Doper men... Emergency! I really, really need your help... it's time to buy my first suit.

In My Humble Opinion
21

I swear, the concept of “business casual” has ruined American men’s sense of style. In any case, here’s advice from someone old enough to be your father. Saintly Loser makes good points, too.

  1. Don’t worry about getting an overcoat. The overcoat is not part of your “I need to look good tonight” wardrobe. If it’s warm enough, you won’t need it. If it’s bitter cold (probably not in Maryland in December) go ahead and wear your parka.

  2. For someone your size, avoid anything that suggests “flashy.” Choose a dark, solid color suit. Navy blue or charcoal – old guys like me have a bias against black, but I’ve heard the younger crowd likes it. Wear a white shirt (point collar is dressier than button-down) and you can pretty much wear any tie that doesn’t have a hula girl on it.

  3. Don’t get skinny lapels, don’t get fat lapels, and for someone your height, don’t get short lapels. I’m not sure what the appropriate width is right now, but it’s usually in the 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inch range.

  4. A dark suit should be made of wool, and the more wool the better. If you get wool blended with anything, it should be just polyester. Not rayon, or any of those made-up fiber names they sometimes use. If the fabric seems at all shiny, put the suit back and look for one with more wool. As for the shirt, the fabric you want is cotton. Your tie can be polyester, but make sure it has some heft to it.

  5. As noted, make sure the suit fits from the top down: shoulders, belly (jacket), waist (pants), wrists and ankles in that order. If you want to be flashy, one thing you’re allowed to do is wear suspenders. If you have much of a belly, you’ll be surprised how much better your pants will fit. Tell the tailor immediately if you want suspenders and have the buttons sewn into the waistband. (Never wear suspenders with those alligator teeth. They’ll pop off and make you look like a fool.)

  6. If you have your suit tailored at the store, tip the tailor (at least $5, better $10) when he measures you. You’d be surprised how much better a suit can fit when the tailor likes you.

  7. “Dress left or right” is code for “which side do you tuck your junk?” If the tailor asks how you want your pants to “break,” you answer with either “show a little sock” (no break) or “don’t show sock” (break.) A break is when your pants are long enough to hit the top of your shoe and bend. If he asks about a “horse shoe” cuff he’s asking if you want the rear of your cuffs a little longer than the front. It adds a slightly more finished look, but don’t do it if you lift your heel high when you walk.

  8. Shirt sizing has gotten really bad over the years, but ideally your shirt sleeves should come down a little past your wrists and your jacket sleeves should be a little shorter. The shirt collar should NOT choke, bind or constrict you. When you try on the jacket, move your arms around and see whether the jacket bunches anywhere. Someone your size will often find the arm holes have been cut too small, so make sure there’s no catching or binding when you move. If you have to choose between something being a little too big or a little too small, go big. It’s easier for the tailor to work with, and if it’s a shirt, “a little too small” looks awful.

Remember to stand up straight. You’ll look great!

22

Nah, we don’t either.

23

Now it is time to cover advanced suiting. If you are going to spend a large chunk of money, try to find a canvassed suit versus a fused one. You can tell if a suit is canvassed because you can pull the inner and outer linings of the jacket off the middle layer to feel three distinct layers. If it is fused, the three layers are simply glued together.

The canvassed suits not only drape better, but are less susceptible to wrinkling and bubbling when the glued fabric inevitably begins to separate.

24

Well, like I said, it ain’t Brooks Brothers. It’s definitely not the place you want to trust to buy a suit because you fucking absolutely and without question need your goddamned suit next Thursday, because you have a 6AM out of LAX on Friday…

If you need a fucking suit, because you need a fucking suit! Now! Yeah, maybe Men’s Wearhouse isn’t for you. You can decide that it’s not for you, but I don’t think your experience means that the company isn’t worth doing business with.

25

What?! You’re old enough to be my father and you would wear your fucking ugly parka over your tailored suit?

That’s beyond ridiculous. If you want to skip an overcoat because you don’t have one, fine. But wearing your bright yellow/red/blue North Face Parka over your suit will make you look like a clown. Your post of “business casual has ruined America” combined with “Parkas are just great over fine wool suits” is completely perplexing.

26

I think it’s actually women trying to make black suits ok. They’re so much smaller so they’re not such oppressively large figures lumbering around all in black. And god knows they look incredible in black dresses. Why not a suit? Then women look ok in black suits so they tell men it’s ok too, and some of us repeat it, and before you know it we have men doddering around looking like ninjas on their way to a ball.

27

The charcoal gray suit is the LBD (little black dress) of menswear.

