Business Suit Style?

[runethechamp]

sizing was difficult. I could find a jacket that fit well, but the pants were too damn big.

That's how it is a lot of times. It's easy to take the pants if needed. The jacket needs to fit (more or less).

[Grange]

When sizing the suit they told me that with a 40s jacket most matching pants come 6 in. smaller thus about 34 inches. Since my waist is about 29 to 30 the back pockets were too close together after tightening the waist.

[The Dad]

With those numbers, do yourself a favor and try to track down matching separates. 4" is too much to take off.

EDIT TO ADD: Looks like there's a Brooks outlet in Pleasant Prairie, WI. I forgot to mention that they, like many other stores, typically give you a discount when you open a credit card, which could help lower the prices further.

[runethechamp]

When sizing the suit they told me that with a 40s jacket most matching pants come 6 in. smaller thus about 34 inches. Since my waist is about 29 to 30 the back pockets were too close together after tightening the waist.

Don't know if it is really possible to find a suit off the rack that will fit you properly then. Euro brands are often slimmer cut than american ones, but that might apply to the shoulders as well (and then you're typically looking at more expensive brands as well).

Time to go tailor made. Or go for the matching separates. They offer a lot of them at Macy*s last time I checked.

[lemon boy]

I think you could make a great movie about the adventures of a retarded gay person who, somehow, teaches rednecks that it's okay to be retarded and gay. I'll need a pretty sweet suit to pitch this thing, though.

Sorry SSD but that movie's been made, it's called slingblade.

mmmm mmmm

[irul&ublo]

I've been accepted into Leadership Academy at work. For this training I will need to wear a suit. I only have one suit that I got for graduation from college. Well the damn thing is too small in the chest. It's a 38S and I now take a 40S. Pants still fit fine in the waist, but the jacket is too damn tight. And I've also been informed it is out of style because it's a double breasted suit.

So I went to a couple stores this weekend to look at suits. I had no idea there was so much difference between suits other than color. Anyway I'm torn on what type of suit to get. Do I go with a classic two-button style or the new three-button style? Will the three button go out of style? What about 0, 1.or 2 vents in the jacket? I'm a fan of pinstripes as long as they don't stick out too much. Finally since I rarely wear a suit can I get a decent suit for under $200.

For me work wear generally entails casual pants or jeans and a t-shirt (short or long sleeved depending on temp.). Hiking boots are nice and rubber boots for when I'm running around in wetlands. So any advise for a Suit Jong other than never wear a suit?

Men's Warehouse.

[spindrift]

If there's a Nordstrom's nearby, just use their personal shopper service. They should have their own little area, complete with changing rooms, etc. Free to you. At least out here they know their stuff. What is appropriate for what. What brands are cut how. The more senior ones also tend to have good relationships with the tailors ("sure we can have it done in time for your flight tonight..." although an appropriate tip is called for in that situation ). If you are both fashion challenged and a tough fit, as I am, they will save you vast amounts of time - and in the long haul, money. Even compared the std discount suit places. As others have noted, if you are talking career stuff, this should be modeled as an investment not an expense (I'm not gonna get into the suit vs not suit thing - I assume folks know their professional and geographic needs).

Of course this is coming from a guy who's not even sure he still has a real suit in the closet... So take it for what it is worth.

[valleygirl]

I've held off as long as I'm gonna...

mmmmmmmmmmm guys in suits.

(only one version of mmmmmm as guys in carrharts are another whole series of m's and then there's workout gear and well whatever...)



and...

this thread is useless w/out pics.

[Beder]

Dude, buck up and do this right. It's your future. DO NOT buy a cheap suit. And shoes. If they are cheap everyone will know. You live in Wisconsin--head for the Allen Edmonds factory store and get good, BLACK dress shoes. They'll last many years and always be right with a good dark suit.

[Jack]

I haven't worn a suit since my grandpappy died in the early 70's.
You guys look like sheep ready for the sheering and I bet those leashes you wear come in handy when needed. It's ok you have to play this game but it must sure suck sometimes. Flame on suits.
You know i mean everybody but you Suit. You look mahevelous.

[runethechamp]

I haven't worn a suit since my grandpappy died in the early 70's.
You guys look like sheep ready for the sheering and I bet those leashes you wear come in handy when needed. It's ok you have to play this game but it must sure suck sometimes. Flame on suits.
You know i mean everybody but you Suit. You look mahevelous.

Please tell us about your individual expressions in your choice of clothing.

