Formalwear crash-course

[Anonymous No.14517115]

Hi, I'm looking into buying my first suit (the ones I've worn before are hand-me-downs or were picked by my parents when I was a kid). I've settled on a standard black one, as I think i'll get more use out of it. I haven't seen much pattern/print detailing on black suits, and what little I've seen I haven't liked. I also don't really like the ones that are (too) shiny.

That aside, what are other things I should look into or look out for? (I think cut/shape/form is what I know least of). Should I have it tailor-made from scratch, or buy one and then have that fitted for me? On that note, are there relevant brands? Thanks beforehand!

[Anonymous No.14517162]

Get charcoal instead of black. You can get away with wearing charcoal at a funeral more than you can get away with wearing black at an office imo. Black suits are basically for funerals or after 6pm.

As a general rule, fit is generally more important than price - no need to buy a 1000€ suit if it's gonna be too large, it'll just look like shit.

Don't go for extra slim shit, you wanna be able to close the jacket and move around a little bit without feeling like you're about to break the button. Lots of suits jackets nowadays are typically made much shorter than traditionally

Bespoke suits will cost you several thousand dollars or euros, so maybe don't go for that for a first suit. For ready-to-wear suits I'd advise SuitSupply for a first suit, they're more around the 300€ to 600€ range but they're really good quality for those prices.

Ready-to-wear suits can (and generally should) be tailored. Easy alterations are making the trousers shorter, thinner, making the trouser waist a bit smaller, taking in the jacket a bit around the belly, maybe mess around with the jacket's sleeves.

The one thing that you absolutely can't change on a suit is the shoulders on the jacket, so take that as a reference, for instance if you're gonna be thrifting or buying ready to wear. If the shoulders fit perfectly but the rest has some problems, it might be possible to fix it. If the suit fits perfectly except for the shoulders, there's no hope for it and you shouldn't buy it.

[Anonymous No.14517166]

>>14517162
oh also, shiny suits are definitely godawful, yeah. As for patterned suits, I'd say be cautious of those, and not as a first suit. Horizontal stripes can look nice, but it's more for people who have to wear suits several days a week. You don't want you one suit to have stripes.

[Anonymous No.14517208]

>>14517162
>>14517166

Thanks TONS for all of your input, kind anon. Hope you have a wonderful day!

[Anonymous No.14517224]

>>14517162
Correct about the charcoal. I also wouldn't recommend getting a tailored suit unless you really know what you want. I'd buy a few jackets and wear for a bit to see what I like. Had I gone for a tailored suit this time last year, I would've hated it now considering how much I've delved into classic menswear in the past year.

[Anonymous No.14518197]

>>14517162
>The one thing that you absolutely can't change on a suit is the shoulders on the jacket,
In general this is true, but if you have a very good tailor, you can do some alterations to the shoulder. It's not cheap though, and there's only so much you can do before you ruin the rest of the suit.

[Anonymous No.14519549]

This is likely as a stupid question, but do you buy spare dressing pants that match the suits you have, or is this heresy and suits should only be worn with the pants they came with?

[Anonymous No.14520803]

>>14519549
If you're having a suit made for you, it's not uncommon to order two pairs of pants from the same fabric. It's not common either though.

[Anonymous No.14521530]

>>14520803
This. Fit is king. Gentlemans Gazette + Sartorial Talks.