The following is a guide to your first custom tailored suit – we believe that one should invest in themselves to succeed in the professional world.
The fabric colour
People will be tempted to experiment on their first tailored suit because of the abundance of fabric choices. However, at Finestitch & Co our recommendation is simple, stick to a navy blue or black suit as these colours are the most versatile and will allow you to wear many different shirts and ties, whilst looking very professional. Your second or third tailored suit fabric can be a little bit more adventurous, a bold pinstripe or a brown fabric shade.
This is an essential item in a man's wardrobe
The fabric pattern
I have personally noticed that a herringbone pattern works very well on a dark based suit. I would stay away from pinstripes for your first suit, because then you have to be very careful about what shirt you wear and what tie you wear – they have to match the colour of the pin stripe on the suit, and it will cost you more money because if you ever wanted to wear a different coloured shirt, you would have to get another suit!
A Navy Blue Herringbone pattern suit - a must have!
The fit & customisation options
One could argue that the “fit” is the most important factor in a suit, and we agree – fit is the most important factor and the reason why many people are choosing tailor made suits as opposed to off-the-rack – because they get the perfect fit. But a suit should not only fit well; it has to exude your personality and style – do not wear a suit just for the sake of wearing one!
Off- the-rack suits do not offer customisation options, so if it is your first custom tailored suit then you will be presented with ways to design your suit that you probably have never thought of! The advantage of a tailored suit is that you can add personal touches to customise your suit and get a truly unique look. Your tailored suit can be customised in many ways – whether it’s specific types of fabrics (cashmere, pure wool, worsted, wool blends etc), linings (silk or polyester), lapel & cuff styles or pockets – just ask a style consultant at Finestitch & Co to help you to design a suit that will complement your body shape, and your personality. These unique styling enhancements will certainly impress your colleagues and really make your suit stand out from off-the-rack suits.
I often see professional men looking like robots when they wear their suits, because the shoulders are too square, or the suit is not tapered in at the waist and is boxy, or even the trousers are flared too much from the bottom. Ideally your suit should fit according to your unique body shape, taking into account things such as your shoulder slope, your posture, waist and even the type of shoe that you wear! (refer to our Process). That’s the benefit of having your suit tailor-made: you will not need to have it altered several times before it fits perfectly. We all know how frustrating it is to have a piece of clothing that falls awkwardly, especially when it costs you a arm and a leg.
Tailored suit customisation options are especially attractive to those with distinctive body types. Tall men won’t have any problems with short sleeves or pants that don’t fit. Another problem many tall but lean men have is that their suits that are made for their height are not ideal for their width – they are very baggy. Shorter or Larger men, can have suits made to make them look taller and slimmer – a Finestitch & Co style consultant can assist with this, helping to select pinstripe fabrics to accentuate length, and also darker colours to give a slimming effect, and slanted pockets to give a more streamlined appearance to the suit, with either peak lapels or slimmer notch lapels to also enhance the streamline look.
Wardrobe Economics
In today’s world to impress with your style without spending a fortune requires foresight (and insight). One of the most basic rules when starting out is to stick to the basics: 1 navy blue suit and 1 black suit (with two trousers for each suit to make the suits last even longer), 5 white shirts, and 3 pairs of black shoes – 1 lace-up, 1 slide-on (lace-less), and 1 pair of boots (with side zip). These items can last you for years (this is all dependent on how often you wear them and how well you take care of your garments) and will never go out of style.
The majority of your investment should go to that first suit. After all, first impressions count and you would rather look sharp and savvy in a fitted suit as opposed to sloppy in a baggy suit as you head off to your next job interview, work meeting, corporate presentation or function. Did you know that based on your appearance and the way you dress, people will instantly make a judgement on your level of intelligence, how hard you would work, and also on how they would treat you?
Recommendation
A custom tailored single-breasted, two button, navy-blue 2-Trouser Suit in a light-weight wool will go a long way. We recommend 2 Trousers because you can wear each trouser on alternate days and extend the life of your suit – as trouser wear our faster than jackets. You can wear the suit all year around, and when you style it with the assistance of a Finestitch & Co design consultant, we are confident that it won’t go out of style before your third promotion! A fully fitted custom tailored navy blue suit from Finestitch & Co starts as low as $599, with custom fitted Egyptian Cotton shirts starting at $129 – contact us today to book your appointment.