I’ve been saying it for a long time and I will keep on saying that a true gentleman should master his suits. That’s why today I will talk about how to wear suits like a gentleman.
How to achieve that? By following the three chapters listed below. Apply these principles for three months, then enjoy expressing your style by breaking them.
My personal note on this: Keep it Classy.
Chapter 1: Understanding the Fitting
When it comes to suits, the fitting is fundamental. No matter the price, if you have a well-fitted suit, it will give you the confidence of a 10,000 dollars suit.
Let’s see the most common style mistakes when it comes to the fit of a suit:
- Not investing in tailoring when purchasing an off the rack suit. Even if you shop for an expensive suit, it doesn’t mean it will fit you perfectly. Keep in mind that our bodies have different tailoring needs, and adjustments should be made.
- Wearing a baggy suit will make you feel like you are borrowing the suit from your grandpa. On the other hand, wearing a suit too tight can make people not take you seriously. Therefore, tailoring is important to find the balance between fitted and unfitted.
- Incorrect sleeve and trouser lengths can ruin the overall look of your suit. The shirt sleeve should reach your wrist, and the length of the jacket sleeve should reveal the last 2 cm of your shirt cuff. The trouser’s length should always cover your ankle. I always prefer to make it 1 cm longer in the back than the front.
- Buttoning your suit incorrectly can make you look like a dork. On three button jackets, you can button the top two-button, but never the bottom one. On two-button jackets, you have to button only the top one, but never the bottom one. Also, if you sit down, you unbutton your jacket, to not give too much stress on the fabric. If you stand up, you always button it, unless you are going for a more casual look.
Chapter 2: The Art of Personalization
Show your personality through the way you accessorize your suit. Now that we have a clear idea of how the suit should fit, it’s time to enter the playground to accessorize the suit. I noticed that most of the mistakes come from copying others’ styles and this can lead to a bad impression.
Here We Have 2 Simple Rules:
- The rule of colors: don’t go for more than 3 solid color options when wearing a suit.
- The rule of the accent: usually is taken by the tie or the pocket square, but we can also include socks here. The simple rule to follow is to use only one as an accent. Having socks, a tie and a pocket square in the same color might be too much for a gentleman.
How to Avoid Bad Accessorizing
- Your shoes and belt should always match. They should be from the same type of leather and color. Now because this can get hard to find an exact match, I recommend you have your trousers narrowed around the waist and in this case, you will not need the belt anymore. Sometimes the belt can make us look shorter when contrasted with the suit.
- Wearing the wrong socks. Visible socks should always match your trousers to keep the flow of your outfit. If you don’t find the same color, go for the shoe color. Avoid funny socks when wearing a suit in a business environment. Leave that for more casual environments.
- The tie length should reach the middle of your buckle, the knot should always be smaller than the collar width. Also, add a dimple for a more stylish effect. The pattern of your tie should complement the outfit, not the other way around. When you have a pattern on your suit or shirt, is better to choose a plain tie, however, if you want to use a patterned one, try to match the patterns of elements to be at least the same width and style.
- The pocket square when wearing a tie should always match your shirt color. If you are not wearing a tie, then it can be any color you choose (but keeping in mind the context)
- Jewelry overload is another big thing nowadays. Less is often more when it comes to jewelry. Wearing too many rings, bracelets or even necklaces can take you away from the gentleman look very easy. Choose to wear your beloved accessories when wearing casual attire, not when suited up. Wearing a simple leather strap watch and your wedding ring, if applicable, is the simplest and most elegant approach.
Chapter 3: The Last Touch
This last chapter is not about suits anymore but about you!
The last touch will always be the first impression people have on you. And here we include things like:
Grooming: Your hairstyle and facial hair matter too in your general look. Keep your grooming game on point.
Steaming: After using the suit, kindly take care of it before putting it back in the closet. Buy yourself a steamer and a brush and use them occasionally to clean the suit from dust or wrinkles. Always keep your shirt and suit fully steamed when leaving the house.
Shoe maintenance: Dirty or scuffed shoes can ruin all your work. Polish them regularly and use shoe trees when storing them to protect them over time.
Fitness is also an important aspect that we need to take care of if we want our suits to look good on us. Kindly include some cardio workouts from time to time to keep your body healthy and your suit free from multiple adjustments.
Neglecting the Occasion. Not every suit is suitable for every occasion. Navy and charcoal grey suits are preferable for business environments, light grey suits can be worn during the day. The black suit is best to wear in the evening and for social events like galas, or a dinner at a fancy restaurant. Royal blue and brown suits are preferable to keep for informal occasions only.
Remember: ‘Dressing well is a form of good manners’ as Tom Ford said. And we all know, a true gentleman should cultivate his taste and manners.
So, avoid these common mistakes, develop your style, and … enjoy it!
