Does it honestly get any better than Cary Grant in a summer suit? Wow. I see my alter ego just out of frame in a fabulous Grace Kelly dress, heels and hat!
So today I took my eldest son, Connor, (age 17) to the Men's Department to buy his first 'real' men's suit. We made a day of it: matinee movie, lunch, shopping. (Sometimes I feel bad for my boys that they never got a sister for me to act out my shopping compulsion upon, but they've adapted well, are great sports and carry my shopping bags! Plus, lunch was at a chicken wing place with a million sauce variations, so that compensated with a manly factor.)
He ended up with a great starter suit: a black, 2-button Calvin Klein. It should last him for many years and in many situations as he gets ready for college, job interviews and is old enough now that funerals and weddings require grown-up attire.
It made me realize that with so many of my clients on the job hunt, I've been doing a lot of suit coaching lately - so here's a quick tutorial on how to buy and wear a suit, based on my experience with Connor this morning. First, why a suit? Because the suit was built for power. Broad shoulders, angled lapels and contrasting shirt and tie to bring attention to the face. If in doubt about what to wear, it's pretty uncommon for a man to ever regret having chosen to wear a classic suit.
Start with the jacket. A jacket must fit the shoulders properly - everything else can be altered afterward. Put it on, stretch and pull, make sure it fits. Connor also got a lesson in suit history: because of King Edward VII, men in America and around the world do not fasten the bottom button on the coat. The king was quite rotund and couldn't get the bottom button to close. So as not to offend, his courtiers left their bottom buttons undone and what started as sucking up became fashion which became tradition. Gentlemen unbutton the coat when they sit and refasten when they stand. (There are lots of variations of button configurations - so keep is simple and go with a single or two button coat if you're unsure.)
Next, the trouser. Men's trousers have a 'break' where the fabric breaks across the shoe or on the floor. Connor's trousers are tailored to have a half-break, which is the most middle-of-the-road choice (breaks across the shoe in front and goes straight to the floor at the heel.) If done badly a full break looks like you're playing dress up and no break looks like you escaped a flood. You shouldn't see your socks when you walk. Socks match trousers; shoes match belts. It's a rule.
Then, the shirt. Long sleeves. Only. If you want a career in a fast food franchise, you're allowed to wear a short sleeved shirt and tie. Otherwise, long. There should be about 1/4" of 'linen' at the sleeve - which is the portion of the cuff that is visible below the suit coat sleeve when the arms are at the side. Connor was more concerned about color than cut in the shirt, so we went with a basic shirt in a cool dark pewter shade.
Then, the accessories. He has nice shoes already (thanks to playing Bass in Orchestra and wearing a heinous polyester tuxedo all year!) but we got a new belt and then went to the ties. Alas, he'd had enough of my fashion influence by the time we got to the ties and asserted his independence. (Connor is a 'uniform dresser': black jeans, black sneakers, rock and roll t-shirt and a men's plaid shirt as a layer pretty much every day topped with one of his many fedoras.)
He buys these overlay shirts at a local thrift store or inherits them from my father and in his thrift store travels he's encountered all the donated neckties - so that's where he wanted to go to finish the ensemble. The store was closed today for the holiday, so we'll have to go later in the week. But I'm actually excited to see what he'll choose. It will definitely put his 'stamp' on the outfit and let him show his own style. It's a good lesson in general: start with a classic base (in this case, black suit, dark shirt) and then rock out with your personality in well-chosen accessories! The rule for ties: the bottom point comes right to the middle of the belt. Not higher. Not lower. Again, I didn't make the rules - I just pass them along to the next generation!
Best,
Coni
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