Should my suit have a pattern?

Tags

Cloth, Herringbone, Houndstooth, Pattern, Pinstripe, Ropestripe, Sharkskin

Patterned suits can evoke two images, either that of the hapless nerd picking out a “snazzy” pattern to wear once a year at weddings, or of upper class gents donning tweeds and checks in which to stroll their grounds.

In reality pattern in suits is both common, useful and a good way to get creative without drawing too much attention. There are any number of patterns that you may come across so instead of decreeing rules to follow, I will simply name and describe some of the more coming patterns and how they might be utilised. If you find yourself unsure or lacking in confidence in their implementation, then I would advise you to avoid them; patterns could be seen as the second level of difficulty in suits – if they go wrong it is not the end of the world, but the errors are much more easily overlooked if the result of your wardrobe is impeccable.

Patterns can be roughly distributed between two categories, those that are created by using the same colour as the base fabric, but woven in a different way and those that are made up of a different colour all together woven into the cloth.

Weave- based patterns

Herringbone

A herringbone pattern is achieved when a weaver chooses to weave the warp and weft (the “up and down” threads and the “left to right” threads respectively) in such a way that half have a diagonal grain pointing one way and half that go in the other direction. The purpose of this is to create a subtle texture, often giving greater depth to the colour of the fabric. In many instances herringbone is subtle enough that many people will not even notice it.

Navy and Grey Herringbones by Dugdale

Herringbone is easy enough to pair with shirts and ties; make sure that at least one item is of a bolder pattern and one item is less bold in pattern. My advice is normally to look at herringbone fabrics in blues, as greys can occasionally feel a little worn down with too much texture.

Birdseye

This fabric has such a subtle diamond shaped weave that tailors will not call it patterned, but for our purposes we can consider it so. In this fabric the edge of the diamond shape is woven in one direction and the centre in another to give a very subtle hint of texture. When picking out an outfit the cloth should be treated as a “solid” colour, and thus the patterns on your shirt and tie should not be influenced by the cloth.

Grey Birdseye by Dugdale

Popular with the conservative crowd who wish to add a little detail to the outfit without going as far as a check or stripe, this fabric is also good for durability, as dust is more easily hidden in its textured surface. Naturally this is not an excuse the skip regular cleanings, but it helps if you must take dusty public transport to work.

Navy Birdseye by Dugdale

Sharkskin

This is a cloth that utilises a form of basket weave, so that a thread of dark grey or navy can run across one of a lighter shade. The effect of this weave is a two-tone one, but of subtle shades which result in depth and nuance rather than the green-blue two tone of the 90’s.

Grey Sharkskin by Dugdale

A wonderful choice for a more nuanced suit, one that looks elegant, but the reasons for which are not clear to the casual observer. You could compare a sharkskin cloth to a regular plain cloth with an analogy to gold and polished brass; from a distance they are the same, but the latter undoubtedly has more lustre and sheen than the former.

Navy Sharkskin by Dugdale

Sharkskin can be expensive, and hard to come by, but the reassurance is that I have never seen it produced at a low level, thus if you are considering such a cloth, there is a reasonable chance that the suit its self will be made to at least an acceptable standard.

Colour-based patterns

Pin stripe

The pin stripe can come in many different forms, from the subtle lines so fine as to be invisible, to the bold contrasting stripes of a “banker” suit.

Generally speaking pin stripes should be no more than one or two shades lighter than the cloth on which they are based, as the aim is to give texture and visual variance to the suit. I normally advice customers not to wear a stripe that is much wider than the nail on their index finger. The wider a stripe is set the less flattering it becomes, and the more distinctive the overall effect. While it is by no means unusual or wrong to wear a wider stipe, if you are reading this book for advice then there is a good chance that you won’t have the sartorial sense developed to do so without feeling self conscious.

White on Navy Pinstripe by Dugdale

I usually advise customers that a subtle pinstripe suit should be the third item into the new wardrobe, after a solid blue and solid grey. It is always best to look for cloths where the stripe is the same colour palette as the suit. It can be tempting to buy a blue suit with pink or purple pinstripes because it looks unique, but ultimately that is not a suit that will get worn and you are wasting money.  As with all heavy patterns, follow the rule that “two out of three ain’t bad”, and only add in one more pattern to your ensemble.

Rope stripe

A rope stripe is similar to a pin stripe, except a touch thicker and with more texture to the stripe. If you look closely the stripe really does resemble a rope that has been woven through the fabric. This has an impact that is twofold; firstly the stipe can be thicker to increase its impact and secondly that the thick stripe has softer edges to ease the transition between the two colour.

