10 GOLDEN Rules To Buying A Suit [0:00:00]
Are you ready?
Let’s suit up.
[Music] Now, I assume that you’re starting at ground
zero, that is maybe your first suit or it’s been a decade since you bought a suit, but
you need one here in two weeks for a weeding.
So, let’s start things off by defining what is a suit?
A suit is a jacket and a pair of trousers made from the same material.
Notice I didn’t say materials that are close or materials that match.
That could be a navy blazer and chinos or it could be a sports jacket and a pair of
odd trousers, but that’s not a suit.
A lot of guys make this mistake, they try to wear a jacket and a pair of trousers that
are close and they try to pass it off as a suit.
Believe me, those in the know those making hiring decisions, they notice.
So, the first step in buying a suit is to make a decision, are you going to buy it online
or are you going to buy it offline.
Now, why is this a tough decision?
Because it really depends on do you want selection the best selection, it’s always going to
be online.
But, if you want speed, you need something today, guess what?
You’re going to need to walk into a store.
And, let’s talk about convenience.
Nothing beats buying online.
At 2:00 in the morning in your underwear drinking a beer, you can buy a custom suit if you want.
But, when it comes down to customer service, it’s really tough to beat the in-person
higher end men’s wear stores because you could walk in there and for thirty minutes
you can talk to a knowledgeable person who can look at you, immediately tell your body
type and be able to identify which suit not only color, but the style is going to best
work on your body.
So, which one is better online or offline?
Guys, it really depends on your particular needs.
What do you want?
What do you value?
So, how much to spend?
Again, this is your first suit or your first suit in awhile, but you want something nice,
you want something that makes you look like a million bucks between $200 and $2,000.
All right.
So, I know that’s a pretty big $1,800 range, let’s go ahead and get specific.
So, you want to take your monthly salary and you want to budget approximately half of that.
And that budget by the way is not just for the suit, but also what goes with it – the
shoes and the shirt which we’ll talk about later.
Now, understand the real price range of suits is much wider.
We’re talking from $3,000 to well over $5,000.
Yes, free, simply ask your friends, family, anyone have a suit that I can have.
So, let’s talk about the high end.
Savile Row, you go to some of the best tailors in the world, yeah, you’re going to spend
over $5,000.
What we’re talking about is that happy medium there where I think most of you can find a
great-looking suit.
Now, you’re going to hear the words, off-the-rack, custom, and bespoke.
I’m going to say right now ignore bespoke.
I love it.
This is the artistry, but that’s going to be much higher in price.
Custom, I think is a great option if you’re hard to fit.
But, for most people probably off-the-rack is going to work just fine and you’re going
to find the best deals there.
Now, what about belt?
Should you or should you not wear them with a suit?
For me, it depends on your trousers.
Do your trousers have belt loops?
Then, wear a belt if it has belt loops.
As best you can try to match the leather to your shoes, the metal to your other metals.
For me, I’m a silver guy.
Now, if you’re in the market for a belt, you should check out Anson Belt and Buckle,
the sponsor of today’s video, and a company for over five years I’ve been proud to support
because these guys are doing it right.
They’ve got amazing customer service and they’ve created a belt system that makes
it so easy, but let me explain.
So, have you ever heard of this microadjust system? Basically, you get to adjust the belt
to a quarter of an inch, there are no belt holes.
Gents, I’ve been talking about Anson for years because I believe in their product,
I love supporting family-owned businesses.
You got a father-son combo.
And let’s talk about their customer service.
This is why I love sending people over there because they take care of you, they treat
you like family.
I had one guy he cut the belt a little bit too short, and he talk he simply went to order
another one.
No, they send him a free one.
Gents, that’s what I love, companies that take care of you that treat you like one of
their own.
And, they’re not just about dress belts, they’ve got a wide range of straps.
So, if you want something casual, you want something patriotic, you want something with
the suede, they’ve got you covered.
And, let’s talk about all their buckles.
So, they’ve got a wide range of buckles and if you guys have heard me talk about the
interchangeable wardrobe, you got to love their interchangeable system.
So, their buckles will work with all their straps.
So, think about that, you can have three buckles, three straps, nine belt combinations.
And, if you want to give an amazing gift, check out their gift box.
It’s beautifully packaged.
When you open it up, you get the option do you want to go with three buckles, two straps,
three straps, two buckles, it’s up to you, but what you give right here is an amazing
belt system to any deserving guy.
Gents, I’m linking to Anson down in the description.
Go check them out, an amazing company, they’ve got amazing belts.
If you haven’t been over there for awhile, look at all their new collections.
They’re a great company founded by even better people.
I’m proud to support them.
