They say every man needs at least 1 good suit. I suppose that is true given you will probably need a suit for business purposes or other formal events like weddings, parties and funerals. Tailor made suits are expensive, but fit the best since they are custom made just for your body type. Most men go with "off the rack" suits simply because of the convenience involved and the reasonable prices. Clothing experts say that designer suits fit better and provide more quality than mass produced suits, but what type of suit gives you the best value for your money. Suit materials are split into 2 groups - non wool and wool fabrics. A suit that is 100% wool is what you should be looking for since they are breathable, stylish, and natural. Non-wool suits certainly have their place, we will go into the different fabrics of both types below.
Wool suit fabrics consist of flannel, tweed, herringbone, worsted wool, and tropical. Tweed is a warm but heavy fabric that is coarse and the fabric of choice for sports jackets. Although older men tend to wear tweed, some styles are suitable for younger men. Fashion experts say that overweight or heavier men should stay away from tweed suits since they are not flattering for their body types. Flannel fabrics make for great winter suits since they are durable and wear well. Soft to feel, the ideal choice is a dark, gray flannel suit. Worsted wool fabrics are also durable and make great year round suits. This material is used in lighter and heavier mens suits. The tropical wool fabric is lightweight which makes it the perfect fit for summer wear. It can be more suspectible to wrinkles and requires dry cleaning more often than other fabrics. Probably not a first suit type of material due to the frequent cleaning required. Herringbone fabrics date back to the 1940's but are rarely seen these days. For non-wool fabrics there are linen, polyester, microfibers, and spandex. If you want a suit that stretches a bit, then go with the spandex or lycra fabrics in suits. You will find many of the least expensive mens suits made of microfiber fabric. Although microfibers give you increased breathability, water resistance, and washability, natural fiber suits look and feel better. Linen is lightweight and stylish for summer occasions, but the material is prone to wrinkling and it stains quite easily. You will find yourself getting it cleaned all the time which can be costly and it's never recommended to travel with a linen suit since it doesn't pack well. Polyester, a synthetic fabric, traps body heat and doesn't breathe well. The pros of polyester are that it doesn't wrinkle and the cost is much cheaper than a natural fiber suit. The different styles of suit jackets are single or double breasted. Most basic suits are single breasted and designed with 2 or 3 buttons you can do up. Double breasted suits are more formal and tend to be worn by older men and they are designed to have one side of the jacket overlap over the other side with 2 sets of buttons. Other features to consider with the suit jackets are a collar that "hugs" the back of your neck but still allows your shirt to be 1/2 to 1 inch from the collar. Some suits come with shoulder pads to give men a more squared off shoulder which lets the suit hang correctly. Lapels are the suit collars that extend over the chest area and should be flat and not buckle. To determine the best fit for your arms and sleeves, let you arms hang to your sides. You want your suit sleeve to end right where your hand meets your wrist and your shirt sleeve should be about 1/4 to 1/2 longer than your suite jacket. The overall stitching should be one of the most important factors in terms of the quality of the suit. You want seamless and firm stitching throughout. Vests are usually not a part of everyday suit wearing, save them for formal events. As for venting or slits located near the lower back of the jacket, allow for unrestricted movement around the hips. Some jackets have 2 slit and others only have 1. Mens suit pants have 4 things to consider - pleats, rise, cuffs, and waist. To have a comfortable waist, you should be able to stick 2 fingers into the waist area. For fleats, you have single pleat, double pleat and pleatless flat fronts. Flat fronts that are pleatless have become the stylish look for men in recent years. The cuffs at the bottom of the trousers should be 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches wide although shorter men may want to avoid them altogether. The rise is defined by the length from the waistband to the crotch - taller men look better with high-rise pants while shorter men look better in low-rise pants. Where should you buy mens suits? You can do it online, but until you know your exact measurements and feel comfortable ordering something like a suit online, go into your local mens suit store and take a look around. The Men's Wearhouse is a great place to start since their customer service is great and you'll get educated on suits while trying them on. Some online sites to consider are Esuits.com or Italsuit.com. RECOMMENDED - We suggest you browse the most popular mens suits online here.
Best Mens Suit:
Forbes magazine did a study not too long ago on the "best mens suit" and came up with some interesting results. An $1100 suit from Hickey Freeman and a sub $1000 Ralph Lauren suit topped the list for average businessman while a few like the Caraceni ($4000) and the Armani ($2200) are meant for high profile executives. Ultimately you need to feel comfortable in any suit you buy but keep in mind that mens suits represent things like power, prestige, and status. With corporate culture changing all the time, some companies don't require suit attire daily and in some of the start-ups in the Silicon Valley mens suits are shunned. IBM was notorious for requiring that all men dress with suits and ties for years and the younger generation grew up hating that look. Innovative companies have loosened their dress codes to help spark creativity and get away from "1 suit fits all". No one expects a junior executive to spend $2000 on a suit, so stay within a budget and try to dress to your work level.
Designer Suits:
Designer brands are famous in all types of clothing and in mens suits, Armani and Hugo Boss dominate the space. Hugo Boss mens suits are known "for their sharp lines, aggressive stance and fashion forward look". Compared to traditional suits, Hugo Boss styles are larger in the shoulder and have longer coats. Hugo Boss uses 100% pure wool fabrics with pleated slacks that are lined to the knee. We found some deals online for Hugo Boss suits at Amazon where they sell for about $750/each. Bluefly.com carries some beautiful Armani suits with flat front trousers, striped wool, and 3-buttons. The Armani mens suits cost about $1000-$1500 and display the fine Italian tailoring that Armani has come to represent. On Esuit.com you will also find Joseph Abboud, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Sean John, Jones New York, and Hickey Freeman mens suits. RECOMMENDED - Check out the latest Hugo Boss suits online here.
Mens Wearhouse - Custom Suit:
If you have never seen a Men's Wearhouse commercial, then you may not know their signature expression "We Guarantee It". That slogan has drawn men in for years as the stores are professional run with a guarantee on quality, price, fit, service, and tailoring. I've had several experiences in their stores and I have to say they were very positive. George Zimmer is the founder of the business and he opened the first store back in 1973. They offer on-site tailoring and their suits are brands like Nautica, Jones New York, Versini, Evan Picone, and Pronto Uomo. Their collection of mens suits include traditional, contemporary, two-button, three-button, flat front, side vent, vested suits, executive, trios, and tuxedos. The most expensive suit we saw on their website (Menswearhouse.com) was a Jack Victor three-button, side-vent charcoal herringbone suit for $699.99. The suit is cut from Italian made Super 120's wool and the slacks are lined to the knee. The Men's Wearhouse carries all the standard suit sizes and many more to fit all men. They go from 35 short up to 54 long. You can search their website for a store near you with the "store locator" feature.
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BUYING GUIDES
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