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

In My Humble Opinion
61

Fly to Thailand, Bahrain, or Iraq. I can give you tailor recommendations for all three locations.

…What?

Anyways, go simple/elegant:

Navy blue two button (no pin stripes or complicated pattern), white shirt, silk light blue (sky blue) or silver no pattern tie, black belt, black shoes (shiny but not patent leather), black socks.

If you want to go sassy with the tie, go gold (no pattern).

The point is to look understated and confident, not like a peacock. Like you already know your wang is big and have nothing to prove. The ladies can tell the difference in a heartbeat and that makes you innnnnnnnteresting.

Your only jewelry should be your watch. If you go with a sky blue or silver tie, you want a matching stainless steel watch with a white or blue face. I’d recommend a Bulova at least. Omega is better, but that may be outside your range. I’m further guessing you can’t afford an IWC or something else top shelf (and Rolex is NOT top shelf)). Something like this might stand you in good stead for years:
http://www.princetonwatches.com/shop/96A118.asp?p=froogle&s=96A118&zmam=71591610&zmas=1&zmac=42&zmap=96A118&gclid=CPz6w7ielrMCFcuZ4AodPGMAjQ

Also, any beard has to go, a van dyke is about as good as it gets in that dept. If you feel comfy with it, maybe a douche-o’clock shadow beard.

The most important thing for you is to be comfortable, especially with your shoes. You’ll be wearing this getup for hours. If you’re uncomfortable in your footwear, all the rest is not going to work.

Regards,
-Bouncer-
PS: I fully expect to get torn apart by some folks, but honestly, it’s a solid ensemble that you could wear to a diplomatic reception. For a non-black tie affair, this’ll work fine.

62

I understand that charcoal is more versatile than black (although I see black as often as charcoal, if not more often), but I don’t get people recommending anything blue. Blue suits to me make you look old, just like every other colored variety.

63

It should be a VERY dark blue.

64

aka navy? Navy and charcoal are just about the most standards colors in suits. Charcoal is more flexible since it can go with everything whereas navy is a shade of blue and so better for giving a positive, reassuring impression.

65

Where the hell do you live that black is more common than charcoal and navy blue is anything other than ubiquitous?

66

Seconding trying thrift stores for an overcoat. That’s where I found my perfect 1960s tailored wool overcoat. It may take a few stores to find the right one, but they are definitely out there.

DC in December should be in the 30s or low 40s, although it’s not unheard of to dip into the teens. If you will be out on the town at all, you will probably be outside a fair bit (metro, walking from parking, etc.)

67

Don’t take the suit home from the tailor’s without trying it on, and don’t be afraid to ask them to do it again so it fits right. I’m not as big as you, but I am hard to fit (17" neck, 35" waist, 48" chest - clothes either hang on me like a circus tent or I can’t breathe), so I usually count on giving the tailor at least two goes at it.

Don’t put a parka over a suit - that looks dorky, and I live in Minnesota where we have a lot of warm dorks.

But if you get a conservative color suit, like charcoal or dark blue, you need some bling to dress it up. Cuff links, tie clip, collar pin - go for it.

I always wore a suit when I worked in an office, so I have five of them I rotated thru. Different shirt and tie changes the whole look.

Now I only wear them to church, or when I take my wife out to dinner someplace nice.

Regards,
Shodan

68

First, this is a great thread, lots of useful tips … thanks everyone.

Something nobody has mentioned (or I missed it) is vents, I’m sure that I read something about vents the last time I researched this.

Make with the Thai recommendations, I’ll be there next week (Bangkok and Pattaya, although probably not enough time in Bangkok to do enough fittings). Or I could start another thread if people prefer.

69

Center vent. Really no other way to go. Double vents are OK for double-breasted suits, I guess.

You should also decide whether you want cuffs on your pants or not. And if you want pleats or not.

A basic, conservative two-button suit that will still be in style in five years, or in ten, will have a flat front (no pleats) and center vent. Cuffs are optional. I like them.

70

I disagree. Both center and double vents are fine. I believe center vents are an American tradition and double vents are British. The latter actually has a functional advantage in that your jacket doesn’t bunch up when you sit or put your hands in your pockets. But it’s absolutely not gauche, at any rate. Certainly not akin to a double-breasted suit.

The sticklers would say you have to pair pleats with cuffs and flat-front pants with no cuffs. I’ll back off on a categorical guideline, but I will say that cuffs and pleats are sort of the vestiges of an older generation, for better or worse.

71

Jackets without vents are only for thin guys with flat butts.

72

If you’ve any kind of a butt—I do—vents are a necessity. (Unless you’re spending $$$$. I found a vintage, unvented Brioni jacket that nonetheless fits my lower torso extremely well. For the price they want for a new suit, it should.) Still, I much prefer the British double vent (or side vent) to the American single vent. It looks neater. Here’s a nice little post on the merits and origins of single vs double-vented. FWIW, the designer Alan Flusser (love his opinions, not a big fan of his clothing line) has these comments on his view that the double-vented jacket is superior. Ironically, the last link says that those with a big ass should go for the single vent:

For double-breasted, my reading is that either double-vented or no vents is o.k., but not single-vented. No vents seems to be a bit dated though. The reason I’ve read for the lack of single-vented, double-breasted jackets, is that single-vented comes from an equestrian tradition, where one wore a single-breasted jacket.

