Author: Carmen Bucco

5 Things to Look Out For When Suit Shopping

Just as the little black dress is a must have in every females closet, a well-tailored suit is a very essential piece of clothing for men. Buying your first suit can be regarded as a rite of passage for young boys becoming men.

The deal with shopping for suits can be quite overwhelming for almost everybody but it is worse for first timers, so the general aim of this article is to equip you with everything that you need to know about suits before you go shopping, it is therefore important to have a well fitted suit as no one wants an ill fitted suit in their closet.

Suits are very essential as they are needed for different aspects of a man’s life from business to dates to formal and informal events; the list goes on and on. These events however call for different suit styles so it is therefore important to take note of the event you are shopping for as this is the most crucial aspect. This said, here are things you should look out for when suit shopping!

The Suit Fitting

The importance of having a well fitted suit cannot be overemphasized and this is the most essential thing to take note of. One thing not to do is buy your suit off the rack, the probability of the suit fitting you is very low and nobody wants to walk into an interview or an event looking frumpy with a suit that doesn’t fit. To avoid this scenario, you need to take note of the fitting of the suit. A major characteristic of a well fitted suit is that it has to be flattering as well as comfortable. There are several aspects that combine together to form the total suit fitting and they are defined below.

• The chest fit

You need to check the fit of the suit to your chest area. There should be a couple of inches space when the suit is buttoned up, it doesn’t have to be too form fitting. When you don on a tight suit, you end up feeling really uncomfortable all day long and no one really wants to be uncomfortable for even an hour. The statement that says the tighter the suit is, the slimmer you would look is nothing short of a ruse.

• The suit jacket length

The length of the suit jacket matters a lot. The jacket should not be too short that it sits right on top of your backside and it shouldn’t be too long that your behind is no longer in view.

 

• The suit jacket collar

The collar of your suit needs to be well defined; it should rest properly against the collar of your shirt dress. This makes the overall outfit smart and flattering as everything is in place.

• Length of the suit jacket sleeve

The suit jacket sleeve length should allow either an inch or half an inch of the shirt dress cuff to be visible.

• The length of the trouser

Due to the fact that there has been an influx of new fashion patterns and skinnier trouser styles, there are really no set rules with the length of the trouser.

A good way of ensuring that you get the proper fit is to have your measurement taken and have a suit made for you, it might result in additional charges but having a suit that fits you perfectly is so worth it.

Suit style/pattern/fabric

The style, fabric and pattern of the suit is subject to the occasion you are wearing it to as well as the weather conditions of the area. During winter, a flannel suit, herringbone suit and hounds tooth suit are perfect while for summer, a cotton and linen suit is just perfect.

The best material for suits is pure wool; this is due to the fact that it has the qualities that make the perfect suit which are comfort and breathability. Wool comes in different variation from cashmere to merino to worsted. Polyester suits should be avoided as they retain heat and can be easily be wrinkled. Silk suits are a good choice but they do not always appeal to everyone, if you like you can buy it.

Structure of the suit jacket

The lining, canvassing of the chest areas and shoulder pads all fused together makes the structure of your suit. When shoulder padding is included in the structure of a suit, it prevents the suit fabric from wrinkling and wrecking in the long run. There are two basic types of suits based on structured and they are the structured suit and the unstructured suit jacket. The structured suit has all the shoulder padding’s, chest canvas and lining while the unstructured suit jacket is lightweight, unrestricted, soft and unstructured as the name suggests. The unstructured suit jacket goes better for a casual look while the structured suit jacket is best for formal events. Therefore, the event you are buying the suit for plays a huge role in the structure of suit that you will buy.

Suit jacket lining

The lining of suit jackets have become quite popular, it calls for additional costs and the type of fabric used on the lining determines its quality and cost. The lining adds weight and structure to the suit.

Suit jacket buttons

Suits come with different numbers of buttons; the 3button suit was very popular in the 1990’s but not so much anymore. The two button suit helps to elongate the torso and they are quite flattering. The most popularly used type is the one button suit, this is the most flattering and comfortable type.

Once you are equipped with all the above information needed, I am confident that you will be able to make the right decision for yourself when you go suit shopping.