Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we once and for all, definitively, answer the question on how many suits a man
needs.
The answer is between 1 and 100, there is no simple number.
It all depends on your environment, your budget, and other considerations that you have to
make.
So that's not very helpful and because of that, we put together four different profiles
of different men with different needs and requirements, and we walk you through exactly
what kind of suit you need, what style, what color, what fabric, so you always look the
part and you have exactly the right suit for the right occasion.
Of course, some people think, is it really necessary to still own a suit in this day
and age?
I have to unequivocally say yes.
We all go to interviews, we go to weddings, we go to funerals, maybe sometimes galas,
or evening events, where a suit is required.
Also, it's not a good idea to just borrow a suit last-minute because that will always
go wrong and an ill-fitting suit even if it's a $10,000 suit will just look really bad and
disadvantageous.
For example, just the other day, I got a call from an entrepreneur friend who had to attend
an evening event that we required at least a suit.
Now, he didn't have one.
He had a sports jacket and he just thought he can walk into a mall, buy a suit, and that'll
be it.
The problem is, a suit always requires tailoring and alterations which in turn take time and
so it pays to always have at least one suit in your closet that fits you at any given
point in time.
So what are the four archetypes of men?
First, the person who normally never wears a suit.
Second, the person who sometimes wears a suit.
Three, the person who wears a suit very regularly
and then
Four, the suit lover who doesn't really need suits but who simply loves them for their
own sake.
So one, the man who normally never wears a suit.
You're a student, maybe an IT professional, or just in a job where a suit is not required
of you, ever.
Maybe you work in every casual office, or you work from home, but a suit is just never
something that has come up.
In that case, I suggest you invest in one dark suit.
I suggest you go with a single-breasted suit in a medium to lightweight that you can wear
year-round so I suggest between 270 and 300 grams or about 10 ounces.
You also should invest in a worsted wool which is a very fine wool but it's very different
than a flannel wool and to understand the differences, I suggest you check out our guides
on the website.
So why do you need a dark suit and not something lighter?
Well usually, the only events that require you to wear a suit are in the evening or they're
quite formal such as a wedding or a funeral in that case, dark is always your friend.
Because of that, I suggest a dark navy suit or a dark grey or charcoal suit.
Pretty much between those two colors, you should choose.
Do not go with a black suit because black is harder to combine with other items and
in a suit, it looks bad when combined with blue tones which are very predominant in menswear.
To learn more about why black is an overrated color in classic menswear, please check out
this video here.
If you choose a suit that is too heavy, it will drape well but you'll be too warm in
the summer and if it's too lightweight, it will wrinkle too easily and you look disheveled.
Because that, invest in a solid dark suit make sure you get notched lapels not peak
lapels with your single breasted one because it is very traditional.
I suggest you go with two buttons, you can also go with three buttons that roll on two.
It's a very classic silhouette.
For your trousers or pants, I suggest you go with either a pleated front or a flat front
and cuffs because the weight of the cuffs pulls down the pants.
If you want to, you can also add a matching vest or waistcoat which allows you to wear
a three-piece suit which is more formal.
You can also skip the vest and just have a two-piece suit and it simply gives you more
options but it doesn't cost a whole lot more to upgrade.
Unless you go with a custom tailored suit, you will always have to have alterations.
They'll cost you usually between 50 and 200 dollars depending on where you live and what
extent you need in alterations.
You should check out the video and how a suit should fit so you buy something that's right
in the first place that with minimal alterations can yield a very respectable fit and look.
Now let's talk about the second type of man.
You are someone who rarely wears a suit, you maybe work at a very casual office but every
once in a while, when you have client contact or a business event, you'll need to get out
some suits.
In that case, it pays to have at least three suits otherwise, it would look like you only
have one suit and you wear the same outfit over and over again which is never advantageous.
So the three suits you should invest in are one, a dark navy suit and two, a dark charcoal
suit.
I suggest you get one of them in double-breasted because it's more formal and another one single-breasted
with notch lapels because it's less formal.
Ideally, you want maybe the navy suit to be double breasted because you can wear it as
a blazer separately.
With those two suits, you're covered for summer and spring weather, as well as for fall and
for a winter, they work very well, they're unpretentious, they're very professional,
and you'll always be well respected and look at the part.
For the gray flannel, you want something a little heavier about of 350 to 400 grams.
For the worsted navy suit, you go something with a little lighter about 270 to 300 grams
just like in the other suit before.
The third suit to invest in for you is something that's a little more casual.
It's not as formal and dark and brown tones are ideal for that.
It could be a Glen check with an over plaid, it could be a small houndstooth or just something
that's a little lighter in color that has a pattern.
Of course, to learn more about tweed, you can check out this guide and for flannel and
worsteds, you can check out these guides.
The third type is men who wears a suit to work every day.
Because of that, you need a larger rotation of suits because you can always get them stained
and if you let your suits rest, they will actually last you longer.
No, by that I don't mean that they just last longer because you wear them less frequently
but let's say you have a rotation of 10 suits, they will last you about twice as long as
if you would buy an individual suit, wear it out, and buy nine more.