White on Navy Chalkstripe by Dugdale

A rope stripe can be difficult to pull off without looking “loud”. The archetypal image of a businessman in a blue rope striped suit, with contrasting white collars and cuffs and an enormous red tie is hard to escape.

If you wish to add this style to your wardrobe I would suggest finding it in a dark grey or navy blue flannel where the heavier fabric lends a softer air to the pattern.

Houndstooth

A hounds tooth pattern is a very small check, but instead of squares each block is in the shape of a cross (more accurately the shape of the cross section of a canine tooth). The “tooth” can be of any size, from just one or two threads wide to an inch across. The smaller the pattern the less distinctive and easier to work with, generally speaking.

Brown Houndstooth by Dugdale

More common in tweeds than worsted wools, the houndstooth pattern is a favourite of the more passionate tailors, but is often considered to be “showy” by less interested parties. In lighter colours the cloth can become very casual, a great favourite for garden parties or sporting events. I charcoal or navy it can be office appropriate, but like the rope stripe it can be too bold for conservative offices.

Black and White Houndstooth by Dugdale

Can I wear a double breasted suit?

Tags

Double Breasted, Single Breasted

Yes.

 

Well that was rather a short chapter! I will try to elaborate:

 

There is a gargantuan amount written and spoken about the “kind of man” who should be wearing a double breasted suit and every word of it is correct. And fundamentally wrong. Some argue that the double breasted suit (DB for short) is for the bigger chap, trying to disguise  his bulk by spreading features laterally, using the buttons and pockets to break up the great swathes of cloth that cross the torso. Others argue that the skinny guy looking to add bulk to his meagre frame should embrace the extra folds of cloth that will give him breadth. Both are correct, but no man should be excluded from wearing a DB suit.

 

The key with getting a DB suit that looks flattering is the spacing of the buttons and the “depth” of the overlap. On a skinny guy an overlap of just a few inches gives him the appearance of width in a flattering way, whereas a jacket that wraps around to where a pocket would be swamps him. In the same fashion a bigger chap with a small overlap looks comically like he is bursting out of his suit. On this gent however the wide overlap helps keep the jacket looking proportional despite its larger size.

 

One area in which I disagree with the crowd however, is that I do not  wholly believe that a double breasted suit can make a man look thinner or fatter. A double breasted suit will either look correct and good or incorrect and bad. I have yet to meet a man who asks me for a double breasted suit who is suddenly ecstatic with his size after donning it. In my opinion the contention in whether or not one should wear a double breasted suit does not arise from the garment it’s self but from the unrealistic expectations people place upon it. A good tailor (or a well cut off-the-rack model) will flatter any man, but the crux is finding that suit.

 

There is no formula for finding the perfect width for buttons either, and in this instance the mirror is your best friend. If you look at yourself and see that the buttons are concentrated in the centre of your belly, then they are too narrow. Likewise if you feel that they leave a gulf between them as they creep towards your sides, they are too wide.

 

I am hesitant to get into the details and configurations of double breasted suits, as they can come with as many as 8 buttons, and as few as 2, with trapezoidal configurations and vertical alignments, but unless you are dealing with a bespoke maker, you will have no options in what the suit has. You will either like the way it looks, or dislike it.

 

I will say this however, if you do find a DB suit that looks good, fits well and you wish to purchase, make sure that you never do up the bottom button. Having all of the buttons done up looks starched, unnatural and should be left to those whose double breasted jacket is part of a uniform.

What material should my suit be made from?

Tags

Cashmere, Composition, Durability., Mohair, Pollyester, Silk, Wool

There are a range of materials that a suit could be made from, each with its unique attributes that make it effective, such as linen or silk. The more important question for beginners is “What shouldn’t my suit be made from?”

In lower end suits (though often from quite high priced brands) there is a tendency to add polyester to a suit in order to help it maintain its shape and make the material tougher. If at all possible these poly-blend suits should be avoided, as polyester does not breathe as well as wool, and tends to have a “shine” that marks it out as distinctly low quality.

In a previous life I was a pilot of light aircraft and one incident turned me away from polyester as a material for life. When chatting to a gnarled old pilot before going out for some aerobatics practice he told me to make sure I removed the mandatory high-vis yellow vest before take off. When I asked why he replied “when (not if) you crash there is always be some kind of fire and polyester melts. I don’t know about you, but surviving a crash just the have months of skin grafts to remove yellow plastic from your body doesn’t exactly sound fun.”

