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dont unsew your pockets unless you fully intend to use them, a lot of the time they're sewn up to help maintain the shape of your jacket.
dont put heavy shit in your inside breast pockets, they're not meant for that
that's all the tips I have, as for my personal opinion on suits I think they're awesome but I don't get many situations to wear them so I really can't justify buying a nice one, every time I consider it there's always something i could buy with the money that I would wear much more.
I love blazers though, easily my favourite article of clothing, i don't think many guys realize how versatile they are, the problem is they've developed this mythology as an extremely formal piece of clothing that needs to be handled delicately and dry cleaned after every use.
fuck that, its always been a practical piece of clothing designed for men, which by nature are neither delicate or particularly clean.
pick one up and just wear the shit out of it, that's what I did and I haven't looked back since.
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Another couple of tips from a former suit salesman,
1) Unless your tall stick to a two button suit, it'll make you look short even if you're not.
2) Tailoring is super important. You can make a 200 suit look extremely expensive if you get the right tailor. Tailoring, however, is not just sewing your pants so they're the right length. Get the pant legs tailored and get your jacket tailored. Some people's body shape makes the suit Jacket sit funny and spending 25-50 bucks getting it right will help you a ton.
3) Pinstripes can make you look taller, but don't wear a striped shirt underneath it.
4) If you're going with a bold patterned tie, go with a simple shirt underneath and vise versa. If your tie is plain put a striped or patterned shirt underneath.
5) If you can afford it, get a shirt with french cuffs and buy some cuff links. They look amazing and really spruces up the look.
6) Get a solid good pair of shoes in both brown and black. Spend some money on them if you will wear them every day (like 200-300 USD) I promise it will be well worth it. Also, get some waxless leather shoe care if you don't like polishing your shoes.
Any other questions on business fashion let me know, I sold suits for several years at Nordstrom and had some very top end clients (attorneys, CEOs, etc) and learned a lot as well as how to look like you're spending way more than you actually are.
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1) How much should one's first suit, pants and blazer cost on a average assuming you're not rich? Where should you go to, to look for a suit? Will any big store like Nordstrom, Macy, JCrew, Banana Republic, etc work?
2) I'm a fan of the skinny black tie look ... any particular type of suit that I need to buy for this particular look?
Edit: Example of what I'm talking about ...
![[image loading]](http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Reuters_Photo/2008/01/28/1201532275_5350.jpg)
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lac29
To question 1. I would say a full suit, you can get some decent quality for around $200 to $250. and then some more money for tailoring. so $300 should be more than ok.
To question 2. well, I would try not to get a super wide lapel if you are going with skinny black tie. Also, tan and white suits are probably out.
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On January 29 2011 11:47 lac29 wrote:
1) How much should one's first suit, pants and blazer cost on a average assuming you're not rich? Where should you go to, to look for a suit? Will any big store like Nordstrom, Macy, JCrew, Banana Republic, etc work?
2) I'm a fan of the skinny black tie look ... any particular type of suit that I need to buy for this particular look?
You are probably refering to the Dior Homme skinny suit or Dolce Gabanna slim suit. Most mainstream affordable places do not offer the same fit unless you go to H&M.
I would go to JCrew as your best bet, the style has really improved when they hired a new designer to head up the brand. Avoid nordstrom, macy and banana, these places do not offer anything fashion forward, just a bunch of Jones Newyork style suits (boxy, non-slim).
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OMG this thread was made for me. Finally a thread to get me out of lurking TL for years (although i do post at LP)
I love Brad Pitt's look in that picture. This is going to sound lame but what type of jacket is Brad wearing? Specifically the collar of his dress shirt is completely exposed so the back of his jacket is quite low relative to his neck? Comparing that to the first pic where the back of the jacket blocks the back of the collar of the dress shirt. Or can you just put your collar out and that brad pitt look can be achieved with any jacket.
Sorry for the layman's term. I'm clearly a suit wearing noob. I play poker for a living and goto culinary school neither requiring me formal wear.
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In that pic, its not so much Brad Pitt's suit as its his shirt.
His shirt has a stiffer and wider collar and thats why it pops out.
Although if you like his suit, you should notice that his suit is a pointed lapel style vs Clooney's who has a step or notch lapel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacket_lapel
For poker, looking good at the table is always nice assuming its a non smoking room. Don't be another one of those guys with a hoodie and an Ipod.
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When people say "suit" I assume that simply means blazer and pants? Since the blazer usually goes with the pants ... as opposed to the shirt and tie which are more flexible/interchangeable?
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when people say suit, it includes both jacket and pants yes though some suit jackets you can wear with jeans and not look too out of place.
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On January 29 2011 12:52 lixlix wrote:In that pic, its not so much Brad Pitt's suit as its his shirt. His shirt has a stiffer and wider collar and thats why it pops out. Although if you like his suit, you should notice that his suit is a pointed lapel style vs Clooney's who has a step or notch lapel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacket_lapelFor poker, looking good at the table is always nice assuming its a non smoking room. Don't be another one of those guys with a hoodie and an Ipod.
Good stuff. Didn't even realize there were different types of collars haha.
I'll keep the pointed lapel in mind!
Any poker player that wears a hoodie, sunglasses and an ipod is a douchebag. Don't get me started ARGH.
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What kind of suit would you recommend for me? (colour/style)
- 5'10 165 lbs with a muscular and wide body. Especially broad shoulders. Athletic and built like a linebacker.
- late 20's
- dark complexion.
I always hated wearing suits because they kinda make me look fat even tho I'm not.
