# Why do men wear suits?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 23, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934 "2015-07-23T09:34:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/41 "2015-07-23T16:15:14Z")
I don’t know about the “wide variety of colors” bit. You can really only wear about five colors in most settings that call for a suit.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/42 "2015-07-23T16:15:26Z")
I wear suits because I like the way they feel and look. They’re not uncomfortable unless you’re wearing the wrong size. You have to take the time to try them on and walk around a bit before purchase, but that’s true of jeans as well. Many men foolishly think the size they wore in high school is forever.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/43 "2015-07-23T16:18:10Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#):
>
> Because people are conformists.
Bullshit. Most men DON’T wear suits these days. If I were conforming I’d be dressed like the majority. I dress to please myself.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/44 "2015-07-23T16:21:03Z")
I’m surprised it took as many posts as it did to get to the fact that a man looks really good in a good suit. You wear a suit for the same reason you comb your hair or shave or try not to have dirt on your face; to look nice.
Why the Western world in particular has a fashion for a men’s suit to be what it is is a long historical thread, but it is what it is, and in some countries in can be different, but there’s still a “suit” you can put on and look great.
I don’t wear a suit often, but when I do, it’s to look my best. And yes, a properly fitted suit will feel fine; you barely feel it. Ill-fitting clothes is a rather common modern error, though, I think because clothes are more affordable than ever and people own a lot of them and so don’t put much effort into finding clothes that fit right.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/45 "2015-07-23T16:21:25Z")
> [@Anaamika](#):
>
> Because many women’s knees go weak at the sight of a well-tailored suit?
>
> That being said, the trend is shifting away from suits. My SO has only worn a full suit maybe half a dozen times in his life. It’s just a form of dress, and sometimes it’s nice to dress up.
>
> But I agree the tie should probably go. I am sad about this, because it looks nice, but really it is a ridiculous article of clothing, prone to being uncomfortable, needs to be tied properly, has to be matched, costs too much, and can get caught in things. It is just an unnecessary piece calculated to make men pay more.
But in the event of an emergency it can be used as a sling or garrotte. Do you want me walking around unarmed?
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/46 "2015-07-23T16:21:43Z")
For myself, they are uncomfortable no matter how well tailored they are. I think it’s because I don’t wear them very often and they don’t fit my lifestyle at ALL.
I got tired of trying to make sport coats work, so I recently spent $$$$ on two suits. Still uncomfortable. Weird material, odd pockets, impractical shoes, a jacket that is either not warm enough or too hot. And then you have to be constantly on the alert to not wrinkle or get some dog hair on it or something.
Say all you want about how comfortable they are for YOU, the are not for ME.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/47 "2015-07-23T16:24:26Z")
> [@enipla](#):
>
> For myself, they are uncomfortable no matter how well tailored they are. I think it’s because I don’t wear them very often and they don’t fit my lifestyle at ALL.
>
> I got tired of trying to make sport coats work, so I recently spent $$$$ on two suits. Still uncomfortable. Weird material, odd pockets, impractical shoes, a jacket that is either not warm enough or too hot. And then you have to be constantly on the alert to not wrinkle or get some dog hair on it or something.
>
> Say all you want about how comfortable they are for YOU, the are not for ME.
The solution to not getting dog hair on your clothing is to not allow the filthy beasts near youyoui.😃
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### Author:  [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/48 "2015-07-23T16:36:30Z")
becoming a mature adult means you have to be miserable all the time
enjoy wearing a suit in July
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/49 "2015-07-23T16:45:21Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#):
>
> Well-tailored suits are sexy!
> [@Anaamika](#):
>
> Because many women’s knees go weak at the sight of a well-tailored suit?
While I have a hunch as to why, could you tell me what elements make it so?
Are there arrangements which work better or worse, aside from fit? Colors, 2 vs 3 piece etc?
I need to know this for…huh…scientific reasons.
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### Author:  [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/50 "2015-07-23T17:21:22Z")
> [@Doyle](#):
>
> Guaranteed sex from my wife that night.
Guaranteed sex from Doyle’s wife that night.
I like suits and would wear them more often, but it would look out of place at work. It’s an office, but nobody wears them.
Frankly, I can wear the hell out of one. And my wife loves the way I look in them (see quote).
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/51 "2015-07-23T17:24:57Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#):
>
> secured with a tie, a completely useless accoutrement.