28

I have had nothing but good experiences with Men’s Warehouse. Good service. Good tailoring. Decent price. With the OP’s size he definitely wants to go somewhere that has one on one help. You may have trouble finding a suit to fit. Most designers just don’t cater to the 6-3 300 crowd. I have a similar problem. I am not particularly tall but I am broad across the shoulders and my arms are big enough to burst through the sleeves in most coats like the Hulk. And it’s not like I’m a professional bodybuilder. Very far from it. I have a hard enough time finding something that fits so I appreciate having a salesman there to help. I’ve always found MW very helpful.

29

I really should buy a suit that fits. Sometimes suit occasions don’t have time to wait. I keep imagining that I’m going to lose 4" from my waist by magic. I’m a pretty weight-stable fat guy now, so I should probably make a trip to Men’s Wearhouse.

Wearhouse, not warehouse. Get it, Loach? :wink:

30

I’d advise going to the full-blown Nordstrom, describing what you need and let the salesman take it from there. Those guys have to know their stuff, including what’s currently in fashion. If they don’t, they don’t eat and will be out on their ears within a week. Of course, you’re unlikely to get away for anything less than a grand for a basic ensemble, but you’ve got something that will last you at least a decade and will give you a good education of how to pick your next suit on your own.

31

Thanks all for the replies.

By “large shouldered overcoat” I mean one that fits over a suit jacket, and this has wide, square shoulders. Not what I consider a trench coat, which fit much tighter (what I’ve seen, anyway).

32

Look, just get some Raybans and Men in Black that shit.

33

Yeah yeah. My iPhone spells by itself.

34

I once wore my parka to work in DC.

People kept asking who I was there to visit. DC is a very conservative coat town. You will need a wool coat.

35

To follow up on the materials post, I suggest natural materials as much as possible. 100% wool suit, 100% cotton shirt, 100% silk tie. If you go with a water-resistant overcoat, then that will have synthetic fibers, but wool overcoats are also nice (just not when wet).

36

If you go to MW (I do and they really do have a good selection for us odd sized guys) don’t buy your shirt there. In my experience all of their shirts are cut for an athletic build, so if your gut it not several inches smaller than your chest they won’t fit.
If I were in your shoes I would go to MW and look for a charcoal or dark blue 2 piece 2 button wool suit

37

I have a couple of MW suits and they’re fine, but as Rick says do NOT buy your shirts there - the fit is messed up for taller, heavier folks (a group I fall into). Agree with the rest of Rick’s post as well.

38

I disagree. I’m not a suit guy, so I’ve got one (1) suit. It’s not black, it’s charcoal. Charcoal works for dark (black) suit occasions, but also for occasions that call for blue or pinstripe. Granted, I’ve got a tux for the most formal occasions (I’ve never encountered any situation that called for white tie only), but IMO a charcoal suit is a lot more useful than a solid black one.

First point: Absolutely. Shiny lapels are for tux/black tie, not for a suit.
Second point: Depends on current fashion. Once upon a time in the stone age (AKA the eighties), you wouldn’t be seen dead in a single-breasted suit. Double-breasted jackets were the only alternative. Today, it’s the other way around. But I wouldn’t bet my life savings that that won’t change again.

Disclaimer: Euro POV.

39

Get a bigger trench coat. It’s much more versatile than other overcoats, and holds up to the rain. Worn over a suit it’s as warm as heavier coats, and some have liners for even greater warmth. Don’t forget to find a decent hat to wear with those fancy clothes.

40

If you’re only going to have one suit that will serve for all dress up occasions:

The suit should be dark gray or dark blue. Leave the black to preachers, cops, and tuxedos, and the brown to southern lawyers and Texas ranchers. A subtle pin stripe is fine.

Find a jacket that fits well around the shoulders; a tailor can fix the rest … except … If there is a bulge or roll on the back of the jacket just under the collar, try on another jacket; the salesman will say the tailor can fix it, but he can’t. Keep trying on jackets until you find one that doesn’t do that.

Shoes and belt should be black. Shoes should be plain or cap toe lace ups, polished (Wing tips are not always appropriate.) Don’t wear brand new shoes to an important event; new leather soles can be very slippery. If the shoes hurt in the store, they will always hurt; try on another pair.

Limit jewelry to a watch and a wedding ring.

If you wear a vest, always leave the bottom button undone. Button one button of your jacket; certain East Coast types will be judgmental about ‘people who run around with their jacket unbuttoned.’

Wear a plain white shirt; no white-on-white, no colors.

Look closely at the fabric of the suit and you will see tiny colored threads. Choose a tie that exactly matches any one of those colors – don’t pick a color that is pretty close, look at ties until you find one that matches exactly. If you are on a budget, an expensive tie takes a lot of heat off a cheap suit.

There are times when brown shoes, Italian loafers, bow ties, and colored shirts are fine, but if you want to have one outfit that will always be correct, these are the rules.