In practice this is probably a wild overstatement and when dealing with suits there is usually only 30 to 50% polyester content. There are certain situations that I would even recommend poly blend suits to a customer: for use in a less-than-careful environment such as night clubs and rowdy parties, for those who put their suits under a great deal of stress for example those working in shops or on building sites. Generally speak though, if the tag tells you that the suit contains polyester is is normally best to pass over it.

Ok so we have a good idea of what to avoid, but what should you be actively seeking out?

Wool is and has always been the standard material for making suits, it is tough, resilient and easily woven and dyed. The majority of suits on the high street are made from Australian wool as the country has not only the space but the climate and grass that best suits the growth of a fine fleece. The merino sheep which donates its fleece to everything from suits to pullovers is the most numerous, and the wool is particularly good for suits as it can absorb 30% of its weight in water before it begins to feel damp which is of course useful in the rather damp European weather.

As a bare minimum your suit must be from wool then, but what can be added to the cloth to improve its characteristics?

The most common you will find on the high street is silk. By adding up to 30% silk to the wool the maker has designed a cloth that feels lighter, but with a more lustrous sheen to the surface. Highly valued among the more style orientated customer this blend is obviously something special just from the look. Considered to be a little “showy” for the conservative business crowd it is particularly good as a casual suit, for evening events.

Silk is also a nice cloth because it breathes well, and combined with its lighter weight makes for a good tropical suit that holds its shape and resists wrinkles better than linen.

Linen differs from silk as it should not be blended with wool but be left as the sole ingredient. A linen suit is by far the most casual that you might encounter, designed to the hottest climates and driest weather. A linen suit is a wonderful garment to have in the wardrobe either in a sand or dark blue colour. The trousers and jacket can very easily be used as separates, making your single suit into three distinct outfits.

Next we come to Mohair, the wool shorn from goats with a crisp feel and deep lustre. If you are looking for a suit that will make you look “sharp” consider the extra expense of mohair. Because it takes dye well, insulates in winter and wicks moisture like linen it is often more expensive than wool, and paired in a 30-70 ratio with wool. If you wear suits in the company of those who spend a good deal on tailoring, or are particularly knowledgeable, the cloth can come across as slightly extravagant. In the company of those who wear designer suits from the fashionable brands, the cloth fits in well, appearing crisp and well cut. I mostly recommend this fabric for a more aggressive cut, narrow and angular to accentuate a slim or muscular frame. On the larger gent the added sheen can highlight unwanted bulges and curves.

In contrast to Mohair cashmere represents the epitome of softness and warmth. Great care should be taken when looking at cashmere (all kinds, not just suits), as with all things in life, there are differing levels of quality. Price is not always a good indicator, the most expensive brands will slap a high price on anyone that bares their name, regardless of quality. I look for cashmere that doesn’t feel too soft in the store as the fibres will be broken down as you wear the garment and something that already feels fluffy and fragile will tend to pill and bobble after just a few wears.

When speaking of suits it is unusual to come across a cloth with more than 30% cashmere at the very highest end, with most quality cloths hovering around the 10% mark. The fact is that cashmere is not a durable material, and needs the rugged wool for support. I usually advise people that their fourth or fifth suit should be a cashmere blend in an understated colour: good for when you wish to present a more refined image, but not for every day use.

How can I tell if my suit is good quality?

Oh boy. Oh boy. That is a tough question…

The quality of the suit depends on many things; the construction, the materials, and most importantly the fit. Fit and materials have their own chapter so rather than re-hashing ideas expressed elsewhere in this text, I will concentrate on construction.

Wool is a fundamentally light material, and the mark of a good suit is “drape” where the cloth appears to flow lightly over the surface of the body. The only way to achieve this is by adding structure to which the well can be attached, this structure is known as a canvass. The construction of this structure is a major indicator of quality.

There are three basic construction techniques used in mass-produced suits; fused, half-canvass and full canvas. These are listed in increasing order of price and quality. If you are having your suit made by hand then any one of these techniques may be used, but they should be employed to a much higher standard than in high-street products.

Let’s have a look at each technique and its advantages.

Fused

This is by far the most common format for suits at the lower end of the market, and to find something better on the British high street is rare. A fused suit is made by using a canvas made from “fusible”, to which to wool is essentially glued.

The fused suit comes in for a great deal of criticism, especially on the Internet where people tend to latch on to an idea and use it to differentiate between “good” and “bad” with little technical information to back it up. The argument in these circles is that because fused suits are glued together, repeated exposure to dry-cleaning chemicals and day to day wear will result in the glue breaking down and leaving “bubbles” in the chest.