I participate in Bow Tie Wednesday at the office. (Actually, I’m the _only_ one who participates in Bow Tie Wednesday.) It’s not a completely useless accoutrement. It’s fun, and a little quirky.
Yesterday I was complimented on my bow tie when I went out to lunch. A couple of weeks ago at a car dealership, another person commented favourably on it. (To be fair, he was also wearing one.)
But I’m not big on wearing suits.
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/52 "2015-07-23T17:40:16Z")
I have worked in environs that required a full suit and tie (15 years!), others that were jeans and a t-shirt and everywhere in between. I never got used to wearing a suit and tie\*. The tie would go on in the car right before I walked in to the office and would come off in the parking lot as I was leaving. The suit coat hung on my office door whenever possible. The jeans and t-shirt job was really cool, now I’m at a place where business casual is the rule. Some guys choose to wear a full suit here, I go with khaki’s and a polo shirt. I’ve not noticed a correlation between level of dress and competence/work ethic, so I lean toward purely asthetic. Since asthetics vary from person to person, I’ll dress to “suit” myself!
\*Suits are hot indoors year round and I don’t like anything around my neck - including ties, turtlenecks and crew neck shirts. I must have been hanged in a former life ;). I did wear a tie to my daughter’s wedding, because she picked out my attire. She didn’t want me in a suit or I would have done that, too.
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/53 "2015-07-23T17:44:37Z")
I find myself wearing a bowtie on tie-wearing occasions more than a long tie these days. They are jaunty.
I have a number of fun long ties as well, with pin-up girls, martini glasses, and dinosaurs. Still looking for one that combines all three motifs. Might need to commission the artwork myself.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/54 "2015-07-23T17:55:24Z")
I also have a bow tie, which I think is fashionable. This is not an opinion universally held in the **Shodan** household.
I went out to buy some dress pants, and the bow ties were on sale. So I bought one. I came home, and modelled my new bow tie to my wife and my daughter, She Who Channels the Fashion Gods.
My daughter saw the bow tie, turned to my wife, and said, “See what happens when we let daddy go shopping by himself?”
Darn kids.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/55 "2015-07-23T17:59:05Z")
> [@corkboard](#):
>
> Guaranteed sex from Doyle’s wife that night.
I had to read that about 3 times.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/56 "2015-07-23T18:05:32Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#):
>
> I have worked in environs that required a full suit and tie (15 years!), others that were jeans and a t-shirt and everywhere in between. I never got used to wearing a suit and tie\*.
I’m in Govenment IT. It would be VERY strange for anyone to wear a suit. In fact, in my 23 years here with 500 total employees, I have never seen anyone wear a suit.
I suppose the commisioners might when they have meetings out of town.
As long as it’s clean and not offensive, you are good to go. Such is mountain/tourist area living.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/57 "2015-07-23T18:06:10Z")
> [@Shodan](#):
>
> I also have a bow tie, which I think is fashionable. This is not an opinion universally held in the **Shodan** household.
Indeed. We have an occasion coming up in a few weeks, and I have been told by the SO I will **not** wear a bow tie.
(I didn’t tell her, ‘Well, at least I can still wear my fez!’)
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/58 "2015-07-23T18:12:11Z")
I’m 42, work in IT, and haven’t ever had to wear a suit to work. A couple summers in college, I had to wear a tie, when I was an intern at a civil engineering firm, but even they dropped that requirement before I’d graduated and quit working summers for them.
I’ve worn suits fairly often though; for pretty much any wedding, funeral or job interview. And I’ve had probably 9 weddings and 6 funerals in the past 25 years, and probably 18-20 interviews, and some graduate business school functions.
I don’t wear suits enough to warrant owning more than one, and I periodically get a new tie or two every few years, but I definitely need to have one- it seems like I have occasion to wear one once or twice a year on average.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/59 "2015-07-23T18:17:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> I don’t know about the “wide variety of colors” bit. You can really only wear about five colors in most settings that call for a suit.
I was thinking more the shirt and tie (and possibly pocket square as well). Suits, generally you do have to go with blue, grey, black, brown or green. Still, even within those colors, you have a lot of variation and patterns.
There are probably less of a variety of jeans you can wear that are fashionably “acceptable”, and yet no one complains about jeans being an expression of conformity.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-wear-suits/725934/60 "2015-07-23T18:18:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> (I didn’t tell her, ‘Well, at least I can still wear my fez!’)
I am **so** stealing that to use on my daughter.
Regards,
Shodan
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