73

Don’t listen to some of the dingbats on the forum. Black suits rule. Darker colours in general are slimming, and black goes with just about everything. Navy suits are for people who are in shape, although I associate them with the awful “Sears” suits with little brass buttons from when I was a kid.

  1. 2 buttons look better than 3. It’s supposed to be a suit jacket, not a girdle. And the bottom button is always unbuttoned. Deep-six the vest, even at your height, at 300 pounds it will always be a pain in the ass for you. And NO DOUBLE-BREASTED. It just screams “Once Upon A Time In America”.

If you are going for colour, go for Charcoal or taupe (like a dark olive). The latter is particularly classy and not many can pull it off.

  1. More fittings=better fitting. If you tell them it’s a rush job, that’s exactly what you’ll get, so try to get fitted at least twice before you take it home with you. Decent wool and microfibre suits used to cost me about $500 a pop, but they were nice.

  2. Shirts are tricky–everybody has their favourite patterns. Kenneth Cole is making a lot of nice solid coloured pinstriped dress shirts that look very sharp but don’t break the bank. With a black suit, I would suggest at least 4 colours of shirts: white, burgundy, royal blue, and gray.

As for ties, try to get multicoloured patterns so you can get more use out of them. The tie should go with both the suit and the shirt. Smaller patterns are better than large ones.

  1. My favourite accessory only applies to shirts with French cuffs, which require cufflinks (ebay for these–awesome vintage varieties abound, and not expensive), but a nice watch is essential. I just got a Tissot PRC 200 Chronograph (black) which works with EVERYTHING. tie clips are optional, and a nice ascot/handkerchief in the outside breast pocket is a classic touch. They don’t cost much, try to make those solid colours.

  2. a raincoat looks great when not buckled up. For winter, a nice 3/4 overcoat just oozes class.

74

Black suit with a burgundy shirt? Olive suit?

Is this a zombie from 1998?

75

Except every single shade of brown shoe/belt in the world and if you only have one suit, might as well make it versatile.

I wouldn’t have commented on this but for your diplomatic “dingbats” bit, but if you think a $300 quartz watch from Swatch Group’s budget tier qualifies you as the sole arbiter of haute couture, you’ve got something else coming. There’s nothing wrong with a cheap watch or wearing whatever colors you want (I do actually like the PRC 200, for the record), but if you’re going to come in and talk about how wrong everyone is, I’d suggest at least pretending you wear a Vacheron Constantin or something.

76

Sole arbiter? Hardly, and you’re proof of that :slight_smile:

The OP doesn’t sound like he wants a Tag or Patek if he’s not willing to break the bank on an Armani or Brioni suit, and the Tissot line makes a lot of models which look far more expensive than they actually cost. Seems he’s more interested in appearance, which doesn’t require his life savings. I also have a Seastar with black/blue contrast but it doesn’t go with formal wear, in my opinion.

BTW Brown shoes? For formal-esque functions? Never. Every self-respecting man I know owns a pair of black dress shoes (or at least docs). My footwear runs the gamut.

And Labrador: Yes, olive. You’d be surprised how good it looks when every other chowderhead is wearing navy.

77

Again, fashion works better when you follow it for more than one or two years of your life.
And the OP mentioned nothing about a formal function. There is no such thing as formal-esque.

Brown shoes are always acceptable with a suit, provided they match. If a suit is acceptable, then you aren’t at a formal event.

78

I sign on to those who are suggesting you go to Men’s Wearhouse. Their sales people will be able to fit you properly and offer good advice on most of your questions.

On the specifics:

  1. Avoid the three-piece

  2. Two buttons.

  3. Avoid unnecessary accessories like tie pins/tacks and collar pins. Get at least one shirt with plain collars (no buttons).

  4. Maximum two patterns. For example, if you go with a patterned tie and a pinstripe jacket, wear a solid shirt.

This seems like advice out of the 1950s to me. In Washington, D.C., and New York, black suits are just as common as navy and charcoal. No one will think twice about it.

79

My point was that if you’re only going to buy one suit, you might as well buy one that goes well with both black and brown shoes so you can vary your looks for different situations, not that I think he should wear brown shoes to a formal event.

80

Formal-esque aka “semi-formal”. To me that means 3/4 of the suit, either no tie or a tie and no suit jacket. And you’re more than welcome to follow fashion until you’re pushing up daisies. I know what looks good, not necessarily the current “trends”. Consult classic Hollywood press photos for examples of what’s timeless.

Brown shoes would not go with a black suit, as per my original suggestion. IMO they go fine with summer colours. I’ve always considered black the ideal shoe colour.