Article by Prewit P

Perfect Suit for Gentlemen

It was during my early days in Dubai,while working in the corporate banking sector, wearing suits became mandatory. Actually, the prospect of wearing suit and working in corporate atmosphere really thrilled me those days. Even after so many years, my experience of first suit is still fresh in the memory,refusing to fade away…….

Dubai is full of shopping malls and always one can find discount sale in every shops. If you are not careful, the salesman will trick you into buying what they want to get rid off from their shelf. After much bargaining and trial rounds I choose my first suit, an olive green double breasted suit with little alteration to adjust the trouser length. The next day, I heard my colleagues commenting on my awful style sense! It looked as if I had borrowed my elder brothers’ suit and was struggling to keep them out of my way ! Word spread, and I understood that it was the wrong color and pattern which made me a laughing stock! The same evening I bought another suit, a three button, single breast, off white suit which hung on me like I was about to box some one. My hard earned saving was down the drain! My well wishers, Sunish Vasudevan & Irfan Khan, came to my rescue and gave me some tips on latest trend.

However, today, I am happy to say that, I am in a position to guide others, in selecting suit and latest fashion trends.

A suit is the most elegant costume in men’s ward robe and most damaging to your wallet as well . So, one should know as much as possible, before purchasing a suit. Today, in this article, we look at some some basic tips that one must know before selecting a suit .

What is the purpose of the Suit?

The pattern, color and even the material of suit changes according to the occasion and climatic conditions of the place where you live.

-      If you are buying for the first time, go for navy solid (plain dark navy color) or even navy pinstripes will serve the purpose as this can be worn for interviews, official meetings and solid blue, even for a casual evening.

-      If it is for regular office use, the material should be lighter and darker in color. If you have the habit of hanging laptop bag across your shoulder (New IT style), then the material has to be more stronger and durable.

Suiting Materials

There are different types of suit materials available these days, from All Season Polyester to super soft wool. Even linen suits are great as summer time suits. However, the best choice for a suit is woolen material. There are different types of woolen materials

a)   Worsted: It is the best choice as this can be worn all through the year. It is wool that has been combed and flattened to appear thinner and crispier.

b)   Tweed: It is a heavier material and actually should be worn by some one who is thin.

c)   Flannel: It is less heavy than tweed but generates lot of heat and hence best for winter climates.

d)   Tropical: It is light weight material but tends to wrinkle easily and so you will have to dry clean it frequently.

Popular Suit Colors

The popular belief of black being versatile is out of fashion now, unless it is for a tuxedo (dinner jacket). Black is more like a uniform these days. According to me the most popular colors are shades of Navy blue and Gray! Reason being, most of the shirt & tie go well with these two colors and these can be worn for interview, business or even for social gatherings. Let’s look at the different choices of colors

a)   Navy Blue: For your first suit, the best choice would be navy blue, solid or even pinstripes, but don’t go for too bold or two narrow (close) stripes. There are different shades of blue and choose according to your skin tone. The best thing with Navy blue is that it will go well with most of your shirt and ties. These are generally called “power suits”, which demands attention in a crowd.

b)   Gray: The most popular color for a day time business meet is Gray and different (darker) tones of gray like, charcoal, charcoal chalk stripe etc. Charcoal chalk stripe represents trust and confidence and perhaps that’s how the term “bankers gray” has come up. The solid gray can we worn through out the day as it goes well with all the occasions.

d) Brown: My next choice would be brown and different shades of brown, copper, gold etc. But you will have to choose according to your skin tone as it will not look good for every one.

Different Styles 

There are different styles in suit cut that will complement your body nature and trend. Confused? Don’t worry, I will guide you…

-      Two-button suit: I would recommend this classic style for your first suit as this style looks good for all the body nature. For some one with short torso, double button suit is the best choice.

-      Three-button Suit: Popular style of 90’s. Look great on some one sleek and above average height. This will even look good for some one who is short, but slim as this will elongate the appearance. But avoid this style if you have boxers’ chest.

-      Single-button Suit: Well, this style is good for a casual working environment and will look good for tall men.

-      Double Breasted Suit: This style is out of fashion now. It will look good for some one tall and lean built. Short and bulky should not opt for this as it will make the mid section look bulkier.

-      Double vent (Side vent): Personally, this is my favorite choice as this makes it easier to reach the pant pocket without having to bundle up the whole side of the suit. A three-button suit looks great with double vent.

-      Center Vent (Single Vent): Well, this would be my second choice. You cannot reach your pocket as easily as in side vent style.

-      No Vent: This style looks clean and crisp, but very inconvenient to reach your pocket.

-      Lapel: Lapel is collar in simple term. There are 3 different styles of lapel.

a) Notched Lapel: Most widely used style, shouldn’t be too narrow or too wide. Best with business suit.

b) Peaked Lapel: Mostly comes with double breasted suit, morning suit etc. These days even single breasted suit comes with peaked lapel. Very Stylish!

c) Shawl Lapel: Commonly seen in dinner jackets/ Tuxedos, bath robes etc. It is also called roll collar.

-      Pants: The current trend is flat front sleek fitting trousers, unless, you have a large belly and need pleats to give you some additional comfort.  Generally, one shouldn’t wear belt along with suit pant. It should fit in your hips perfectly not too high nor too low, without the help of a belt.

The Right Fitting

Jacket:

• The shoulder fitting is the most important part of a suit. You should choose shoulder padding according to your built. It is better to avoid heavy padding if you are bulky and even if you are thin. Bulkier person should opt for natural shoulder and thin & short guys should go for medium shoulder padding.
• Length of the jacket is another crucial part of the fitting. Ideally, the jacket should cover your buttocks. If you are a tall person, you could probably go for an inch or two more. But if you are short, you must reduce the length an inch and half from the ideal length to give your legs longer appearance.
• Sleeve length of the jacket should be up to the base of your palm. Ideally, half an inch of your shirts’ cuffs should be visible out side.
• Collar of your jacket has to perfectly snuggle behind your neck and ¼’ – ½’ of the shirt collar has to be visible out side.
• Jacket should fit perfectly, neither too tight nor too loose. If you are not bulky, go for “body cut” pattern. But this will not be suitable for bulkier person. Bulkier person should go for comfort fit. Ideally, when you lift your hand as if you are asking for a lift, you should be able to do that without much straining the material.
• The standard length of suit pant is up to the top edge of your shoe sole at the back side and one break in the front. When you stand without the shoes, back side should just touch the ground, nothing more, nothing less. Shorter person can even reduce the length, up to the top edge of the shoes which will create the visual illusion of being tall. For a tall person pant with cuff (folded bottom) looks good as it gives the pants a proper hang.

Ready made or Custom made

Now you are ready for a suit. The question is, to go for ready to wear or custom made? My sincere advice would be to go for a custom made suit. The ready made suit is cut to fit as many customers as possible! Rarely one can find, perfect fitting ready made suits! It is a wonderful feeling when a suit is exclusively designed for you and that fits just perfect ! Altered ready made suit will never give that perfect fit! So, all you have to do is to find a good tailor who will not only stitch according to your needs, but also will guide you.

Click here to read Practical Fashion tips # 1 here

Click here to read Practical Fashion tips # 2 here

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