It is hard to argue that this wasn’t the case in days gone by; ten years ago this was probably quite a common occurrence, but modern production methods have improved dramatically. The fusing in a modern suit happens not only by heating the fusible but also by applying strong pressure as the heating occurs. The result is a strong but flexible bond that should stand up to at least two years of wear.

All this is not to say that the fused suit has risen to the levels of durability and longevity of the other two methods, but it certainly means that your money isn’t being thrown away on a sub-quality suit. As mentioned above, 90% of the suits that you will find on the high street, even from “fashion brands” such as Boss, Ted Baker, Armani and many others, so month get too hung up about the fact that a suit is fused.

Fused suits are perfectly acceptable if you are saving some money, or are buying a “fashionable” suit which you know you will replace in a year or two – but be aware that a half canvass suit may cost as little as 20% more but last for 4 or 5 years.

Half canvass

The half canvas suit is often held up as a minimum standard on advice boards and by tailors alike: the use of a piece of woven horsehair that the wool can be stitched to results in a garment where the cloth can move and flow in a more natural way.

A half canvas garment is one where the horsehair cloth starts at the shoulder and flows down the front to roughly the bottom of the ribs. This layout allows the cloth to be supported in the most important regions; the chest and shoulders where the weight of the garment is held. In the less important area around the pockets and the bottom quarter of the jacket there is no structure, allowing the garment to flow and move as required.

The advantage of this technique is that horsehair is a natural fibre, and as a result it will hold the shape in which is is repeatedly held, so a jacket that has been “broken in” by a few weeks of wear will have a natural curve to the chest were a “fresh” jacket will hang straight down from the hanger. This adaptation over time tends to produce a jacket that looks more natural for the wearer and feels marginally more comfortable.

This technique is significantly more expensive than the fusing process, so brands that utilise it are normally those who charge a higher price or those who are suiting specialists. There are a small number of firms who have specialised for many years in suits or shirt in the Savile Row and Jermyn Street area of London who are now expanding outward with chains across the country. Because these brands bill themselves as high quality rather than high fashion they are quicker to embrace the traditional production methods. These shops have little by way of brand appeal but do represent very good value when looking for workhorse suits.

Personally I recommend taking the extra time to find one of these suits, as they represent a better investment in the long term. I still have half canvass suits that were given to me in my first few years working in the tailoring industry, and despite being worn every day for years while in dusty stock rooms and hefting bundles of suits about they are all in a more or less perfect condition.

Full canvas

A full canvas suit is made in the same way as a half canvas suit but the difference is that the horsehair chest-piece extends all the way to the bottom of the jacket. The advantage of this is the overall shape of the jacket can be crafted in more detail by the tailor, and used to give more control over the final shape. A full canvas jacket ca be manipulated by a skilled tailor to give even the roundest man a nipped waist, and make even the thinnest man look well balanced.

The implication of course is cost: adding 40% more canvas in order to gain just a smidgen more control over the garment is not a cost effective deal, so most manufactures never go as far as this in their suits.

The same cannot be said for tailors who produce bespoke garments for individual customers. Even the cheapest of these bespoke makers will cost at least £1,000 per suit and most you will find will charge upwards of £3,000. In these cases (and in fairness, the very occasional mass-producer) will not hesitate to put some of that money into the added control and feel of a full canvas jacket.

My feelings on these three techniques can be likened to my opinion on cars: the fused suit is similar to the hatch back, useful, economical, but uninspiring. The half canvas is like a German saloon; reliable, long lasting and with enough luxury that using it regularly isn’t a chore. The full canvas is like a hand made Ferrari or Rolls Royce; the added cost goes straight towards the pursuit of perfection, for many unnecessary but for the true enthusiast completely priceless.

If you wish to determine the construction of a suit in a shop there is a method known as the “pinch test” where you can pinch either side of the cloth above the top button and if you can feel three distinct layers then you are dealing with either half canvas or full canvas. The other way of course is ask the sales advisor in the shop, but it is worth remembering that, certainly at lower end establishments, they may not understand the subtleties of construction.

Sleeve Buttons: How Many and Which Materials?

Tags

Brass, Buttons, Corozo, Gold, Horn, MoP, Mother of Pearl, Plastic, Silver

Depending on how much research you have done, you may have noticed that some gents with a particular interest in style pay very close attention to the buttons on a suit jacket. This is primarily because, at the highest end of the spectrum, they are able to tell you a great deal about the quality of a garment.