Now, let’s talk about fabric and let’s talk about the materials the suit is made
from.
Wool is what you want to look for.
A hundred percent wool is always a great indicator that this is going to be a quality garment.
It’s a luxury material, it’s going to be more expensive, and that’s why you’re
going to start to see blends.
And, they do that because they’re going to be able to save you a lot of money on the
price, but you’ve got to understand they’re going to probably have cut corners elsewhere
and this is going to be what you would – should expect to be a lower end suit.
[0:05:02] Now, when you start spending over $500 over
$1,000, you better be getting a hundred percent wool.
And then, you’re going to start to see other things like these super 80, super 100, super
120, super 180.
Understand that these numbers are not – there’s not a uniform system here.
Every company’s supers are different from another manufacturer.
That being said, in general, when you see a higher number, this means a tighter yarn
and therefore, a more luxurious drape.
This isn’t always the case, so don’t fall into those numbers.
It’s kind of like megapixels, people think that the higher the megapixels, the better
camera.
That’s not the case.
We’ve really gone beyond the point.
There are almost pretty any suit out there whether it’d be a super 100 or a super 220,
they are going to work for your intended purposes.
Now, what about the color?
I’m going to direct you to three – navy, charcoal, or gray.
You don’t want to go with a light blue or a true blue.
That’s going to be more casual.
And you don’t want to go with black.
Black is very popular.
I know it sells well, but the issue with black is that’s really should be reserved for
black tie.
You want to go with those three colors, again, navy, charcoal, or gray.
Now, what about patterns?
Now, this suit I’m wearing actually has a small pattern to it, but it’s not noticeable
and I think that’s perfectly fine, but in general you want to avoid noticeable patterns.
I’m not saying that you can’t get them, but that should be reserved for like your
third, fourth, fifth, maybe sixth suit.
So, now, we’re talking about fit, and let me be clear, fit is king.
Do not buy a suit that does not fit you well or could not be adjusted to fit you well.
Here’s the deal.
If you buy a $2,000 suit that doesn’t fit you, it’s not going to look good.
A $50 suit that fits you well is going to look much, much better than anything that
doesn’t fit you.
So, fit is what you got to zero in on.
If you have to pay more, then go ahead and do that to get something that fits your really
thin body, your really big body.
That’s why I said custom suits maybe an option for some of you that are a bit shorter,
maybe you’re really stout, maybe you’re just a huge guy.
Whatever it may be you may have to go that route to get something that fits your body
right.
So, when you’re buying the jacket, this is the area that you want to focus in on.
First up, the shoulders, does it fit you well in the shoulders.
You don’t want to get the shoulders adjusted, that’s like heart surgery.
It’s just going to cost you a lot of money and it’s better just to buy a jacket that
fits you well in the shoulders.
Next up, let’s look in the chest, let’s look in the torso.
If you’ve got too much room here, and we’re talking you can fit in two fists, that’s
way too much room.
You probably want to size down a bit.
Now, they can bring it in a bit in the torso, but more than two inches.
The issue here is proportions.
So, the pockets are going to kind of change and it’s just going to make the jacket not
look good.
What about letting out a jacket, what about opening it up?
Yes, on higher end suits they should have some extra fabric in there, so you could open
it up about an inch.
If you find a suit that fits you really well, just a little bit tight in the chest, you
can go ahead and open it up.
Now, the length, there are two areas you’re going to want to check.
First, put your arms down and basically your knuckles should be about the length of the
jacket give or take an inch.
Now, the other area you’re going to want to check is the back of the jacket.
Doe it cover the curvature of your buttocks?
It’s should cover your butt.
If the jacket is exposing your butt or it’s going way past that, it’s probably too long
or too short.
Now, let’s talk about the sleeves.
This is actually one of the easiest places to adjust up to about an inch and a half,
in some cases two inches.
It really depends on the size of the suit.
But, you want to be able to show about a quarter to a half an inch of your shirt cuff.
Now, let’s about the trousers.
So, trousers are sold with the jacket, they come as a pair and you want to make sure that
it fits you well in the waist.
If it’s a little bit too big a little bit too tight, this can be opened up, it can be
tightened up.
Also, pay attention to the hip area, this is oftentimes where a lot of tailors they
don’t want to maybe adjust here or they said it’s not worth it.
No.
If it’s way too loose, get it brought in.
Now, let’s look at the trouser length.
So, you got some options here.
You can go with no break, you can go with a quarter break, you can go with a half break,
you can go with a full break.
Now, what to do here really depends on your personal preference and your height.
If you’re a taller guy, you want to go with a full break.
If you’re a shorter guy, go with no break.
So now, we’re going to talk about the style of the suit.
