# Three piece suits, too much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513 "2012-05-10T16:03:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/1 "2012-05-10T16:03:17Z")
Three piece suits used to be commonly worn. I’ve never actually someone wear one outside of movies. I’m considering getting a new suit and wondering if it should be a two or three piece. This is for meeting clients and appearing in court rather than social situations in bars. Is a three piece suit too much? If so, in what way? If you like them, why? I like them but if three piece suits are rebarbative to most people, then it would be counterproductive for me to wear one. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/2 "2012-05-10T16:04:45Z")
I think all people look really sharp in a three piece suit. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/3 "2012-05-10T16:06:09Z")
Three piece suits make me wet. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SnakeBabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SnakeBabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeBabe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/4 "2012-05-10T16:13:03Z")
I like them in the right place, right body style, right time. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/5 "2012-05-10T16:13:07Z")
You know me, I am all for dressing up–but I think a three-piece suit is a bit “much,” unless you are trying to make an “I am so dapper you could just _die_” statement. If you are not 100% sure you can pull it off, I would opt out. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/6 "2012-05-10T16:18:06Z")
I have a friend who wears one occasionally. He’s primarily a field scientist and spends a lot of his time covered in dust and/or mud, but he really enjoys dressing up and puts on the suit whenever the opportunity presents itself. In our field, though, it’s rare to find anybody in a suit (regardless of how many pieces are involved), so it comes across more as a quirk than an affectation. For meeting clients or court appearances, I’d say you’ve got a mixed bag. I could see a use for it in particularly formal settings with clients, especially if you’re representing in old-money families or large, established companies. In court, though, I can imagine it weighing against you. When all your peers are dressed in a particular way, it doesn’t seem wise to me to stand out from them. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/7 "2012-05-10T16:23:54Z")
I wear them quite often. They need to be well tailored and in addition favour certain body types. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/8 "2012-05-10T16:28:26Z")
> [@SnakeBabe](#): > > I like them in the right place, right body style, right time. > [@AK84](#): > > I wear them quite often. They need to be well tailored and in addition favour certain body types. So, what are the right places, body types and times? I’m 29 years old, 5’8", 150 pounds. Suits size 36 or 38 Short fit me best. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/9 "2012-05-10T16:35:51Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Three piece suits make me wet. 😛 Maybe a lighter fabric? Something that breathes? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/10 "2012-05-10T16:54:48Z")
I like them, but don’t own any and don’t see myself taking up the habit any time soon. Anyway, I’ve already staked out my position as “the suspenders guy;” I don’t want to have to change to “the three-piece guy.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/11 "2012-05-10T17:22:10Z")
It’s not current fashion among lawyers in the US. There’s nothing wrong with it as such, but it would look a little like you were being deliberately quirky, as with a bow tie or a fedora. That said, there are indications that the three-piece is making a comeback at the [high-fashion](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303341904575576161285251270.html) level, so it may not be long before the legal market picks it back up. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/12 "2012-05-10T17:52:44Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > So, what are the right places, body types and times? > > I’m 29 years old, 5’8", 150 pounds. Suits size 36 or 38 Short fit me best. A semi-formal affair. Wedding, cotillion dinner, business meeting. Whenever the invitation says “black tie optional”. For best results, bring \*\*Anaamika \*\*with you. And just for the record, it’s extremely rare that a suit, much less a three-piece suit, is really appropriate for “social situations in bars”. You’ll want to be much more dressed-down at those times. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/13 "2012-05-10T17:56:13Z")
I own several. In any situation where a suit is appropriate, it’s fine (in my opinion) to wear a three-piece, you will stand out, but it isn’t at all inappropriate to wear a three piece suit in a suit-wearing situation. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/14 "2012-05-10T18:08:47Z")
I like the way they look, but don’t own a suit. These days, the only reason I dress up is for funerals, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/15 "2012-05-10T18:34:01Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > There’s nothing wrong with it as such, but it would look a little like you were being deliberately quirky, as with a bow tie or a fedora. Exactly; it’s an affectation, but there’s nothing particularly wrong with an affectation, per se. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/16 "2012-05-10T19:24:52Z")
They don’t seem to be in at the moment, not that I buy suits more than once a decade any more. But I’ve owned some and I like them. It helps to be thin. Voyager, reporting from the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/17 "2012-05-10T19:54:04Z")
Do they even _sell_ 3-piece suits any more? I haven’t seen anyone wearing one in years. **Typo Knig** ’s last 3-piece suit was purchased in 1983. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/18 "2012-05-10T19:57:07Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Exactly; it’s an affectation, but there’s nothing particularly wrong with an affectation, per se. Ditto - The way you dress communicates something to other people. In most cases with a suit you want to communicate, “I fit in - I understand the culture.” Typically you have clients or prospects or superiors who you don’t want to ruffle, so then I would recommend a standard 2-piece 2-button variety in dark gray. If you wear a 3-piece you are setting yourself apart from them, makes them just a tiny bit nervous about you, not a good thing. Conformity is key. Now, if the situation is different - if you want to be noticed, if you don’t have to worry about ruffling others (if you are the owner or boss, or it’s a no risk social situation) then by all means, go for the 3-piece. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/19 "2012-05-10T20:01:05Z")
I own several. The vest \*must \* have lapels, the trousers with turn-ups(cuffs) and a fine chain and fob for your antique pocket-watch. How _you_ doing **Anaamika**? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513/20 "2012-05-10T20:10:03Z")
[QUOTE=Wikipedia] Fop became a pejorative term for a foolish man overly concerned with his appearance and clothes in 17th century England. Some of the very many similar alternative terms are: “coxcomb”, fribble, “popinjay” (meaning “parrot”), fashion-monger, and “ninny”. “Macaroni” was another term, of the 18th century, more specifically concerned with fashion. [/QUOTE] 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-piece-suits-too-much/621513.md?page=2)