The reason buttons carry so much weight is because after the cloth they are the most visible component of the suit, but often overlooked or handled cheaply by lower end manufactures.

The first thing to examine is the number of buttons on a sleeve. Although there is no real rule, I tend to think that the number of buttons on a sleeve should be equal to the number on the front of a suit plus two. So on your grey two button suit, you would expect four buttons on the sleeve. Similarly a three button suit would have five buttons on the sleeve. This is in no way a law, and many reputable tailors will put one more or less than this, but you should be aware that three buttons is too few (except on a one button tuxedo) and six is too many, which makes the sleeve look busy.

In fashion circles it is common to only add one or two buttons to a sleeve, in an effort to maintain a sleek and minimalist appearance. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, it is based on fashion rather than style, thus it will be outdated in a few years time. If you are willing to buy another suit every 18 months, then feel free to experiment with these looks.

The next element to consider is how the buttons are placed in relation to each other. There are three configurations that you may come across and each represents a stylistic choice rather than an indication of quality, though some are more costly and difficult than others.

You may see buttons that overlap each other slightly, which is referred to as waterfall. This is the most complex to sow, as even a few millimetres error makes for visible imperfections. With modern machinery this accuracy can be easily reproduced in factories across the world, so waterfall buttons no longer indicate the attention to detail that they one required.

If the buttons on a sleeve touch, but do not overlap they are referred to as “kissing” buttons. As with waterfall buttons there is no practical benefit to kissing buttons, they merely represent a preference by the designer.

The final options is for buttons that are sewn with space between them. This practice has more practical implications, including making the line of buttons stretch further up the arm, giving the cuff a heavier appearance (valuable on men with longer arms). Out of the three styles it is also the easiest to handle when shortening a sleeve, but realistically if your tailor can’t handle alterations on kissing buttons, then you probably shouldn’t be giving them your suit to work on.

After considering the number and placement of buttons, you come to the material they are made from. There are as many materials from which buttons can be made as there are materials on earth, so we will look at a few of the most common.

Plastic

By far the most common, until you reach the most expensive levels of suit, plastic has many advantages for tailors and suit wearers alike. Quite apart from the low cost of manufacture plastic can be made in any colour to coordinate with the cloth, made with logos imprinted, and supplied with a suit as replacements.

There was a time that plastic buttons indicated a lower quality of suit, but that has long since passed. In many instances brands producing reasonable products choose plastic simply because of its availability and durability.

The following types of button all represent more expensive materials and so will usually only appear on high-end suits. As with everything in life, their presence does not guarantee quality, but it will serve as a strong indicator.

Black Plastic

Horn

Horn is the most traditional material from which Buttons are made, but it also ranks as some of the more expensive. For this reason only higher end suit makers use horn regularly. It can be difficult to tell the difference between plastic and horn without touching it, but there are a few telling markers: horn tends to be a matte finish, but even when polished it doesn’t have the same “gloss” as plastic, taking on an appearance more like polished wood. The discolouration on the surface of a horn button should run all the way through to the other side of the button, changing shape and hue slightly. Always remember that horn is a natural product that has grown on an animal, if all 10 buttons on the suit are carbon copies of each other, then it is unlikely that it is genuine.

Horn buttons work particularly well on dark suits, where a grey or brown button serves to highlight the colour of the suit without looking flashy.

Light Brown Horn

Mother of pearl

Mother of Pearl (MoP) is a significantly brighter material made from the shells of oysters. Buttons made from MoP are usually significantly thinner than horn or plastic, simply because of they way that they are sourced; each one is cut from a shell, so the thickness of the button is determined by the thickness of the shell being used. Although very hard to imitate well, you will always be able to tell of you have genuine MoP by the fact that it feels cooler to the touch than plastic, even under strong shop-lighting. Additionally there is always a “face” side of the button which shines and glows, and a “back” which is darker and less attractive. It is very rare for someone to polish and perfect both sides of a button when only one side will ever be seen.

There is a second, rarer style known as Smoked Mother of Pearl, which has a darker appearance, more reminiscent of gunmetal or unpolished steel. This is particularly nice when used on suits of navy blue as it gives a nice modern twist to the gold that usually accompanies blue. The lighter, un-smoked, versions look great with lighter suits such as a light grey or bright tan helping the suit look more modern and sleek.

