I. Basics

Why do you need a suit? A reasonable question, but I presume because you're reading this guide you likely have some compelling reason forcing the issue. Perhaps your job has a dress code, maybe there’s a formal event like a wedding coming up, or you might just want to look nice. I'm not going to bury the lead and lie to you by saying that you absolutely need a (good) suit. Our modern culture has sufficiently dressed-down over the years that even executives are no longer prim and proper, and you certainly no longer see people wearing a suit on the street as everyday wear. For the most part, we only wear a suit when we need to conform to a particular situation; you wouldn't want to show up to a jury trial without one. You can get through most of your life without one, or at least one kind of crappy suit that only leaves the back of your closet once a decade. I'm not going to pop my monocle and lament the schlubification of the American wardrobe, that's not my job nor my interest. My goal is to teach you what to look for when you do buy a suit.

A better question is why you would want to spend money on a quality suit? For me, there are two primary benefits. I have two speeds: completely casual or suited up. Putting that effort into my appearance helps my mindset and confidence, giving the latter a boost and allowing me to engage in spaces I might otherwise feel out of place. It also helps delineate the day. When I’m in my comfortable clothes, it’s time to relax; when I’m in my suit, it’s time to work. The pandemic demonstrated how important it is to delineate your time to avoid it all blurring together into a soup of nothingness, and the suit helps do that. Achieving both boons, however, necessitates the suit be good quality.

Most people’s introduction to suits is usually some kind of uncomfortable, hot, itchy thing they’re forced to wear. It was probably some off-the-rack polyester monstrosity that was, let’s be honest, a piece of garbage. A good suit is none of those things. A well-fitting suit made of natural fibers should be comfortable, appropriate for the temperature, and not be a distraction while you wear it. Without those attributes, you won’t feel confident or able to focus on anything other than how awful your clothes are.

Getting to that end-state is where this guide comes in. I’ve already done the research and experiments so you don’t have to start from scratch. Each chapter discusses the major components and decisions you’ll have to make, and you do have options for creativity and personalization. A suit should both be comfortable to wear and a good-fit for who you are. It is ultimately your choice how you want to design your wardrobe, and you should embrace that freedom. Express some creativity while investing in something quality that you've had a hand in designing, even though it is within the bounds of an established concept. Let’s jump in!

Types of Suits

We could start the discussion with a lot of amusing anecdotes about how suits have developed over time, like how neckties evolved from cravats worn by Croats, the stroller suit was invented by a lazy German ambassador, or even that what we now think of as formal business suits started off as a more casual item. We could, but we won't. For your needs, you can just assume that suits popped out of the ether in their present form. You don't need to know the anachronistic reasons for why everything is the way it is, only that it is. You are buying a suit now, in the 21st century, not in the 18th, 19th, or 20th, so these are the only rules and guidelines you need to know.

Two-Piece. Your most basic suit, the two-piece contains, well, two pieces. You have the jacket and you have the pants, both made out of the same material and voila, that makes a suit. There's not much else to it than that. Most of the people around you who wear suits will be wearing a suit in this configuration. The only thing to note is how to wear it. You never button the bottom button on a two-piece suit if there is more than one button. The reason for this is because some member of the British royal family got a bit too rotund for his wardrobe and decided to not button that button instead of re-tailoring his wardrobe, and everyone followed suit. I only bring up this historical anecdote to impress upon you that fashion is an arbitrary social construct. The styles and rules we follow, even if unnamed, were because some guy made an arbitrary decision in the past and we're still dealing with it in the present. Keep that in mind whenever anyone tries to tell you there are objective rules to wearing suits, including me.

Cuts

The next major decision you have to make is how your suit will fit. Ideally, you want to shop where they take your measurements and do some alterations so it will fit properly. Doing so also helps you create your desired profile. This shaping will determine, to a substantial extent, whether or not the suit looks like it fits. Be judicious: this decision is highly dependent on your body type, and it is important to remember that a suit should complement you and not the other way around. Cut to who you are, don't change who you are for the cut.

Slim. There are a number of clothing stores I simply can't patronize because they only sell menswear that is slim cut. Derisively, you might call these European style suits. It includes things like a waist that is very much taken in, pants that taper down to the ankles, and an overall fit without a whole lot of give. I literally cannot wear suits with this type of cut. My calves are too big, my arms are too big, and, even within the ranges of tailoring these retailers provide, there is no way to make a suit fit me when it's slim cut. If you're a thick boy too, I wouldn’t attempt it. Conversely, it can be a good and stylish option if you have the right build. 

Straight. Tree trunk legs and calves as thick as hams require a straight cut suit. For the legs, this means that the pants maintain the same or similar diameter from top to bottom. It also means that the suit jacket won't be taken in quite as much, there will be more give in the arms, and the waist will be a little more flexible. It's not a bad look for anybody, fitting all comers quite easily. It'll also be a little less flashy than a slim cut.

Baggy. What can we say of the classic sack suit? It is an unfortunate look that has prejudiced many against American fashion for well over a century. If you've ever seen an NBA player from the '90s wearing a suit that looks like it was made for an impossibly bigger man, then it was made in the baggy style. This look doesn't work for anyone. Clothing with that much extra room makes it appear you’ve received a hand-me-down from your grandfather; you’ll just look ridiculous and disheveled.

Accessories

You have the option of adding a bevy of optional accoutrements to your suit. Things like cufflinks, tie bars, collar pins, lapel pins, and pocket squares are all optional accessories that help add extra personality to the overall look. The main consideration is that these count towards what I call the accessory limit: only have one or two total accessories across the entire suit. More than this amount and it starts to get a bit busy. You don't want to come off looking like a North Korean general with so much flair that it you look like you’re trying to prove something. Remember, confidence whispers.