My goal here is to help you create something that’s going to be timeless that will serve
you six months from now and six years from now versus something that is more of a fashion
trend that’s going to be out of style here in the next year.
So, when you go in to buy a suit you’re going to notice there are two-button suits,
there are three-button suits, there are also some four-button suits, and there are even
one-button suits.
One-button suits, four-button, or five-button suits, stay away from at this point.
Two or three buttons are going to be your options.
And for 95% of you, you want to go with a two-button suit.
Now, why would anyone go with a three-button suit?
A three-button suit is going to be a little bit more formal and there are also suits out
there called two and a half.
So, if you’re a higher end menswear store you may see it and I like the two and a half
because it just goes up a little bit higher, it’s basically a three-button suit that’s
not made to actually button that top button.
[0:09:54] Next up, you’re going to want to pay attention
to the lapel.
You’re going to see notch lapels, you’re going to see peak lapels, you’re going to
see shawl lapels.
Shawl lapels, don’t touch it, that’s formal wear.
Peak lapels, those are nice, but they’re going to be more formal and they’re also
something that grab a bit of attention.
I think they’re fine if you really like the look, but I would recommend just simply
going with a notch lapel.
It’s not going to win any awards for creativity, but it is something that’s going to be timeless
and be in style in a decade.
Now, let’s look at pockets.
There are going to be two main styles.
You’ve got the pockets that are sewed into the jacket and then, you’ve got the pockets
that are sewn on top of the jacket.
The one sewn on top are known as patch pockets.
They’re very casual.
At this point, let’s avoid those, go for the kind that are actually sewn in.
They should have a flap, that’s what you’re looking for.
Next up, let’s talk about vents.
So, this is going to be the back area of the jacket.
You’re going to see the single vent, the double vent, and the no vent.
The no vent is pretty rare, you would see it on custom suits, maybe some Italian suits.
I think it looks fine if you – definitely don’t put your hands in your pockets and
if you wanted to create a more slim profile.
Most of us though, we’re going to see the single vent.
This is something I understand why manufacturers do this, it’s relatively inexpensive, but
to me it’s the worst looking of all the vents and you would rather go for the double
vent.
Why?
Because when you’re walking, it creates a more streamlined look.
When you put your hand in your pocket with that single vent, all of a sudden your backside
is exposed.
When you have that double vent, no such thing happens.
So, now, let’s talk about all the other details that come with a suit.
Understand, it’s like a chain.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so if you’ve got a weak part with all these
other details, understand it can really weaken the entire look.
We don’t want that, so let’s get into first the dress shirt.
The dress shirt in general should be white.
This is going to be the classic color, it’s going to easily match with any of the – the
different colors I talked about, it’s going to work.
Another option would be light blue, you could also go with, you know, pink, you could go
with lavender, but I’m going to recommend you go with white.
It’s the most formal, it’s going to create the highest contrast, and it’s going to
match pretty much anything you put on it.
Now, with the selection of that white shirt, you want to make sure it fits you in the neck
area.
That’s key because you’re going to button it up, you’re going to wear it with a necktie.
You also want to make sure it’s got a turndown collar in a medium spread or a point.
Point is going to be classic that works with most necktie knots, but if you like the tie
a little bit wider of a knot, you can go for a medium spread.
Don’t go for a wide spread, that’s a more casual style of collar.
In addition, avoid button down collars.
They’re nice, but they’re ultra casual.
Next up, let’s talk cuffs.
So, the shirt cuffs should be a single button, you can also go for a two-button if you get
something custom made.
And, what about cufflinks?
I think cufflinks are fine, but you really need to have a bit of attitude, they make
it a little bit more formal of a style and you really need to know how to wear them.
Not recommended for your first suit.
And, this may seem obvious, but I’ve seen some guys break this rule; your dress shirt
must always be tucked in.
The only exception I guess if you got into a fight, you’re arrested you’re getting
put in the back of that police car, in that case, okay, you’re dress shirt’s untucked,
I’m not going to say anything, but I’m not going to bail you out either.
Unless it’s Matt, Ricky, Chris, Aaron, or Ryan, I’ll bail you guys out.
Next up, we’ve got shoes.
The classic is going to be black Balmoral oxford with a closed lacing system.
A closed lacing system is when the back corner goes underneath the front part which is the
vamp.
This is going to be your classic go-to shoe.
But, what if you want to change it up, you’re like, Antonio, I don’t like black, I want
to go maybe with a darker brown a chestnut brown.
That’s fine.
This is going to be a more casual shoe though understand because it’s got an open lacing
system and it’s just lighter in color, so this whole style right here you could pull
this off with a suit, but understand it’s not going to be as formal.
What about sneakers?
