Dress Like a Man (16 page)

Suit Silhouettes

The general outline of a suit -- called its "silhouette" -- sets the tone for the whole garment.

It effectively gives the wearer his shape. Some silhouettes flatter slimmer or more athletic builds, while others work better for broader men, but in theory a good tailor can make any kind of suit for any kind of man.

It's purely a question of personal taste, and of what looks best for your body.

• The European Suit
  is slim and sharp-edged, with crisp, clear lines throughout the body. The shoulders are squared off at the ends, and the armscyes are high, giving it a snug fit in the upper torso. The waist is as tapered as the wearer's body will allow. This is a striking style that works best in fine fabrics -- and, if we're being honest, on slender and athletic men. Men whose waists are broader than their chests will struggle to carry the trim lines of a European suit without straining them.
  
• The British Suit
  is boxy and sturdy, with squared-off shoulders but a lower armscye than the European suit. The waist is less tapered, but the hips may be more flared, and the back is usually double-vented (both of which are nods to its origin as riding clothes). British suits look good in thick, sturdy materials, and look equally good on almost any figure or build.
  
• The American Suit
  , also frequently called the sack suit, has softer shoulders and a more relaxed chest than its transatlantic counterparts. The armscyes are set lower and the sleeves themselves are wider, giving it a more soft-edged shape. The waist tapers a bit, but not aggressively, without the wide hips of a British jacket. Most are single-vented. The style looks good on most men, though very slender men may struggle to carry the looser fit without billowing.
  

Not all manufacturers use these terms (in fact, most department stores won't, preferring to use their own focus-group tested phrases like "executive fit" or "ambassador fit," most of which are meaningless).

The terms are more useful when talking with tailors, and simply as a way to think about suits for yourself. The key details -- and the choices you'll need to make -- are really the shape of the shoulders, the stance and width of the arms, the amount of taper at the waist, and the amount of flare above and below it.

Find the combination you like. Then find the brand that sells it -- or the tailor who'll make it, if you can afford it.

Suit Lapels

One of the defining characteristics of the contemporary men's suit jacket is the pair of folded-back lapels on the front of the chest, stitched directly to the collar at the tops of the lapels.

There are really only two options for men's suit lapels, with a third option generally reserved for formal and semiformal clothing: notch lapels, peak lapels, and shawl lapels.

• Notch lapels
  are the most common style (and the easiest to make). The tops of notch lapels are angled downwards, and broader than the ends of the collar, so that when the two are stitched together it creates a "notch" between the two.
  
• Peak lapels
  completely encompass the ends of the collar, with outward-angled "peaks" framing it. They are generally considered more formal than notch lapels. Most double-breasted jackets have peak lapels.
  
• Shawl lapels
  are also called a
  shawl collar
  , for the simple reason that it's all one piece: there is only a single, continuous strip of folded-over fabric, which runs all the way around the neck and down the front of the chest until the lapels taper off. The shawl collar is typically reserved for dinner jackets, and is considered fashion-forward and not business-appropriate when it appears on suits.
  

The width of lapels has varied with fashions over the years. For a balanced look, the outermost point on the lapel should fall at or just short of the midway point between the inner edge of the collar and the outer edge of the shoulder. Significantly skinnier or wider than that becomes a fashion statement -- and one that's likely to become dated quickly.

Suit Pockets

It may seem like a small detail, but the style of the pockets on the front of a suit jacket affects its formality and its overall "flavor" quite a bit.

Some make a more dramatic statement than others. In general, the subtler the pocket, the more formal it is considered:

• Jetted pockets
  are fully interior, with only a small lined slit visible on the front of the jacket. They are used for the dressiest suits (especially those with slim, European-style jackets), and are also mandatory on formal and semiformal jackets.
  
• Patch pockets
  are sewn onto the exterior, rather than the interior of the jacket. The whole pocket is a single, flat shape with an opening at the top. Plain patch pockets are standard for blazers, but can appear on suits as well.
  
• Flap pockets
  have a downward-facing flap covering the opening. A flap can be put on any sort of pocket, and always reduces the formality a bit. Most business suits have flap pockets, either jetted or patch.
  
• Accordion pockets
  (also called
  bellows
  pockets) are patch pockets with an extra, pleated strip of fabric separating the front of the pocket from the jacket. This allows the pocket to expand, and is generally only seen on casual sports jackets. The only suits to feature accordion pockets are typically tweed hunting outfits and other upper-class British sporting menswear.
  

In addition to the large pockets on the lower front of the suit, nearly all suit jackets come with a jetted pocket on the left breast. This is where the pocket square belongs, and it should always have one -- there's no reason to leave that pocket empty (or, worse, to stow something like your pen or your eyeglasses in it).

Suit Trousers

The vast majority of a suit's details pertain to its jacket. But what about the other half of the suit?

The matching trousers are basically a pair of dress slacks. Many men will in fact wear the trousers from some of their suits as unmatched trousers on some occasions, and there's nothing wrong with the practice so long as the suit jacket is still seeing a comparable amount of wear. If one piece is worn considerably more than the other, especially in the sun, it's possible to fade the more frequently-worn piece until it no longer matches.