Types of Stores

Choosing a suit in concept is one thing, finding where to buy it is another. Your options will depend on how far you're willing to travel and spend to find what you want. There are plenty of options across the national capital region. As a general note, cost does not necessarily correlate with the customization, fit, or comfort of the garment you will ultimately receive. There are certainly off-the-rack items at high-end boutiques where no tailoring is offered that will be orders of magnitude more expensive than a much better fitting and more comfortable made to measure suit from a cheaper merchant. It's important to know the gamut of options so that you can properly decide what your budget and tastes can ultimately afford.

Off the Rack. The most basic level of clothier will only offer the clothing itself and no other services. This is called off the rack because you buy the clothes off the rack and you leave the store with them. If you find something higher-end that you really like, you may have to take it to a tailor for alterations so the garment will actually fit you, which involves more expense and an additional errand. It's not a bad option if you just need something on short notice for an event you weren't prepared for, but if you're wearing something day in and day out, you're going to want something more customized, unless you’re lucky enough to be the same size as the mannequins used to design clothing. On a budget, you can get one of these for a couple hundred bucks.

Tailored. Some clothing retailers offer limited tailoring services. For example, they may have a general set of clothing off the rack; some set sizes based on waist, collar, and other dimensions; and then an associate will make some measurements, draw some chalk lines, and the suit will go to the in-house tailor. This isn't the worst option—and I've bought suits from retailers like this—it just doesn't give you the full range of options. It's not a bad place for your first suit, as it will help you get a feel for what you like and don't like for the time when you're ready to invest in the more custom option. The cost can be quite low as well, averaging around five hundred dollars or less at some retailers.

Made to Measure. Now we're getting somewhere. The only suits you’ll find in these stores are examples, and what you buy is custom made to your specifications at a factory elsewhere. Your shopping will consist of choosing between different options, like looking at fabric swatches, buttons, and other accoutrements. It will also include an in-depth fitting with many more measurements to create a customized template. Made to measure is my preferred option because I like all the customizations and better fit for my body type. The price doesn't necessarily have to be ridiculous. Many stores offer deals or packages where you can buy a decent suit, shirt, and tie for about a thousand dollars. That may seem expensive, but if you're wearing it all the time, it is well worth the investment.

Bespoke. The line between bespoke and made to measure is fuzzy. A made to measure suit, properly done, will incorporate enough measurements that it is very tailored to your body, which is the entire goal of a bespoke suit. To create some differentiation, an additional level of service or handcrafting can be added. For example, there are still retailers in London who do incredibly detailed measurements, cut the fabric by hand, and sew it by hand to create the ultimate fitted garment. However, whether that added cost actually provides any benefit is debatable. For our purposes, your average bureaucrat will do just fine with a made to measure suit at a more reasonable cost.

Planning Your Appointment

You’ve decided for a more customized suit, now it’s time to prepare. The most important thing to do is deciding the general contours of the suit you want. Pick out the overarching look, the color scheme, and what kind of accents you want. Doing this work ahead of time will save you a lot of time in the store and help avoid decision fatigue as you’re bogged down in the thousands of options available to you. Narrowing down the color, for instance, helps you focus on finding the fabric with the right feel and weight instead of wasting time thumbing through book after book of swatches.

The experience you have will also depend on the quality of the person helping you through the process. A good first sign is if they offer you refreshment, like water or coffee. They should also be patient and not in a rush to get the process done because that’s how mistakes are made. I had a suit delayed by months because the person measured me incorrectly the first time, necessitating multiple trips to check alterations before ultimately having it remade. They also need to listen to you rather than making assumptions; if you wanted basic, you wouldn’t be building your own suit.

Care

You'll want to take care of your suit once you have it. The substantial up-front investment means the goal is to keep it in service as long as possible. I made mistakes early on and several of my suits quickly fell apart. I could partly blame the quality of the retailer, but I do have to lay some of the blame at my own feet. I wore them out much sooner than they should have, even after having repairs done by a tailor to try to extend their lifespan. A proper suit should last years, hence, some simple guidelines below.

Dry Cleaning. You only need to dry clean your suit at most once a season. I know this seems kind of gross when you're in a swamp like DC, but if you dry clean your suit far too often you will just cause it to degrade and fall apart. One of my early suits wound up with the entire crotch area completely blowing out and becoming unusable because I dry cleaned it far too often. I wouldn't recommend treating stains at home unless you really know what you're doing.

Steaming. If you do need to refresh your suit between dry cleanings, use a steamer to gently relax the fabric, attenuating wrinkles and other small defects. A good steamer isn’t that expensive compared to the additional life span you’ll add to the suit (and dry cleaning expenses) by not having it cleaned and pressed as often. You'll certainly need them if you choose certain wrinkle-prone fabrics.

Tailoring. Let's be honest with ourselves, we're not the same size as we were before the pandemic. Fortunately, suits are typically made with a little wiggle room. Tailoring allows you to expand the lifetime of your suit for life’s vagaries. The extra material on the seams will allow a tailor to take out the garments so they’ll fit a little bit better. You can go in the opposite direction and take them in if you happen to have lost a little weight and are tired of having implicit pleats in your pants. Tailoring can help extend the lifespan of a suit, but you’ll have to consider whether it’s worth it. I learned the hard way to always avoid the desserts at the complimentary buffets at networking events when my suits stopped fitting so well. They weren't worth it to have them tailored, but a more custom suit certainly would be.