THE SUIT HAS TO SUIT YOU!
Every man, at some point in his life, will need a suit. There's no getting away from it. Whether it is for a wedding, a funeral, work, court appearance, business meeting or just to make a good impression, you will inevitably need a suit someday.
Whichever way you look at it a suit purchase can be a daunting experience. What colour? What style? What fabric? Plain or pattern? How will I get the right fit?
These days it is very easy to wander into one of many high street stores from small boutiques to large supermarkets and pick up a ready made suit, off the peg, for as little as ￡99. Try it on, have a look in the mirror, and walk away with your suit, ready to wear.......
....But that really is only half the story. The chances are that no one offered you any, or at least, the correct advice with your purchase. What is the suit for? What type of climate will you be wearing it in? How often will it be worn? Three basic but very important considerations that should be made before you even consider making your purchase.
Let me explain...... You wouldn't buy a Smart car if you were planning to get a speed thrill on the open roads of Germany's Autobahn! Equally, you wouldn't buy a Bugatti Chiron if you were planning to go off-roading over the dunes of the Sahara desert. The comparison may seem ridiculous but the principle is exactly the same!
Let's assume that you are going to your friend's wedding in Greece in the middle of July. Obviously you are going to look for a light weight suit so you go into town and pick up a nice little number. On the big day, you find yourself perspiring and cooking internally as you stand on the beach in the blazing sun, in temperatures of 30 degrees plus. Within a few minutes your suit and shirt are soaking wet with sweat and you are beginning to smell rather unpleasant.
You can't understand it because you bought your suit specifically because it was lightweight and the young girl in the department store said it would be fine for a wedding. Unfortunately she didn't tell you, or perhaps didn't know, that the fabric was a wool and Polyester mix, fatal in the hot weather! How would she know? She's only working there part time whilst she's studying law at the local university. Not that, that is an excuse but it is a probable reason.
Not only that, when you got to the hotel and tried the suit on again you realised that it's actually a bit long in the sleeve and you van barely move your arms forward without it splitting the back seam open.... in short, it doesn't fit!
The poor young girl in the shop probably hadn't had any proper training into how a suit is made, the different fabrics and weaves and the different designs and how it should fit. But what was you expecting for ￡99? The retail environment that we live in today is majorly geared towards the wear once, throw away market for young people with limited disposable income.
So if you are considering buying a suit, here are the top questions you need to be asking yourself and getting the answers for before you commit to buying the one that the young girl has put on you and said "What do you think? I think it looks really nice!"
What is the suit for? - Is it for work? What job do you do? Will you be sitting in it all day at a desk or will you be climbing in and out of cars, carrying boxes etc as a travelling salesman? Or perhaps you will be outside most of the time at building sites as a quantity surveyor or manager etc.
Tip: Natural fibres are always preferred - wool will breathe in the heat and keep you warm in the cold and has a great recovery, will shed unwanted creases much easier than a suit with any man made fibres. That's not to say that man made fibres don't have any advantages. They are incredibly hard wearing and strong.
The disadvantages of man made fibres are: Does not absorb moisture: Man-made fibres do not absorb sweat, trapping heat in our body and causing us to sweat and ultimately.......smell! Some people may suffer from skin allergy, because of the dermatological action of Man-made fibres. (This doesn't happen in natural fibres). Shining is another common complaint about suits worn frequently. The hard man made fibre starts to shine very quickly, particularly if pressed with high temperature.
So almost always go for a natural fibre - most suits should be made in a wool fabric which offer weaves to suit every climate from the very cold where you can go for a heavyweight 14/15oz worsted or flannel to very warm where you might choose a lightweight 8oz superfine wool (cotton & cotton linen are also perfect for hot climates but beware of excessive creasing in these, which is a characteristic of the fabric) or perhaps a mohair... very sharp and will hold it's creases better!
Ok, you've chosen your type of fabric....what about the design? Plain, check, pinstripe, bird's eye, herringbone.......again, a whole host of options so here is the most basic advise that should serve you well:
If you are a gentleman who is rather tall and slim and would prefer to look a little fuller and broader than you might want to consider a Price of Wales check or a windowpane check which will broaden your appearance. Likewise, if you are of the larger persuasion then consider pinstripes. The vertical stripes will have a slimming effect. Herringbone will also give this effect to a lesser degree. (The reverse of this advice applies if you want to avoid looking even larger or slimmer.... i.e. you wouldn't wear a check suit if you are a large build and trying to look slimmer)
What about style? There are so many options out there these days and even more options when having a suit made for you.
Again the two basics are.... if you are slim and want to add width to your appearance, consider a double breasted and if you are fuller and want to avoid accentuating it, go for a single breasted 2 or 3 button. Now, a slim chap will certainly be able to wear a single breasted and still look great but a rounder guy would struggle with a double breasted.
Once you have found your basic style you can then play with all the options like lapels, pockets, cuffs, linings etc.
And now the fit:...... The most important thing to remember when trying on your suit jacket is that if the shoulders are wrong, the whole suit will not hang or fit correctly. This is the starting point for every suit or sports jacket you purchase.
Once the jacket is on, the shoulders should fit comfortably without pulling at the ends or under the arms. Put the jacket on and stand facing the mirror. If the shoulders are too small you will see a dent just below the top seam and your arm/shoulder will be pushing against the fabric at the top of the sleeve. Equally if the shoulder is too wide they will hang over the end of the shoulder and collapse. The correct fitting shoulder will have no divots or pulls in this area and the sleeve will hang neatly and smoothly down your arm.
If the shoulders are correct the rest should be relatively easy..........if you are a standard stock size and guess what?....... virtually no one is!
The world is full of different shaped men, gym goers with big shoulders and over developed pectorals, accompanied by a tiny waist. Or there is the chap with the middle age spread, pot belly, sloping shoulders and moobs. Or the man with slightly round shoulders....... the list of anomalies is endless, don't feel abnormal. As I said, a very tiny amount of men are of the standard height with a perfectly symmetrical body shape that fits exactly into an off the peg suit.
When choosing your trousers your starting point should always be your seat or backside....this is the area most difficult to adjust if it is wrong. As I said before, people come in so many shapes and sizes that you can get the seat right but the waist might be too tight or too loose, or the rise (distance between waistband and crotch) is too long or too short!
This is why the bespoke option, or even the made to measure, should always be the preferred choice, giving you complete control over fabric, lining, trim detail, style, design and fit, and with a good tailor advising you, you are sure to get a suit that suits you!