooksCool" with your sweaty ass in mind.
Price: You can go a little cheaper since you wont be wearing the same suit as often. Still, keep quality in mind and try to grab the best materials at the most reasonable cost.
Color: Lighter colors are acceptable in warmer weather. However, you probably cant pull off blue-seersucker unless you're Dick Van Dyke (or Freddie Lieba, for you fashion folk). Just proceed with caution! If you're asking yourself, "is this yellow hip? or ice cream man?" Then leave it on the rack!
Style: You want to keep the style classic. If you're playing with color, you don't want some crazy cut in addition to a color like you're heading to a Hampton's P. Diddy beach party, especially if you're trying to be in a business atmosphere.
Fashion Foward
$1,375.00 by Paul Smith at Barneys New York
This section is for men that don't really have a professional need to wear a suit, but just want to.
Price: If you're wearing one for fun, you probably dont care.
Color: See previous line.
Style: You do your own thing like wear it with sneakers and tees.
Fitting
Don't think you can go into a store and a suit will fit you off the rack. Unless you are the same shape and size as an industry standard fit model, chances are you will need to have the pieces altered to fit you.
Go to places that offer alterations in house. Men's Wearhouse wont charge you after the first alteration. If you've grown a big fat beer and sausage gut, its free to take out your pants--within reason. If they have to make you a new pair that doesn't count.
Some stores, like Paul Stuart even have made to measure.
Though finding your own tailor has benefits. It's not just suits than needed fitted properly and there is nothing like the feeling of wearing something that is customized for you.
You don't have to buy exactly what I picked in this blog. Use it as a guideline, keeping where and how often you will wear the clothes.
Accessories can change the look since your suit will essentially be a blank canvas. Catch the next blog on how to pick shirts, ties, shoes and accessories!
Want to see Men's Spring 2010 runway collections or geek-chic style?