Some tailors offer a second set of trousers for a small additional charge when they custom-make a suit. It is almost always a good investment -- trousers do tend to wear out more quickly than jackets, and the spare set can be worn as slacks from time to time as well.

The defining characteristics of suit trousers are fairly basic:

• High waists -- trousers should sit at the natural waist (the narrowest point between the ribs and the hips), not down on the hips themselves. As a general rule of thumb, if you can pull the trousers on and off without fully unzipping them, they're too large.
  
• No cuffs -- trousers should be hemmed without cuffs. Visible cuffs are too informal for a suit.
  
• Pleats are optional, but generally discouraged. They break up the smooth lines of the suit and draw attention to the waist and thighs, which is not where you want it.
  
• The legs should be hemmed so that there is a slight "break" -- the bottom hem should rest lightly on the tops of your dress shoes, creating a very subtle bunching in the fabric around the ankle.
  

Suits are sold with the legs cut deliberately long. It's assumed that you'll take them into a tailor's to have them hemmed in person, wearing your dress shoes so that the measurements are accurate. Don't skip this step! Baggy, unaltered hems tell everyone that you're a menswear novice.

Business Suits vs. Social Suits

The last important detail of men's suits to study is their social role and function.

While the most common use of suits these days is as high-formality attire for business or significant occasions, matched suits can be worn casually as well.

The key is to know the difference.

Business suits are meant to appear, if not somber, at least relatively sober. The most formal are always charcoal gray, navy blue, or black. Less strict business suits can have a bit of pattern, such as light pinstripes or rail stripes, or a textured weave like birdseye or herringbone. At the most relaxed end of business wear, colors like brown, khaki, and lighter blues and grays are tolerated.

These are restrained garments, meant to be worn with neckties and light-colored dress shirts.

Social suits, in contrast, are almost always light-colored, with medium grays, blues, and earth tones about the darkest they usually get. Nearly all will have some kind of patterning, ranging from textured weaves to bold plaids or candy stripes.

It should always be clear at a glance which you are wearing. Don't wear a social suit to a business meeting, and don't wear a business suit to a church brunch.

If you have a suit that's somewhere in the middle ground -- dark brown hopsack, say, which could serve as either a business suit in a relaxed suit-and-tie environment or a purely social item for a well-dressed man -- use your shirt and tie as social cues. A colored and patterned shirt with an open collar makes it a social suit, while a lightly-patterned or pure white shirt with a necktie makes it business attire.

In this day and age, social suits are rare. That doesn't make them a bad choice, however -- if the idea of wearing one tickles your fancy, buy the nicest one you can and wear the hell out of it. Just be aware that, to most men, the suit is purely a business necessity, and that you will stand out in the crowd whenever you wear one casually.

C
HAPTER 24:
M
EN'S
J
ACKETS

The previous chapter ("Men's Suits") does a good job describing the particulars of men's suit jackets.

Most of that information applies to "odd jackets" as well -- the broad term used to describe any suit-style jacket worn without matching trousers.

The fit of blazers and sports jackets does not differ substantially from the fit of suit jackets. All your jackets should sit close to the body, without pinching (too tight) or sagging (too loose).

The differences, instead, lie in the materials, the stylistic details, and -- more than anything -- what else you wear with the jackets.

Terminology: Blazers vs. Sports Jackets vs. Suit Jackets

Hopefully we can clear up some uncertainty right at the outset here: although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, blazers, sports jackets, and suit jackets are three distinct things.

You may also hear "sportcoat" and "suitcoat" used from time to time -- those are just synonyms for sports jackets and suit jackets, respectively. They're not separate styles of jacket. Technically, "coat" is inaccurate, but the terms have been around so long that the genie's never getting back in the bottle.

Blazers

Of the three, blazer jackets are the most strictly defined style, with the least room for artistic interpretation.

A descendent of naval uniforms, blazers are square, boxy jackets with patch pockets. Most are made from worsted wool serge, a dense weave with a very faintly ribbed surface.

Navy blue is far and away the most common color for blazers. Other solid colors make up most of the alternatives -- apart from some striped novelty items for carnival barkers and sports team boosters, blazers are rarely patterned.  

Metallic buttons are traditional, but not mandatory. Men who prefer a lower-contrast look can easily find blazers with mother-of-pearl or plastic buttons dyed the same navy blue as the jacket.

Overall, blazers are a conservative item. They can be worn socially or for business, and are very easy to dress up or down. At their most formal, they can be paired with gray slacks, a white shirt, and a necktie for something just shy of a business suit. At their most casual, they can go with jeans and an open collar. But in either role, they're going to be a little more upscale-looking and a little less relaxed than a sports jacket would be.

Sports Jackets

The biggest differences between blazers and sports jackets are the structure and the material.

Sports jackets are soft-shouldered and less boxy than blazers, with an unstructured shape that drapes over the body. Most are made from casual, textured fabrics like tweed and corduroy.

While they can be worn with dress slacks and neckties, sports jackets are just as likely to be paired with open collars or non-dress shirt options like sweaters and cotton knits. The detailing tends toward the casual: flap pockets, elbow patches, and so on.