Avoid these mistakes when wearing a suit
By Derreck the Distinguished Rootsman
A suit is one of the most forgiving garments a man can wear.
It can make you look sharper, taller, leaner and more confident.
The trouble is that it can also do the exact opposite.
The good news?
Most suit mistakes are easy to fix.
The bad news?
Many men make them every single day.
And before anyone says it, no, this is not about money.
I’ve seen affordable suits worn brilliantly and expensive suits worn like a complete disaster.
Style is rarely about price.
It’s about paying attention.
Get the fit right
Let’s start with the big one.
A suit that doesn’t fit properly will never look right, no matter how expensive it is.
Your trousers should not collapse onto your shoes like a pile of laundry.
Nor should they stop halfway up your calves.
Your jacket sleeves should allow a little shirt cuff to show.
And your jacket should fit your shoulders properly from the start. Almost everything else can be altered. The shoulders generally cannot.
A good fit beats an expensive label every time.
Don’t get carried away with trends
Fashion comes and goes.
Style sticks around.
Every few years somebody decides trousers should be extremely skinny, jackets should be absurdly short or ankles should be displayed at all times.
Some trends are fun.
Some are best left on social media.
Before embracing the latest craze, ask yourself a simple question:
Will this still look good in five years?
If the answer is no, proceed with caution.
Look after your shoes
People notice shoes.
Maybe not consciously.
But they notice them.
A beautiful suit paired with neglected shoes is a bit like serving excellent wine in a dirty glass.
Keep them clean.
Keep them polished.
Use shoe trees.
Give them a day off between wears.
And if your trainers have found their way into your business wardrobe, ask yourself whether they truly belong there.
By Jah, most of the time they don’t.
Leave the backpack at home
I know.
Laptops exist.
Life is complicated.
But a backpack worn with a suit rarely improves the situation.
It wrinkles your jacket, pulls on the shoulders and makes even a well-dressed man look as though he’s on his way to school.
A good leather briefcase.
A messenger bag.
A simple tote.
Almost anything else.
Wear proper socks
Your socks should generally relate to your trousers, not your shoes.
And unless you’re deliberately going sockless in a casual summer outfit, your socks should be long enough that nobody sees your leg when you sit down.
This is one of those details that nobody notices when it’s done correctly.
And everybody notices when it isn’t.
Understand the rules before breaking them
Here’s the thing.
I have absolutely no problem with men breaking style rules.
Some of the best-dressed men I’ve ever seen do exactly that.
But they know what they’re doing.
There’s a difference between breaking a rule and simply not knowing it exists.
Learn the fundamentals first.
Then make them your own.
Final thoughts
A good suit doesn’t need much help.
It simply needs you to avoid getting in its way.
Get the fit right.
Take care of your shoes.
Pay attention to the details.
And remember:
A gentleman does not need perfection.
He just needs to avoid the mistakes everyone else keeps making.