Mother Of Pearl

Corozo

Corozo buttons are rare in England but an almost de facto choice for Italian tailors. Produced from the shell of a nut Corozo buttons are almost identical in appearance to plastic which has lead many manufacturers to simply use the cheaper alternative. While similar in appearance they are not identical with Corozo having a slight lustre to the surface and an altogether softer feel, more like soapstone. Interestingly the soft feel hides the fact that they are more resistant to scratching and chipping than plastic. I’m not sure that you need such protection unless you are a certain MI5 operative who gets into improbable scrapes while wearing his suit.

Popular for its deep cream and chocolate colours Corozo is a great choice for odd jackets and heavily patterned suits, particularly those made from linen. You may not be able to discern a difference from the plastic alternative, so ask the proprietor for help if you are unsure – if they went to the trouble of sourcing a rare nut to make buttons, they will certainly want to share that fact with you!

Black Corozo

Metal

I was unsure whether to include metals in this chapter as they do not appear on suits (at least not on suits that you should consider paying money for) but they often occur on blazers. Silver or gold buttons are placed on blazers in order to distinguish them from suit jackets that have been orphaned from their trousers. They are usually large and attached via a loop at the back rather than through the traditional two or four thread-holes. You will normally find that these buttons are created with a design on the surface; a crest or logo.

Based on old military uniforms these buttons sometimes made from solid gold and I have known guys pick up a blazer from the 1930s in a charity shop for £5 and sell the gold buttons for nearly £500 but this is a very rare occasion!

Generally speaking I find these buttons to be anachronistic, making the wearer either look like a stuffy retired general or someone “playing” at dressing well. If they are to your liking and suit your style they by all means go ahead, but I have seen only a few men pull this off with any success.

Gold with Crest

How many buttons should my suit have?

Tags

2 Button, 3 Button, Buttons, Single Button

Once a man has settled on the colour of his new suit, the next question should always be “how many buttons should my suit have?”

The answer to this will depend on a few factors, including current fashions, the use of the suit and the size of the gent in question.

Right now, and since the early 2000’s the trend has been strongly in favour of 2 button suits.

Prior to this – in the 80’s and 90’s – three button suits were popular, such as those seen in American Gigolo of 1980. Even before that we can see the popularity of 4 and 5 button suits in the 60’s and 70’s with everyone from the Beatles and the Stones to  heads of state sporting Nehru collars (a type of collar that has a band of cloth rather than the tradition fold, running into a lapel).

Generally speaking there is no hard and fast rule for the number of buttons on a suit, but my advice to customers is usually thus:

“For those over 6ft tall, use three buttons to make the body look proportionate, and underplay your height. For those under 6ft use the long V shape of a 2 button suit to elongate your torso” This is nicely illustrated bellow. The red line starts in both cases where a gentleman’s chin might start, and finishes where the suit covers the shirt. In the first case the visible area is significantly reduced, downplaying the size of the torso. In the second case the amount of torso visible is increased dramatically, which lengthens it visually.

A comparison of two and three button suits – with red lines showing the effect on the apparent torso size.

This is a very general rule that is built on the principal that the larger the amount of visible shirt and tie, the longer your torso will look. In taller men this can accentuate their already unusual height which, for those looking to fit into a group or office, can exacerbate a problem that they are trying to fix. On the other hand there are examples of successful, tall men wearing two button suits because it allows them to appear even more dominating in a room, which gives them a tactical advantage, be it in an office or trying to pick up women.

Conversely the number of shorter men who insist on a three button suit is depressing, despite the fact that so much cloth drowns them, making them look even shorter than they would normally. By utilising the lower buttoning point of a two button suit, the shorter man exposes more of his torso, which serves to make more visual impact, making him look taller. This can be aided by choosing a suit with a slightly shorter cut, so that more of the leg is exposed, essentially showing off the body rather than hiding it.

The eagle eyed reader may have noticed that I haven’t said anything about the one button suit. This is because it remains a difficult subject. Traditionally the only suit that should have a single button closure is the tuxedo, and even then fashion brands tend to make theirs with two. Having said that, there are some truly excellent single buttons suits out there; I have them from Chester Barrie (Savile Row), Richard James (Savile Row) and Tom Ford (New York, and designer of the last three James Bond outfits). The trouble is that the fit of the suit has to be nearly perfect, otherwise the wearer ends up looking like they have bought a “fashionable” suit made from cheap materials at a low end high street brand. Once you have a few suits in the wardrobe, know what kind of cut you like and what materials to look for, then you will be much better placed to know whether that one button looks elegant or tacky.

As with so many things from that era, please leave 4 and 5 button suits in the 60s.

