Nothing looks sexier than a man dressed in a dapper suit. But for winning the sartorial game outright, you need to follow these mentioned tips which will ensure that the suit fits like a glove and look flattering.
1. Keep The Last Button Unfastened At All Times
Whether you are wearing a single or double-breasted suit with one, two or three buttons, you should never button the bottom one. The middle one is meant to be closed while the bottom one is purely for aesthetic purposes.
2. Sit Comfortably By Unfastening The Buttons
If you don’t wish to commit a fashion faux pas, then make sure to unbutton all your jacket buttons while sitting. This can camouflage flabs in your belly region and also prevent you from looking bloated.
3. Button The Top Of Your Shirt
If buttoning the top of your shirt causes you to choke, then get yourself a new one. But make sure to keep it buttoned while wearing it underneath a suit. Leaving the shirt top unbuttoned will cause disharmony in your overall look and will simply pave for a haggard appearance. This holds especially true at formal events. But you can let loose at those after-work parties and open up the top shirt button for a care-free night-time look.
4. Choose A Light Pocket Square With A Dark Suit
For nailing the contrast game, you need to pair up a dark pocket square with a light suit and vice versa. White is a safe color as it can be paired to perfection with suits of different shades. You can also opt for other unobtrusive shades like powder blue, light grey and khaki before experimenting with wilder patterns and colors. A bright hued yellow or red square can offset a navy suit whereas a lavender or pink square can add to your charisma on being worn with light-hued summer suits. While your chosen pocket square needs to complement your suit shade, it shouldn’t match it exactly. It also shouldn’t be in the same pattern as that of your tie.
5. Don’t Pair Sports Watches With Suits
Black Tie events are perfect for flaunting those dress watches along with the tuxedos. This look can also help you hogg the spotlight at elegant dinner affairs and business settings. Leather straps in shades of black, brown, grey or navy blue are the most appropriate while the metal ones are associated more with casual events.
6. Ensure A Proper Shoulder Fit
As a rule of thumb, you need to make sure that the end of the shoulder pad ends with your shoulder. You can also take the shoulder-wall test by wearing your suit and slowly leaning your shoulders towards the wall while keeping your hands relaxed. Ideally, the end of your shoulder pad and your shoulder should touch the wall simultaneously.
7. No Rumpling On The Shoulder
You are most likely to have bulges along your taps if the jacket doesn’t fit you right. But the line of taps needs to be as straight as possible for that streamlined look.
8. Easy Access To Inner Shirt Pockets
The fitting of the suit needs to be such that you can easily slip your flat hand under the lapels even when the top or middle button remains fastened. You are mostly likely to experience a tug at the button while trying to put your fist in.
9. Channel Your Inner Corporate By Teaming Up Your Suit With An Overcoat
If the suit alone can’t keep you warm enough from the chilling cold winds, then it’s time to layer your look with an overcoat. The single-breasted overcoats are the most popular ones. However, you can also opt for the double-breasted coats for keeping slightly warmer. However, these coats need to have a hemline either at or just above your knee and be devoid of extra ornamentation.
10. Keep The Accessories Minimal
When it comes to dressing up, you should let your suits do the talking by opting for minimal accessories. However, you can occasionally opt for cufflinks to be worn with French cuffs. A sophisticated pair of cuff links can get you ready for the next office meeting while the novelty or bold varieties can help you let loose while grabbing drinks with friends.
11. Coordinate The Shoes With Your Suit
Burgundy or oxblood dress shoes can be worn with suits in shades of light grey, dark grey, navy blue, and brown. You can team up the brown dress shoes with light grey, brown and navy-blue suits. Lastly comes black shoes which look glamorous on being paired with dark grey, light grey, navy blue and black suits.
12. Choose The Right Socks With Your Suit
The perfect pair of dress socks are the ones which rise above the ankles and might even stretch up to the knees so that the shin is not exposed while you sit down. Color of your socks needs to be matched with trousers so that it blends in with your overall look for a more cohesive appearance.
13. Make Sure Your Tie Tip Ends At The Belt Buckle
While standing in your natural posture, the tip of your tie should ideally end at the middle of your belt or waistband. If you are wearing a square tip tie, then it needs to pass the top of your waistband or belt. Since each person has different lengths of torso, the waistband might sit at different heights and the correct tie length depends fully on the waistband.
14. Get The Right Length Of Waistcoat For That Perfect Fit
Create an illusion of a flattened stomach by making sure that your single-breasted waistcoat ends approximately an inch below your trousers’ waistband. Back of the waistcoat should extend till your waistband’s base. The hemline of a double-breasted waistcoat needs to finish just below your waistband. Your belt should not be visible while wearing a waistcoat so that an unbroken vertical line is created.
