So back in the day, approximately Seventeen hundred something, when dudes who wore wigs and stockings weren’t viewed as cross dressers, the suit was a staple in a gentleman’s wardrobe. A suit is defined as a formal outfit with matching coat, pants/trousers and vest/waistcoat (optional) made of the same fabric. Throughout the centuries, there have been many variations of suits from the suit coats and matching breeches (knee length pants) and cravats (neck cloths) worn in the 18th century by our founding fathers, to the frock coats and ditto suits worn in the 19th century, that would morph into the suits that we see today. With so many different variations and price points, it can be tough for the average guy to find his match, but if you want to do it right, you’ve got to know some basics. Let me show you the way.
Suits are known by 3 main parts which we will review today; jacket, trousers and vest/waistcoat (again, optional, and will be covered in a separate post).
The Jacket
The Jacket, probably the most prominent and important part of the suit, has a few components to it that you’ll gain more appreciation for once we get through
Styles: Single or Double Breasted
I know it sounds like a decision to be made at a KFC drive through, but I promise, we’re just talking about suits. The difference lies in the frontal design and the jacket closure method.
Single breasted suits are suits that you’ll see worn by most, where the left and right sides of the jacket join almost evenly in the middle with at minimum, a one button closure. The man of today would likely have a 2 button enclosure on their suit, where as one button closures appear more on tuxedos and three button closures, appear more in 1997. I mean are less commonly seen on today’s man.
Double breasted suits, less seen in the business arena, and usually reserved for the more fashion forward guy are noticeable as soon as you see them. Instead of the two front pieces meeting in the middle, the left overlaps the right, when closed. Often seen in the 4 button and six button variety arranged in double columns, the double breasted jacket adds a tone of sophistication.
Quick hint: grab yourself a 2 button, single breasted suit for use in any occasion, but for special occasions (proms, weddings, funerals), not necessarily in that order, grab a 6 button double breasted suit.
Lapel:
Lapels have the important job of framing the goods that lie beneath the suit (minds out of the gutter gents), mainly your shirt and tie. Or no shirt, if you’re in a different kind of “business.” Still muttering “big deal” under your breath? Think about your wedding photo, or for the single fellas the best picture of mom. Pictures as important as those would more than likely be presented in the best way possible, front and center in the most elaborate frame. Now, how would the wife, or mom feel if you had that picture held up on your wall with a piece of scotch tape. Probably wouldn’t end well. I wouldn’t want to be around to find out, or be a witness to any crimes that would take place as a result. It’s just the same with the frame of your suit, the lapels and selecting the best one for the appropriate situation can tee you up for the right look. The good news is that there are only 3 types, notch, peak and shawl. The better news is that one of them works best in any occasion.
The notch lapel is your typical lapel, that appear on most business suits. It’s formal, but leans towards the friendlier side of the three choices. It says I’ve got style, but I’m not going to make you feel bad about yourself. The lapel actually looks like someone cut a triangular notch out, where the upper and lower meet.
The peak lapel steps it up a notch, which is why you’ll see 9 out of 10 tuxedos with this particular style. When it comes to suits, you’ll see peak lapels on both single and double breasted suits. The upper and lower part of the lapel meet to form an upward point or peak, hence the name. Peak lapels deliver an enhanced manner of class and style. It says I’m on point (no pun intended), and I want to set myself apart from the others.
The shawl lapel isn’t actually a lapel. Yeah I know, misleading, right? It’s more so a collar. Think James Bond tuxedo. Instead of two pieces, the shawl collar is one continuous piece that curves along the inside V of the jacket, from the shoulders to the top of the first button. Because this is a traditional formal style, you won’t see these on a suit. As a matter of fact if you do, hand him one of my business cards, because he needs help.
Fabric: Wool, Cotton, Linen, Synthetic blend
Wool should be your choice for the most versatile suit. Range in quality is as vast as range in price. Go for a Super 100s wool suit. The number speaks to the thinness of fibers in the yarn used to sew the suit. Higher numbers equal finer/softer fibers, which also equals higher cost. Durability also takes a dive as the number increases, so you’re better off keeping it in the middle (100’s and 120s) for a workhorse suit.
Cotton being the lighter fabric is more appropriate for summer. A khaki colored or seersucker cotton suit is a summer staple, from work, to the Kentucky Derby
Linen, another summer favorite is the lightest fabric of all. Of course, the lighter the fabric, the easier it is to crease, so no jumping jacks in your suit gents.
Synthetic/Polyblend/Rayon suits are the least expensive because no animals had to die in the process. Manmade materials are cheaper. Sure, they can look good, but they don’t fall as naturally on your frame, as the natural fabrics.
Quick hint: Velvet is one of my favorite stand out fabrics, but it has to be done right. Velvet offers a deeper richer color, which is why it works best with black, blue and red.
Vents, Single or double
Single, double, I know, sounds like we’re talking about suit breasts again, but no, completely the opposite, literally, like it’s in the back. The vent is the verticle slit in the back of the jacket.
The center vent is a single slit opening in the that runs vertically along the center seam of the jacket.
Side vents are 2 slits that run up the rear side seams of the jacket. I’m more of a side vent type of guy, which leans towards the European style of dress; whereas the center vent is more of a classic American style.
Quick hint: Go with the side vents, which offers a cleaner look from the rear. Also more places for flatulence to escape, should you need it.