[irul&ublo]

I haven't worn a suit since my grandpappy died in the early 70's.
You guys look like sheep ready for the sheering and I bet those leashes you wear come in handy when needed. It's ok you have to play this game but it must sure suck sometimes. Flame on suits.
You know i mean everybody but you Suit. You look mahevelous.

Hey Jack....supersize my fries please.....

[Spats]

+1 for Nordstrom. Those folks know their stuff. There is no shame in telling them you need help. Men's Warehouse is hit or miss: sometimes they're great, sometimes they're useless.

My advice:

-Fashion is what goes out of fashion. If you only own one suit and use it occasionally, you must make sure this never happens. Ask yourself "Could I work as a banking executive in this?"

-If you own one suit, it should be gray. Too light = summer only, too dark = winter or Mafia only. Subtle pinstripe is OK. Navy suits say "This is my only suit." Gray suits say "I have several suits but chose this one today."

-Two button front never goes out of style.

-For pants, cuffs go with pleats, plain goes with flat front. Either is acceptable, but flat is more conservative and usually best unless you've got a gut.

-White shirts say "This is my only dress shirt." I recommend light blue, or French blue if you're bold. Ask the store for help picking out a tie to go with it.

-Buttondowns are less formal than straight collars. Avoid spread or boardroom collars and white collars on colored shirts.

-Land's End makes great shirts for reasonable $. The "no-iron" stuff is 100% cotton and travels much better than regular cotton.

-Unless you go with a full-on banker tie like a blue and red striped repp, you'll need to update your tie every 4-5 years or risk looking dated. Patterns and colors change subtly over time.

-Shoes should be real dress shoes with a stitched-on leather sole. I recommend a simple black cap toe oxford, with no extra stitching or other crap, for maximum versatility. Stay away from bicycle toes and other fancy stuff unless you are European and wear hair gel. Allen Edmonds or Johnston and Murphy have maximum banker cred, but you can get by with cheaper if it's properly constructed.

-Eccos, Rockports, and other comfort shoes might look almost like real dress shoes, but people can tell from a surprising distance. Wearing anything but a real dress shoe with a suit immediately demotes you from "businessman" to "security guard". You will not be taken seriously. Trust me on this.

-Belts are easy. Black leather, semi-gloss, relatively narrow, unobtrusive buckle, either gold or silver depending on your watch, wedding ring, and/or skin tone.

-Suit must fit properly. Nordstrom's tailors do a great job and it's always included with the suit. Men's Warehouse has actually done pretty well by me also.

-You will get bonus points for a properly fitting shirt, because most people don't bother. Usually this means buy off the rack and have the sides tapered to match your body. This is especially important for skinny bastards.

Hope this helps!

[sftc]

When sizing the suit they told me that with a 40s jacket most matching pants come 6 in. smaller thus about 34 inches. Since my waist is about 29 to 30 the back pockets were too close together after tightening the waist.

Good Lord you're HUGE.

Just wanted to add the much needed gay comment to this already flaming thread.
I love renting tux's at 5'9'', 42 chest, 30 waist- some people call that 'fit' but it always seems to fuck up the system.

[P_McPoser]

This thread makes me really appreciate that fact that i'm wearing muddy carharts and on the same shirt for day 3.

[BeanDip4All]

Ask yourself "Could I work as a banking executive in this?"

heh.

one good thing about suits is that they're ridiculously easy... it's nice to just roll out of bed and have a uniform all set, no fashion choices other than what heels to add. sometimes i go crazy and mix it up with a skirtsuit!

if you only can focus on one thing, I will second everyone who said FIT. It's much better to have a well tailored $300 suit than a crappy fitting zegna. tie/shoes/shirt might be the most fun to pick out, but the proportions of a suit will anchor it over time. any extreme silhouette is going to go out of style before it falls apart= bad investment.

four "bones" of a good suit, which any tailor worth his weight in golden thread will check for you:
1. jacket shoulder- wide head = should have a bigger shoulder, narrow head = slimmer cut
2. jacket length- long enough to cover your ass but has to give your leg as long as a line as possible... some tailors will put it slightly longer in the back so that it will hang properly.... oh and all those Armani assholes wear their jacket and sleeves WAY too long. hello 80's anyone? plus that makes you look short. generally should line up with your thumb knuckle
3. waist button- placement is critical... it's like a fulcrum to a seesaw... good tailor will grab it at your final fitting and pull side to side to make sure the coat has enough room to move properly on your body
4. sleeve- should taper, dont want it flapping around your wrist (will make you look fat), you also want to show a little band of linen at the cuff.

