An Expert Guide to Buying Your First Suit

Image via Complex Original

If you're looking for entry-level suits, aim for navy and dark charcoals, but no black. The color will always be the foundation of your suit wardrobe as you open up to different fabrics, prints, and fashionable cuts. If you're looking for a suit to wear to an event, occasion, or anything else besides a conservative work environment, everything is pretty much fair game where style is included.

With color and need in mind, your first suit should also be a four-season suit. Look for decently weighted wool that will not leave you freezing in the fall/winter, but also won’t make you sweat during the spring/summer seasons. 

A "Super 110," for example, means that a suit is made of a worsted wool yarn that has been twisted more often than the usual 60-80 twist fabrics. The higher the Super number, the finer and more luxurious the fabric will be, causing the change in price from suit to suit. 

Shoulder pads should not hang off the shoulder. You need a clean, flushed appearance. The seam should sit on top of the end of the shoulder. 

This is a cleaner, more classic look without venturing in the Steve Harvey-knee-grabber jacket that we’ve seen too often.

The sleeve of the jacket should meet the base of your thumb at the wrist. It’s important to show at least a quarter-inch of shirt cuff. 

Definitely have a tailor that can learn the way you like clothes to fit you, but will also keep it 100 percent honest with you. Build that relationship and you'll find your trip to the tailor the easiest errand of your day.

A break is pretty much the point where the crease line on your trousers breaks due to contact between your hem and your shoe. "No Break" for example, would be a trouser going straight down, barely touching the top of the shoe and keeping the crease line clean. This would be more of a fashionable approach to wearing your trousers. "Half Break" leaves your trousers longer, typically sitting on top of the shoe at a point that does not allow the sock to show but once you walk, people will get to peep your sock game. This is the contemporary, classic approach that’s reasonable for most conservative environments, but still gives you a little edge. "Full Break" is when your trousers sit longer and break a few times allowing no sock to be shown when standing straight and barely show when walking. This is your complete conservative approach to a work suit.

This tip is important depending on the environment where you will be wearing the suit. Trust me: You will get called out on the details. 

Ties, pocket squares, lapel pins, etc. Have fun with it, but remember: Depending on where you will be wearing the suit, adding certain funk to your style may dampen the overall look. Be as conservative or as liberal as the environment allows through personal interpretation.

As we move on and fashion continues to dictate a great impression for most, remember that these tips are important to remain a man of the present while preserving the classic. Exuding confidence in what you wear while maintaining your gentlemanly duties is what wearing a suit is all about.