Pockets
Like all good things, suit pockets come in threes; breast pockets and 2 side pockets. Breast pockets adorn the amazing pocket squares that we spoke about in the “‘square route” blog post. The other 2 pockets have a bit more variety and usually appear in one of three ways.
Besom pockets, the most formal are found on tuxedos and are simple by design. No flaps are present at the opening, instead, a thin strip of satin (called a besom strip) are in their place above and below the slit.
Flap pockets, more common across all jackets types, and are identified by… you guessed it, FLAPS.
Patch pockets, the least formal of all are mostly found on sport jackets, but lend themselves to some suits. They never make cameo appearances on proper tuxedos. These are easy to notice, as the stitch on the perimeter of the pocket is completely visible, flaps are optional.
Quick hints: The ticket pocket would make pocket number 4. If you’re really on you’re "A game", you may have a smaller pocket above the right, side pocket of your suit called a ticket pocket. Traditionally seen on country suits “back in the day”, they were used to store train tickets.
Hacking pockets really just mean slanted pockets. It appears more European, but as in most suit features, at some point in the past, slanted/hacking pockets, allowed for ease of access while horseback riding
Sleeves
Can’t forget about these. Every suit and tux have them.. That’s it. Seriously though, there are two main focal points:
Don’t be that guy with more buttons on his jacket sleeve, than there are on his shirt. 4 will work just fine. On most suits, the buttons are stitched to the jacket, and are purely decorative. On higher end made to measure and custom suits, you will find surgeon’s cuffs, which is a fancy way of describing working buttons/ buttonholes. To show that it’s custom, one would usually leave the first button undone.
Slim cut vs classic, there’s something for everyone. For the gent with a slim or athletic build, slim cut is the way to go. Here, the jacket is tapered, sleeves are narrow, lapels are slimmer, armholes are higher and the pants are tapered with a higher crotch. This gives more of the fitted, tailored look. For the larger gentleman, go for the classic, it offers more room to move freely. It also is more flattering for your shape. Be yourself, nothing is worse than a tight suit.
Alterations, will have a $99 suit looking like a $499 suit! You can Frankenstein your suit any number of ways to get it to fit your body (I’ll cover alterations in more detail in a separate post), The most important are: Jacket taper and pants hem. If you have a slim cut or classic cut suit and you’ve purchased your correct size, all else will fall in line.
Jacket tapers entail refitting the jacket at the back, side seams (along the side vents), closer to the body, providing a narrower waistline.
When purchasing your suit jackets, keep in mind that they are sized according to chest circumference, shoulder and length.
A full breakdown in chest size versus height and the relative suit jacket size can be found below.
Pants hems are manifested in one of three ways, full break, slight break, or no break. The break is where the pants come to a fold at the shin. Full break, was more prevalent in the 90’s with the less tailored look.
Slight break is more prevalent today on business suits and tuxedos. No break, is the ultra trendy move for when you want to show some ankle.
Cuffing season? Maybe, if that's your preference. For our vertically challenged men, be mindful, that the cuff can give appearance of cutting your height. Whereas a taller gent may be able to get away with it. Style has much to do with your attitude and confidence, so if you're comfortable being short by all means, cuff it up!
Quick hint: Go with a slight break with a straight hem for your everyday suiting.
Pants/trousers
Though less complex in composition than the jacket, attention to detail in men’s trousers are equally important to provide a well-rounded look.
Pleats vs. flat front, Flat front pants offer a cleaner, slimmer and more contemporary appearance than pleated pants. Pleats are the vertical creases that run parallel to the zipper. Go for flat!
Get em up, keep em up, Belt loops/ suspenders and adjustable waist straps are all worthy choices, to ensure that the only moon we see, is in the sky.
Belt loops are on all pants/trousers sold in your local department store, so no mystery there. If you want to up your game, go for suspenders. Spend some extra effort and about $10 to have some suspenders buttons sewn to the inside waist band by your local tailor or dry cleaner. That’s right, if you can help it, ditch the suspender clips, unless you’re a toddler, in which case It’s very cute. And please remember it’s either belt or suspenders, not both! That’s like wearing contact lenses and eyeglasses at the same time, it doesn’t help; in fact it makes everything worse.
Adjustable waist straps reduce your need for any of the above. By unfastening a tab on either side of the trousers you can adjust the size of the waist, a buffet lover’s dream. Though more commonly present on tuxedo pants, more men have added the feature to their custom suits. If you have the money to shell out on custom and you’re the type that’s been the same waist size since high school (and you’re 40 now), you may opt to tailor your pants to your exact size, minus the adjustable straps, or belt loops. Also, congratulations.. You’re a vampire, who never ages, like Pharrell Williams.
Pockets
Similar to jackets, pockets on pants usually appear in threes. two front and one rear pocket. Unlike your jeans, pockets on a suit are a bit more discreet, which explains the lean toward slanted pockets on most of today's suits. Slanted pockets with minimal hemming, will allow the opening to disappear within the fabric. Word of advice, place wallets, phones etc in your jacket pocket, as not to disrupt the flow from top to bottom, also, you wouldn't want to "offend" anyone. The rear pocket is simple and is held closed with a single button. Keep that button closed at all times, to avoid sagging.
Congratulations gents, you’ve made it through the 101 level. Take some time over the weekend to try on some suits with these helpful haberdashery hints. I’m sure both you and your sales associate will enjoy the experience since you will have a better sense of the available options.
Stay Suitabull guys!