***This advice comes with two caveats:

Caveat One: what I have said here applies only to “beginners” looking for suits of the rack (also referred to as OTR). If you are working with the finest Savile Row or Neapolitan tailors and paying £4,000+ for a suit then the tailor will be skilled enough to cut a flattering suit in two or three buttons, no matter your height or frame.

Caveat Two: This advice only applies in Europe and America (north and south). In Asian and some middle eastern cultures suit that is cut more generously, almost to the point is swamping the body is considered a sign of status and wealth. I have tied to track down a documented explanation for this, and the general consensus is that men who could afford to buy more cloth (especially under communism) were obviously wealthier and held better positions within their community. As contact increases with the western world this trend is slowly fading, with international level politicians embracing a closer cut, more flattering look, but for anyone living or working within these communities it is worth seeking the advice of someone who knows and understands the culture before making any decisions. ***

What is all the fuss about Super Numbers?

Tags

Quality, s120, s130, Super Numbers

When you are shopping for a suit you are likely to come up against a sales person who, in an effort to close the sale, will declare “this suit is made from Super 130s Wool!” Unfortunately the chances of them knowing what that actually means is slim. The super number of wool is actually quite important information, but it will never tell the whole story. This is a brief outline as to what it means, where it comes from and which it’s implications are for the suit you are buying.

In the Yorkshire wool markets, before the advent of modern grading technology, quality was judged by how much yarn could be spun out of one pound of raw wool. The finer the fibers, the more “hanks”—a spool totaling 560 yards of yarn—can be spun out of a single pound. Wool was thus designated as “60s count” if a pound could yield 60 hanks, 70s if 70, and so on. This measurement, and not “thread count,” or threads per inch, as many people assume, is the basis for all those confusing Super numbers. Higher-count wool commands higher prices because it can produce more yarn, and what it does yield is softer and silkier to the touch.

…

Joseph Lumb & Sons—then perhaps the most famous spinners in Yorkshire (and now part of the Bulmer & Lumb Group)—decided that the advent of 100s-count wool was an event worthy of note. Lumb bought an entire year’s lot of the wool and, in part­nership with the cloth merchant H. Lesser, brought to market suitings dubbed “Lumb’s Huddersfield Super 100s.”

Nicholas Antongiavanni

Incidentally, the quote above comes from the very best article I have ever read on super numbers, and can be found here

Never allow a sales person to convince you that a high super number equals high quality. It is and always has been a measure of fineness, and in the same way that a very fine sheet of polyester makes no better suit than a thick sheet of metal the quality of the wool should always be the primary reason for choosing a cloth.

Bellow you can see a graph that very roughly gauges the Softness of a cloth and its ruggedness, and clearly there is a sweet-spot for balancing those two attributes. You are free to move from one side of the lines to the other in pursuit of a suit that meets your needs; there should be little pride in sitting further to one side than the other. Ultimately it is about finding attributes that meet your needs.

Super Numbers – Softness vs Ruggedness

When thinking about what super number you should be aiming for I would recommend between s110 and s130 for a suit that will be worn 1,2 or 3 times per week. For me this is a sweet spot between a soft feel and rugged performance. If you intend to wear your suit every day or spend a good deal of your day moving around then consider choosing a s80 cloth, the fibres of which will be thicker and thus hold up better to wear.

When you are farther down the path of building your wardrobe you may want to experiment with more luxurious cloth in the s150, s180 and even s200 range. These suits will be very expensive, the cheapest I have seen of this quality being in excess of £2000, and more importantly should not be worn more than once a month unless you intend to replace them every two years or so.

Many men who attend black tie events for work choose to have their tuxedo in a finer cloth as the infrequent use means that it will last for many years. This is a nice compromise, the most luxurious cloths for when you wish to look your best, without subjecting your finest tailoring to the rigours of daily use.

What colour should my suit be?

Tags

birdseye, Colour, linen, tweed, twill

Selecting the colour of your suit is possibly the most basic step in the process, but it is one that men often get wrong. Sometimes this is a case of laziness: they simply assert that black = stylish and pick out a black suit. While it is true that black suits get a lot of love in the media they certainly aren’t the best choice for everyone. Making a good choice can be very rewarding; the ability to pick up your single suit for every occasion can be a big stress reliever. Similarly having the wrong suit can mean that you will end up buying another one very quickly just to correct your mistake.

When picking what colour you need in your suit the best bet is to think carefully about when it will be worn. For guys who don’t often wear suits this can be narrowed down to “weddings” “funerals” and “job interviews”. Occasionally you may need a suit for going to a nice restaurant or party, I once helped a gent working in Marketing who only wore a suit when he was on television.