Yes, you invested the same money in the same number of suits but with the rotation, that
will last you just longer.
That aside, you will also look better and that's the reason we wear a suit in the first
place.
So if you are a VP, an executive, or a white collar professional, suits are your office
attire, or your uniform, or the Wardrobe that you have to wear.
For most men in this category, it's enough to own 10 business suits because that's a
two week rotation.
With ten suits, different shirts, ties, and shoes, you can create many outfits and it
will never look like you're just repeating the same one over and over again.
If you're starting out, you may not be able to afford 10 quality suits right from the
bat and because of that, it pays to slowly build up that rotation, starting with the
most versatile solid ones that we mentioned earlier.
So what are those ten suits?First of all again, the charcoal flannel suit, may be in single
breasted or the navy worsted suit in double-breasted.
They're just staples and classics that you can wear over and over again.
So if the first suit was Navy and single breasted with notch lapels, the third suit should be
Navy with peak lapels and double-breasted.
You always want to maximize a different kind of looks you have and being able to choose
between those two, you can just make a difference on how it's perceived.
Peak lapels look more powerful and are more formal, notch lapels or a little less formal.
The fourth suit should be a not too oversized Glenn check which is a very traditional menswear
pattern.
Sometimes you can see them with an overplaid in a color such as blue or pink.
If you want versatility, I suggest going with a more muted overplaid or without one in the
first place.
Also, I think it's a good idea to go with a worsted fabric here and whether it's single
breasted or double breasted, is up to your taste.
Ideally, you have an even number in your wardrobe but of course, you can choose if you prefer
double breasted, you can have maybe seven double breasted and three
single breasted or the other way around.
Some people even go all single breasted or all double breasted.
It's a preference.
I suggest though that you have at least one double breasted at least one single breasted
suit in your wardrobe that way, you're just more flexible.
The fifth suit should be a medium grey, can either be a solid or a fresco or maybe a herringbone
pattern.
Suit number six should be either a lighter gray or a lighter shade of blue.
Again, it can be in a fresco if you're in a warmer climate or something with a little
more texture such as a sharkskin or hopsack.
Suit number seven should be striped.
Generally, I suggest to go with a lighter stripe on a dark background, a very popular
one is a white or off-white stripe on navy, sometimes you also see gray, but Navy is definitely
a classic.
If you go with a double-breasted pinstripe or rope striped suit, a lot of people will
have associations with the 30s or some gangsters, so keep that in mind when you make your selection.
If you want more subdued stripes, I suggest going with chalk stripes which are less pronounced,
softer, but very elegant, sophisticated, and classic.
Suit number eight should be a brown suit.
If you want to wear it more to casual outings, I suggest to go with a medium brown maybe
with a herringbone pattern, something that is distinctly different from your dark office
suits.
On the other hand, if you still want to wear it to the office, maybe a charcoal Brown suit
with a needlehead or pinpoint is the better choice.
The ninth suit to invest in should even be more casual.
If you live in a colder climate, a tweed suit is really perfect.
If you live in a warmer climate, again I suggest going with a fresco suit or a linen suit or
a cotton suit.
In terms of colors, you can be a little more daring; you can go with something in green,
or petrol blue, or maybe cream, or beige.
Keep in mind that lighter colored suits are more prone to stains and adjust your selection
accordingly.
Last but not least, suit number 10 should be a tuxedo because if you're in this position,
chances are you'll have to go to evening events where black tie is a dress code and then a
tuxedo is the right thing to wear.
To learn more about black tie, please check out our in-depth black tie guide and for a
selection of our evening wear accessories please check out our shop here.
The fourth type of men is the suit lover.
At this point, we can't talk about need anymore and the sky is the limit.
It's all about how many suits you want and the limiting factor is likely the amount of
closet space you have.
You guessed it, that's me and I'm a suit lover.
My goal has always been to build a complete wardrobe not just for suits but overall.
So I have a complete white tie outfit, I have several black tie outfits, I have several
morning coat outfits, I have a stroller outfit, I've suits, overcoats, and so forth; and to
me, dressing and clothing in suits is just a hobby.
Of course, it's also a big part of my business so it's very easy to justify more purchases.
If you enjoyed this video please check out our other suit videos and subscribe to our
channel so new stuff like this comes right here Inbox.
in today's video, I'm wearing a double-breasted flannel suit which is grey with a white windowpane
it's a fabric from Vitale Barberis Canonico that was custom made in a suit for me it has
a very high buttoning point and because of that you don't see much of my tie here I'm
combining it with a white dress shirt with double cuffs as well as a white linen pocket
square from Fort Belvedere and as you can see this is a quite loud suit and because
of that I chose to tone down the accessories this is a blue madder tie with light blue
and red tones the red is picked up in my cufflinks and my shoes on the other hand are black to
simply tone down the entire outfit that being said they are actual two-toned Balmoral boots
black calf leather combined with black suede and I chose a gray pair of Fort Belvedere
boot laces that work with the suit to tie it all together for all the accessories including
the red carnelian cufflinks with sterling silver the tie the pocket square and the socks
with clocks please check out our shop here.