15. Wearing Belts & Suspenders Together Is A Strict No-No
Suspenders are usually worn for hoisting up your trousers to resemble a belt. Wearing belts and suspenders together is both redundant and looks like an absolute fashion disaster.
16. Shirt Cuffs Shouldn’t Cover Your Hands
Ideally the shirt cuffs need to rest at the top of your hands. You are most likely wearing a wrong size if you can fit your hand easily through the cuff while it is buttoned. If the cuff protrudes around 0.5 to 1 inch underneath your jacket sleeve, then it will impart a greater balance to your overall look. Gap between your wrist and the cuff should not exceed 2 inches.
17. Select The Right Tie Knot Size
Tie knots serve as the focal point of your outfit. But something very small will fail to make its mark while oversized tie-knots can make your overall appearance very tacky. Ideally the tie knots need to fill up the space in between the collar without making the band visible on the side. It also shouldn’t be so big that it ends up partially covering your shirt collar. Windsor and Half-Windsor are the two most popular types of tie knots which you can try out.
18. Create A Color Contrast Between Your Suit & Tie
Look sharp by pairing suits and ties in contrast shades so that it can stand out and draw attention. After all, there is no point in donning a tie whose color completely fades into the background. Choose a black tie with grey suit or navy tie over a green one.
19. Remove Excess Stitching Threads
Vents at the back of new suits, as well as the outside pockets remain closed. This is done so that the suit doesn’t loose its shape even with numerous people trying it out at the store. But after you choose one and bring it home, it becomes necessary to cut all these threads so that the jacket doesn’t hang in a weird way while you walk.
20. Width Of The Tie Bar Shouldn’t Exceed The Tie
Wearing tie-bars which are wider than your tie is like sporting trousers which are too long for your leg. In both the case, it creates an unflattering appearance. While they can solve the purpose, you won’t get any brownie points in terms of aesthetics.
21. Choose The Right Suit Fabric
How frequently you are planning on wearing the suit will determine the type of fabric you choose. For regular use, it is advisable to opt for durable materials such as wool with cashmere and mohair blend as it can hold its shape properly. Cotton-blended or synthetic materials can help you nail a stylish look on a budget. However, they fail to hold their shape and looks a bit cheap. The suit lining needs to be made of soft acetate or viscose. You should refrain from getting a silk inner lining which leaves sweat stains.
22. Make Sure There Is No Collar Gap
Collar gap mostly arises out of an imperfect fit on the shoulders and chest. You might not be able to see it yourself. However, everyone around you will surely notice the suit collar sitting away from the shirt collar.
23. Never Match Double Breasted Suits With Notched Lapel
Ooze out Wall Street vibes with suits having notched, peaked and shawl lapels. While the shawl lapel is perfect for being worn over tuxedos and dinner jackets, the notch lapel can streamline your appearance in the case of blazers, single-breasted suits and sports coats. However, you should make it a point to stick to peak lapels in case of tuxedo and double-breasted suits.
24. Right Positioning Of Suit Buttons
In case of a two-button suit, its top button and in the case of a three-button suit, its middle buttons need to be either at or above your navel.
25. Keep The Last Button Of Your Vest Open
Buttoning the bottom button will simply make you look too simple. Other than painting a flattering picture, it can also help you enjoy a more relaxed fit.
26. Choose A Suit Which Covers Your Trouser Zippers
You can use the ‘curled finger test’ to ensure that the blazer covers most of your butt and the trousers zipper. For doing this, you need to curl your fingers up with your arms positioned at your side. Ideally your jacket needs to rest in your hand. A shorter cut of the jacket tail will make your entire appearance more casual which might look unbalanced on being super chopped.
27.Opt For An Undershirt
If you are someone with over-active sweat glands, then you need to invest in a good quality undershirt. Adding more layers can meddle with your comfort at warm climates but will also prevents sweat stains from making their foray at your back and pits.
28. Select The Correct Trouser Hem Length
The pant hem needs to end at the top of your shoe for a fashion-forward look. Men who are trying to nail conservative dressing can wear pants which cover both the top of their pant and some parts of the laces. You need to avoid trouser length brushing the sole of your shoe and double folds.
29. Never Stuff Your Pockets
A well-fitting trouser can create an illusion of a slimmer appearance. You can retain the same by not stuffing phones, car keys and wallet in your pocket. Rather you can carry them in the inside pockets of your blazer or the other coat pockets. Also make sure you don’t make common mistakes in wearing suits.
Suits serve as an important component in the wardrobe of all gentlemen as it never fails to elevate your appearance. Following these easy tips pertaining to suit styling can make you look like a real boss whether at work or play.
Jennifer Taylor
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