For people who love tailoring the idea of only having one suit is abhorrent, a rotation of less than 3 is unacceptable and ideally you should have at least 5. This is great as a concept but if you are just starting out, it is definitely not a good idea to go out and buy 5 suits in one go.

An illustration of four cloth types – Tweed, Grey Sharkskin, Cream Linen & Navy Pinstripe

Many people suggest that a navy blue suit is the obvious place to start, however My recommendation for a first suit is always one in charcoal grey. The rationale for this is as follows: dark grey is rarely unsuitable for weddings and job interviews. At funerals it is traditional to wear black, but most people won’t even notice that you are wearing grey as they amount to the same colour. In situations like funerals the focus is never on your clothes, it is on the deceased, so as long as you have a white shirt and black tie you should be fine.

At weddings grey is more than acceptable, it is traditional. Back when morning coats and strollers were the norm for weddings every man could be seen wearing a charcoal coat over striped trousers with a light grey or pastel coloured waistcoat. Many men feel that as weddings are celebratory affairs brighter colours should be used, in which case a lighter grey or blue suit can be worn. If you wish to dress up the charcoal suit in your wardrobe then consider adding a purple tie or handkerchief to a solid coloured shirt.

Charcoal is far and away the most suitable colour for interviews; paired with a white shirt and understated tie you are unlikely to offend your future employer with your dress sense, and you will conform to even the most strict workwear guidelines. The choice of tie an be important; whimsical ties are unlikely to go over well with more serious interviewers. There was a study conducted amongst 100 top executives and it discovered (hopefully along with much more important stuff like economics) that 60% cite their favourite tie colour as yellow.

There is some logic behind the choice of yellow for interviews, if you are the sort to think about that kind of thing. The decision boils down to this- red is aggressive and makes people stand-offish. Blue is placid and calm, but makes people think they can ride roughshod over your ideas. Yellow strikes a balance between grabbing attention through bright colour, and not beating so assertive as to antagonise whoever sits across the table. This is what my father would have described as “wishy washy logic” but I can’t help myself but to pass over the red and blue tie every time I have a meeting in which I need to come out on top.

It would be possible to write an entire book on the subject of suit colour, and the appropriateness of the 1970’s pink satin suits, so I will end by considering just two more: brown and black.

Brown suits are difficult. I don’t mean that they are bad, and I certainly don’t mean that you shouldn’t wear one. What I mean is that brown is a very hard colour to produce correctly. Low cost establishments (in this case anything you would see on a highstreet) struggle to make a brown that doesn’t bring to mind bald men in the 1980s trying to sell you double glazing. There are however instances when brown suits work, and they almost always occur at the junction of Asian heritage and youthful confidence. I have seen young Indian men walk into a shop, grab a brown suit some come out looking immaculate. The fact is that a slightly overweight man with pale skin looks terrible.

If you have a dark complexion – and I mean dark, not olive – then try experimenting with brown suits, but be aware that you are infinitely better off looking for a charcoal for your first suit. Where the chances of finding the right brown are 1/10 the chances of finding a good charcoal are 9/10.

So here we are. Black. Darling of the skinny celebrity and the slightly-past-it security guard. Let me start by saying that black suits are not bad. They have their place and on certain people can look positively amazing. But. The is alway a but. Is there a choice that is more appropriate? A choice that will look just as good for longer?

I don’t hate black suits, but in my humble opinion a black suit should be the fourth or fifth suit in your wardrobe. For sombre occasions such as a funeral they have a place, but anywhere else? Not so much. Grey hides the dust and dirt of the daily commute (especially if you have to use a bus or even worse, The Underground), and dark blue suggests that you are very serious about that business plan, but don’t intend to bury it in front of its closest family. Another issue with black is that the slightest abrasion, or wear, makes it shiny or faded in a way that dark grey simply doesn’t.

Black can look very impressive (I own a couple of black suits) in the right situations; that is going to a night-club or some other evening event. They look great on very toned guys who want to show off the hours they spend in the gym. At a push they even stand in as black tie, though if you do this more than once a year, you should seriously consider a real tux.

Black is often viewed as as easy choice by those looking to look great on a budget because it looks easy, but that isn’t the case. The people who make it look easy in the media would also make blue and grey and brown look easy.

If you do decide to buy a black suit then make sure you also purchase a clothes brush to keep it looking fresh and a lint roller to use before and after every wearing. Black looks good, but it doesn’t last, needs constant upkeep and unless you have considerable style, looks too morbid for day to day use.