Style
Buying Men’s Fashion Suits: 12 Tips To Keep You Sharp.
Are you looking for new men’s fashion suits? Chances are, you might be since, after all, you’ve found this post! 🙂
Well, you’re in the right place: in this article, we’ll examine the many factors you need to take into account if you’re buying a men’s suit. There are actually quite a few things (12, to be precise), so buckle up and get ready for the journey.
Men’s Fashion Suits: Food for thought!
1- Where will you be wearing the suit?
There are many different occasions for which you can wear a suit. Naturally, the classic examples are for a wedding or funeral, or maybe in a business environment, but there are actually tons of occasions in which you’ll have to wear a suit.
For example, during formal events–going to a speech by a noted politician or speaker, going to the opera, going to the swanky new place that just opened up downtown–suits are ideal.
They are also ideal if you want to look good for, say, a photo shoot. Naturally, they’re also good for costume-related purposes, although (if this case applies to you) you’ll be better off borrowing a suit for a night rather than purchasing one.
All of this being said, however, you really need to match the suit to the occasion. Remember that darker colours are ideal in many kinds of circumstances, but the same cannot be said for others.
2- What about sizing?
One thing you have to keep in mind is the sizing of the suit. Remember, if you wear a suit that’s not sized properly, then it won’t just look bad–it might even look terrible, whether it’s too big or too small. For this reason, you have to get a suit with your exact dimensions.
As you might imagine, doing so is easier if you’re purchasing a new suit; you can simply get one that’s tailored to your size. If you want a suit that’s off the rack, you definitely need to make sure that the store has a wide selection of sizes for you and that you have a good tailor on hand.
3- How does the suit fit on you? What about the shape?
You’ll also want to watch out for the shape of the suit. You might think that all suits are created equal, but this is naturally not the case. Some men’s fashion suits are bulkier than others, while others are made of lighter, softer fabric.
Bulkier suits tend to be more clunky; they won’t always look good, and indeed might be better suited to costume or theatre purposes. However, that doesn’t mean the immediate panacea is a softer, lighter suits; these might not appear formal enough in many environments.
Thus, the thickness of the suit–and the way it hangs (or is stretched out) on your body–depends on not only the environment in terms of weather, but also the environment in terms of context. In other words, don’t wear a light, casual-looking suit to a funeral.
4- Be very aware of where the suit is coming from.
Low prices sound good, but, at the end of the day–cheap materials and construction aside–you don’t want some poor Chinese worker to not be able to feed his/her family, do you?
Consider looking into fair-trade, sustainable brands before you start looking for a suit.
5- How much is the suit worth?
It can be difficult to know how much a given suit is worth. However, there are guides, both online and in magazines, so you should definitely give these a look over.
This is because many suit stores will try to overcharge you, so watch out for that. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for paying every cent of what something is worth. It’s when you get overcharged for something that is of sub-par quality that I’m not a happy camper.
6- Can you get the suit cheaper from somewhere else?
Corollary to that is the idea that you can save money when purchasing a suit. Sure, you’ll need to go to a reputable retailer–but even reputable retailers offer coupons, discounts, and deals, not to mention sales days. If you’re used to doing your shopping online (that’s so common now), there are retailers like Amazon which offer really good deals on quality suits.
7- What about patterns?
Patterns are another thing you’ll want to watch out for. Men’s fashion suits come in different patterns, much like other forms of clothing. The most obvious example is, of course, the humble pinstripe, which has decorated the legs of fine pantsuits (as well as the cloak of Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge) for generations.
But other patterns are possible, too; these include argyle, florals, tartan, and other forms of plaid. Now, as you know already, such patterns are not perfect for every suit, let alone every occasion. But if you’re the kind of man who enjoys flaunting his style–the kind of man who enjoys having his own unique sense of fashion–then they might be perfect for you.
Moreover, such patterns don’t need to be insane; they can be calm and simple and (perhaps) even soothing. That is to say, if you want to wear a suit that’ll look good while still maintaining some flavor, you can wear one which has the pattern but which is more calm, cool and collected–cool as a cucumber with a subtle design that can only be seen if you look closely.
That way, you can have the fashion sense you want, no one will look at you twice–and, perhaps most important of all, the suit will be better-suited to different occasions.
8- Look closely at the fit.
In terms of fit, you’ll want to consider how well the suit fits onto your body. Some men’s fashion suits hang, just like the ears of that soldier in that old kid’s song, or maybe elephant ears, or if it’s too big for you. (In that case, congratulations–you’ve lost some weight!)
Other men’s fashion suits might stretch at your midsection or pop at the buttons, so that’s also something you’ll want to watch out for.
Bottom line is you don’t want your suit being too big or small for you. Just right is the way to go!
9- What will the weather like?
Keep climate in mind. To put it succinctly, try not to get a suit that’s too light, or one that’s too heavy. Keep an eye out for materials in this regard. There’s quite a wide range between too heavy and too light, so you don’t have to panic too much.
10- The colour must be appropriate.
Another thing you must keep in mind is that not all colours are appropriate for all situations. Darker colours are ideal, since they’re perfect for all occasions–whether weddings, funerals, or anything in between.
However, suits in lighter colours–such as bottle green, blue or navy blue, and middling gray–can be ideal for work environments, as well as for dinners at fancy restaurants.
Most men only have one or two suits at a time, so–if you need to get a suit–then you should get one in a darker colour, as it can be more easily applied to more situations.
Fun-coloured suits (i.e., those that are powder blue or bright scarlet) are a great way of expressing your style–or dressing up for a play–but they are not great for every situation, so don’t purchase one unless you have extra money lying around.
11- Where are you shopping?
You should also know that where you’ll get your suit from is an important factor. Be aware that some stores sell suits that have the effect of making you look like a bum–people, upon seeing your new rags, will realize right away that you bought them from the discount store.
This also ties into materials: silk and satin are considered as being of higher quality than, say, viscose. Or polyester.
Also, you also need to be aware of the impression the suit leaves on people. If it’s dirty, crumpled and just looks poor quality – it’s certainly not a good look and not a good representation of the person you are.
And yes, there are people out there that will judge you for it. You can circumvent this by switching out your suits from time to time, keeping your suits clean, wearing them well and buying from good spots.
12- Also, “replay value.”
Furthermore, another thing to keep in mind is whether you’ll be able to wear the suit once more. Unless you’re Mr. Moneybags (good on you if that’s the case), you’ll want one that can be worn many times. Thus, keep an eye out for all of these things–colour, cut, fit, materials and so forth.
A new suit: adventures, here I come!
Ultimately, it can be daunting to buy new men’s fashion suits, since there are a ton of things you need to know before you set off on your journey.
Nevertheless, the journey is certainly rewarding–it ends, of course, in an amazing new suit that you can incorporate into your formal life.
Or hey, just become Barney Stinson (from How I Met Your Mother) and incorporate it into your everyday life. After all, who wouldn’t like to be Neil Patrick Harris? 🙂
