How to Wear a Suit: A Quick Guide For Men
Knights of old had their plate armor. The modern man has his suit.
It’s not a bad analogy. Most of us only fight on a social battlefield now, but a suit is the armor a man wears for the occasion. Of course, armor doesn’t do much good if you don’t wear it the right way and formal attire is the same.
Here’s our men’s guide on how to wear a suit.
If It Fits, It Sits
Absolute, iron-clad Rule #1: The best suits are those that fit. Find the best suits with great fitting on Gentleman’s Guru.
An ill-fitting suit has exactly the opposite of its intended effect. In some ways, it looks even sloppier than ragged jeans and a t-shirt, given that an ill-fitting suit can never look intentional.
So buy a suit that fits. If that means getting it tailored, then invest in your image and do that.
Don’t Button Your Bottom
That bottom button? Leave it alone.
Yes, there are historical reasons for this. For modern suits, though, it’s because tradition has driven design, so that modern suits are designed to be worn unbuttoned at the bottom. These days, buttoning that bottom button messes with the lines of the suit.
Sitting Down? Unbutton
Just when you thought you had your fill of the word “button”, there’s this one.
Get in the habit of opening your suit jacket when you sit and then closing it again when you stand—but never the bottom button, of course.
Sitting down with your jacket closed can lead to creases, but it also deforms the suit’s profile. All told, it’ll look awkward and diminish your look.
Tie Breaker
Your tie does a lot of heavy lifting in the full suit ensemble. It allows for a touch of individual flair, but there are still some rules to follow.
Keep your tie long enough to just brush the top of your belt buckle and short enough that it’s not swinging low. There used to be a lot of rules dictating what kind of tie to wear on which occasion, but suits have become far more individual over the years. Don’t be afraid to show a little personality at more casual events.
Check out these tie sets for ideas on how to style your tie and pocket square.
Keep It Clean and Pressed
Finally, let’s loop back to the basics. Your suit will only do its job if you keep it clean and crease-free.
Letting your suit get scrunched or dirty has the same effect as wearing an ill-fitting suit. This is to say that it defeats the whole object of wearing one.
So get your suit dry-cleaned before it starts looking shabby. You should also hang your suit up when it’s not in use to keep it crease-free.
Wear a Suit the Right Way
It’s not hard to wear a suit, but these tips show there are some common pitfalls that men have to avoid. If you keep these in mind, however, you can look sharp and rock your suit.
Looking for more fashion tips? Check out our Fashion section often for more guides.