Unless you’re a rock star or you really have it you know the attitude going, I would
recommend no.
I think some guys can pull it off and I’m not, you know, I’m not here to judge.
Go for it.
Now, what about something like this?
Again, it’s a lighter brown, but guess what?
The style is pretty good, we’ve got a closed lacing system.
You could wear this as well.
Now, when it comes to loafers, I try to avoid them except for casual suits, so I’m not
going to recommend them in this case.
But, this one you could pull it off especially in the United States at a casual event if
you’re wearing a suit, probably no one is going to say anything.
Now, let’s talk about neckwear.
So, classically a suit is worn with neckwear, it just naturally goes together, it ties the
outfit together.
I think red is always a safe color unless it’s a bright neon red.
Don’t go with any neons.
But, right here, I’ve got this red with a small repeating pattern.
Now, notice the blue in the pattern, it actually works with the suit, that’s why I went with
this combination.
I love this look, but you could also bring in a regimental stripe.
This is another classic stripe that you can bring in.
This is going to be just as formal.
Now, this goes back actually to the English, they had certain clubs, they had military
regiments that this represented.
This one for me represents the United States Marine Corps.
Actually, I had this tie custom made.
I love it right there.
But, you can also bring in a dark green, you can bring in purple the color of kings.
Again, small repeating patterns, I’ve got a dot here, I’ve got – I don’t know
exactly what pattern it is, but it’s small and it’s repeating.
But, we start to get a little bit more casual when we bring in these brighter colors.
This one what I recommend you can pull it off, but I – you know it’s not going to
be as formal.
[0:14:54] And then, we’ve got some very casual neckties.
And that’s where you want to be careful.
Don’t try to pull this in, these are casual, so this one made it’s got a knit material,
this one that bright orange, we’ve got a wool necktie, I’ve got a floral necktie.
Now, bowties.
I know a lot of you guys love bowtie, and technically bowties are just as formal as
a long necktie.
So, if you went with maybe a solid color, yes, it would be just fine, you would not
break any rules, but understand you would stand apart and maybe at a wedding, it would
be fine, but at a funeral, you’d have to make a judgment call.
I think it would actually be fine if it’s part of your normal attire, but understand
bowties draw a little bit more attention, but if you’re cool with that, go for it.
So, what about jewelry?
We’re talking watches, we’re talking rings, we’re talking necklaces.
I’m talking nose piercings, earrings.
For me, it’s about keeping it muted and not going over the top.
Now, if you – that’s your personality, you’re a rock star, you are, you know, a
tattoo artist, you’ve got piercings all over, then go for it, that’s you.
But, for most situations most people will be going to want to keep it a bit more subdued.
Now, when it comes to dress watches, what you’re looking for is a watch that just
simply tells you the time, maybe the date, and really nothing else.
So, you don’t want a lot of complications.
Classic dress watches, they’re going to have a leather strap either a black or a dark
brown.
So, you know this right here is a classic.
Well, actually this one is a racing strap.
So you notice the small holes, all of a sudden this one because of the complications, it’s
got a chronograph all these other details, this is not going to be a dress watch.
You could wear it, you could pull it off, no one’s going to say anything, but traditionally
dress watches are simple.
Now, I go with ones with a metal band.
I just simply like it.
I didn’t like the leather straps.
It was just – but you could go with one that has a simple face, maybe with a few numbers
on it.
Again, you want to keep it simple.
What you don’t want to do is bring in dive watches that are clearly made to be worn as
sport watches.
What you’re looking to do is to keep and tone it down when it comes to your jewelry.
And, gentlemen, don’t forget grooming.
Remember we’re talking about a chain.
It’s only as strong as its weakest link.
If you don’t shower, if you’ve got dirty nails, it doesn’t matter how well you dress,
no one is going to think that you’re looking good.
So, clean those nails, cut those nails, take care of your skin, wear a lotion on your hands,
on your face if your skin is flaking.
Make sure that you shave or if you’ve got a beard, groom it and make sure it’s nice
and clean and looking good.
Let’s talk about your hair.
Make sure your hair is looking good.
I really like it when you use products.
And, again, because you’re dressing sharp, you can actually bring in a bit of shine.
I think it gives a good look, but really go with what works for you, but take care of
that grooming.
So now, you know how to buy the suit, but how to actually wear it, how do you avoid
the style mistakes?
Well, guys, check out this video right here, Style Mistakes that Every Man Needs to Avoid.
I talk about some of the etiquettes some of the details you need to pay attention to when
you’re wearing a suit and when you’re just dressing casual, so go check out this
video right here, guys, it’s one of my favorites.
It really is a good video.
Go check it out.
[0:17:42] End of Audio