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I would just go somewhere and try stuff out. No way I can recommend over the internet. I wouldn't recommend buying over the internet either unless if you tried out the exact suit in person.
Suits should be slimming and if you have broad shoulders, suits should look really good on you actually.
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I aspire to look like this man
![[image loading]](http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs455.snc4/50492_10569236108_2938_n.jpg)
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LOL you're not going to find a decent suit for 200 USD. Any suit that uses decent fabric and is fully canvased will cost well above that. Also a lot of these rules are completely arbitrary (eg: showing of cuff length).
There are really only a few rules to men's dress that count:
Don't wear a pinstripe suit with a striped shirt
Make sure your belt color matches your shoe color
Don't mix black with navy
Obviously try to find clothes that conform well to your body
Edit, one more rule; Your tie knot should conform to your shirt collar
Everything else is about personal flair
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I love my waistcoat and pocket watch. I'm really skinny and look ridiculous in a suit. Some nice trousers, a crisp shirt and my waistcoat and I look awesome.
(I can't call it a vest... vests are knitted things....)
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Wow! You seem to be quite the propah Gent, Lix! First the wine now this.
Jokes apart, these are really nice to read. WP GG GL HF, mate!
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Great! I post I can add something to!
Regarding pocket squares, skip them if you're going to an interview. For formal wear though, they're essential and yes, go with the flat, puff, or 1/2 peak. You don't want it to look like Bart Simpson is hiding in your pocket.
Also, a solid charcoal suit is appropriate for an interview as well as the aforementioned navy.
As far as cost goes, $200 to $250 is fine for your first suit or if the only time you wear a suit is to interviews and special events. They wear out fast from frequent use though and they don't hang well. If you end up in a job where you need to wear a suit frequently, drop the cash on a $1,500+ suit.
Everything else here I agree with 100%. Nothing annoys me more than interviewing job candidates that show up looking like they threw on whatever was clean. If you can't even take the time to look like you care, why should I waste my time talking to you?
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On January 30 2011 01:46 supernovice007 wrote:
Great! I post I can add something to!
Regarding pocket squares, skip them if you're going to an interview. For formal wear though, they're essential and yes, go with the flat, puff, or 1/2 peak. You don't want it to look like Bart Simpson is hiding in your pocket.
I don't agree with that. You should always wear pocket squares, it's just as much a part of a suit as a tie is. When on a job interview, keep the pocket square simple and rather discreet.
On January 30 2011 01:46 supernovice007 wrote:
Also, a solid charcoal suit is appropriate for an interview as well as the aforementioned navy.
As far as cost goes, $200 to $250 is fine for your first suit or if the only time you wear a suit is to interviews and special events. They wear out fast from frequent use though and they don't hang well. If you end up in a job where you need to wear a suit frequently, drop the cash on a $1,500+ suit.
Everything else here I agree with 100%. Nothing annoys me more than interviewing job candidates that show up looking like they threw on whatever was clean. If you can't even take the time to look like you care, why should I waste my time talking to you?
I fully agree to that part. I recommend buying a navy suit first though, since it's more versatile than a charcoal suit.
EDIT: Everyone who hasn't got a clue about suits aspires to look like Barney of HIMYM. Barney is not a good example. Apart from the fit of his suits, his clothings are pretty awful.
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Here another useful link for formal wear (adhere to the classic black tie guide at all times!):
http://www.blacktieguide.com/
Some brands of suits you have to know (go google their homepage):
English tailors:
- Huntsman & Sons (Savile Row)
- Anderson & Sheppard (Savile Row)
- Gieves & Hawkes (Savile Row)
- Henry Poole & Co (Savile Row)
- Thomas Mahon (former Savile Row tailor)
Italian Tailors:
- Kiton (Naples)
- Brioni (Rome)
- Attolini (Naples)
- Caruso (Naples)
- Caraceni (Rome)
Some brands of shirtmakers you have to know:
English shirtmakers:
- Turnbull & Asser
- Thomas Pink
- Hilditch & Key
Italian shirtmakers:
- Kiton
- Finamore
- Sartoria Partenopea
- Barba Napoli
- Anna Matuozzo
French shirtmakers:
- Charvet
- Lanvin
Some brands of shoemakers you have to know:
English shoemakers:
- Church's
- John Lobb
- Alfred Sargent
- Cheaney
- Loake
Italian shoemakers:
- Lattanzi
- Santoni
- Borgioli
- Bontoni
- Testoni
Another useful link for everything suit/shirt/shoe related:
http://www.styleforum.net/
If you've got any questions, go ahead and ask!
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The list you just posted are really meant for people in their 30s+ with ALOT of money. Essentially every brand you listed has a 200+ per peice price on a custom shirt or $1000+ for a MTM suit.
Here is something more realistic for the forum members.
Ravistailor.com (custom MTM suits)
mysutshop.com (custom MTM suits)
Yesstyle.com (for casual blazers, pick carefully due to the different styles and fabric)
Jantzentailor.com (custom MTM shirts)
Zappos (decent dress shoes)
The goal is to not look stuffy or retarded. Most of people get caught up in dressing "up" and end up looking like an idiot.Your clothes need to match your age and the custom fit will make the clothes look like they cost more than they are.
$200 +$100 (alterations) will make a suit with good fabric look like $1000.
*In regards to pocket squares, skip them for an interview. You do not need to send any mixed messages or add "flair" to your look. Look normal and professional then "wow" the interviewer with your knowledge and charm.
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EPT