regarding the grey/blue debate... really more a matter of personal coloring. not enough guys pay attention to contrast and complexion. you want to 1. have the colors of your suit have the same contrast as your hair and skintone and 2. highlight your face by repeating your natural pigments in your colors. so figure out if you are contrast complexion or muted/tonal and then select. Jim, having met you at straightline camp i would say you are muted... which means you could look washed out in say, black suit, white shirt, red tie. try on a bright, warm navy suit witha deeper (french blue) shirt, see how that looks. just think of your face as a picture and the collar/tie as the frame. what brings attention to your FACE and not the SUIT?

blah blah blah. i could go on forever. i work with so many fashion conscious douchebags who blab on and on about their sartorial slendorifiousness until you want to rack them up and strangle them by their micro-checked blue batiste necktie silks (and not in the fun kinky way, either!) in sum, just get a good tailor and pay attention to your coloring and you will be all set. have fun at the conference, that is cool you got selected!

[philippeR]

A lot of great advices on this thread !

A last one, from the country of haute couture :

Never forget to zip your fly. Nothing ruins a sharp looking suit as an unzipped fly.
(Well, ketchup stains maybe, but that's about it.)

You're welcome.

[Viva]

A last one, from the country of haute couture :

Never forget to zip your fly. Nothing ruins a sharp looking suit as an unzipped fly.

Really? Last time I visited France, I forgot to zip my fly and the women all smiled and said "Ooooh la la!"

[philippeR]

Really? Last time I visited France, I forgot to zip my fly and the women all smiled and said "Ooooh la la!"

.

How much did they charge you for that ?

[lemon boy]

Dude, buck up and do this right. It's your future. DO NOT buy a cheap suit. And shoes. If they are cheap everyone will know. You live in Wisconsin--

Dude, he lives in Wisconsin, not New York. Nobody is going to know if he spent 200 or 800 or a suit.

[Grange]

Hell, if I wear the Green Bay Packer tie I saw in the store I'd probably win an award for best dressed.

[Obstruction]

When sizing the suit they told me that with a 40s jacket most matching pants come 6 in. smaller thus about 34 inches. Since my waist is about 29 to 30 the back pockets were too close together after tightening the waist.

Euro or Athletic cut suits often have an 8 drop rather than a 6 drop ( waist 8" smaller than the chest measurement).

BTW -- Spats gave you a nice run down of the essentials.

BTW 2 -- You need more than one suit if your Leadership Academy is more than two days long.

BTW 3 -- Never store your suits or any clothing you give a shit about in the plastic bags that they come in from the dry cleaner. They do nasty things to your threads.

[neck beard]

Everyone should own at least one suit (that fits) for weddings and funerals. Buy one in navy so that you can wear it to both occasions; plain suits take decades to go out of style. Go to Men's Warehouse or something and drop $300-$400.

I have worn and been surrounded by suit and tie wearers for 15 years.

If anyone turned up to my wedding or funeral in a suit, I'd tell them the fuck off and come back when they are dressed appropriately. Mind you, the chances of anyone attending either is pretty damned low.

(not directed at you, more so at suits)

[neck beard]

>BTW 2 -- You need more than one suit if your Leadership Academy is more than two days long.

Why man? I and my coworkers regularly jump between cities for 2 or 3 day trips and only take one suit. It doesn't let us down and we are all senior dudes in a big company in a really big suit wearing industry (not as thats last line should count for shit, I'm just giving gravity to why suits don't really matter that much)

I'll visit NY next week for 3 days and only take one suit, 3 shirts and two ties.

Last month I went to Hong Kong and didn't even take a suit jacket.

I didn't bother wearing a tie today or yesterday and if it is over 20C my jacket never leaves the back of my seat.

Make your own rules, save cash for what matters and have presence according to your ability, not your clothes.

And don't forget to day dream about snow and sex during the seminar. I bet you get a seminar fat that wont go away and makes you drowsy.

And Spats - not that I expect you to care... but I work as a minor banking executive, despite what I wear (your advice was pretty useful though)

[Spats]

Dude, he lives in Wisconsin, not New York. Nobody is going to know if he spent 200 or 800 or a suit.

Not true. Professionals in any major city are the same. The rest of the people might not be able to say exactly why you look different, but they can tell who's a banker and who's an Amway salesman even before they open their mouth.

As far as fit and color, BeanDip has good advice. But in general, young person in plain navy suit and white shirt says "missionary" or "salesman", which is not what you want. Some people look really good in brown, but there's an invisible line between grayish and brownish over which you really need brown shoes and a brown belt, which aren't as versatile. That's why I advise "if you don't know what you're doing, just go gray suit/light blue shirt/red tie and you'll come out OK".