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4 Tips to buying your first suit

By on December 3, 2012
LudlowSuit-1

How to buy your first suit

Every man should have a least one suit, as it anchors the formal portion of every man’s wardrobe.  In a perfect world getting every suit tailor-made would be the ultimate solution, but as young men this solution isn’t always feasible.  The deal breaker is usually the price, a tailor-made suit is pricey, which leads many of us to purchase suits off the rack.

Off the rack is right.  In reality it’s nothing wrong with buying a suite off the rack especially your first suite.  Off the rack suits are usually very reasonable in terms of pricing, and you also get a chance to choose from all the latest styles.  The first thing you should know about buying a suite is knowing your suite size.  You can accomplish this by going to any store that sales suites (i.e. sears, macys, Brooks Brothers).  This is one of the most basic pieces of information you should know when buying your first suite.  Next step pick out the suit.
The “Suit”, the only colors acceptable when purchasing your first suit are black, nave blue or grey.  These three colors are versatile and acceptable for any event.  The “fitting” the shoulder and jacket length should be as close to perfect as possible, the shoulders should end where your shoulders end; if they’re hanging off the end, even a smidge, put the suit back on the rack and find another.  Once you have picked out your color, the right size it’s now time to complete the outfit.

A mistake a lot of young men make is purchasing a suit without the rest of the outfit.  Without the tie, the socks, the shoes, it’s nothing. You’ll need a minimum of two shirts: one white, one light blue.   There’s only one rule for socks: they must be darker than your suit. If your suit is a very dark navy, you can even wear black socks. Ties, of course, can run the gamut, but if you’re not ready to experiment, just go solid. “A solid burgundy tie, a dark green tie, navy, gray they all look good with a navy suit on either a white or light blue shirt.  Finally to complete your first suit invest in a pair of good black shoes.  A typical men’s dress shoe like a Cole Haan lace-up, and a black belt to match. Most important of all; Keep your shoes polished. It makes the whole outfit, which a lot of men don’t realize.

 

Photo Credit: J Crew