Mark Cohen – How To Buy A Suit Part 2

Fitting the suit properly
When you go shopping for suits, you should expect that the salesperson will take all your measurements: shoulders, neck, chest, sleeves, waist, and inseam.

If there are parts of the suit that doesn’t fit right, it can be altered. In some stores, alterations are gratis, and in some they charge.

How the suit should look
Here are some hints on how a properly fitted suit will fit.

The jacket should lie very smoothly over the shoulders and across the back.  It should look proportional to the physique it is covering. The length of your jacket should cover your entire butt. The back should end where your butt meets your leg.

Jacket sleeves should stop where your hands and wrists meet and show 1/2 inch of cuff. Make sure that the suit gives you free movement of your arms.

The collar should be snug to the back of the neck without  pulling or buckling. 1 half inch of your shirt collar should show.

Lapels should be able to flat to your chest and should never bunch.

Vents are the flap of cloth at the back of the jacket that covers your butt.  If you have a large butt, two vents are preferred; if you have a very flat backside, you can opt for no vents.

The Pants

The waistline should feel comfortable; make sure that are able to stick two fingers in the waist while you are wearing them. Suit pants are worn a higher than jeans, which are worn on the hip. Usually the waist of suit pants falls at or just below the navel.

from Mark Cohen’s Lifestyle Website http://ift.tt/1AmpqIo

Mark Cohen – How To Buy A Suit Part 1

Buying a suit is one of the hardest clothing purchases a man can make.  It is so easy to look bad in a suit, and it doesn’t cost any extra to find a suit that flatters your body.  Here are a few things to look for when purchasing a suit for either business or for social events.

Fabric

If you find a suit that is too inexpensive to believe, you can be certain it is not made with 100% wool.  Wool allows you to breath because it is a natural fiber. In addition, wool travels well and is durable.  You may notice less expensive suits are made of polyester or a polyester blend.  Polyester has a distinct shiny look and only gets shiner with age.  If you need to keep your costs down, a poly blend might work, but it’s certainly not a good long term investment.

Style

For one of your first suits, it is best to purchase a classic and versatile basic single-breasted style.  This means all the jacket buttons are in front in a single row in comparison to a double-breasted suit. Single-breasted suit jackets come in several of styles, which include a classic two-button and a modern three- and four-button styles.

Cut
The cut is in reference to how a suit sits on your body. Suits types can be distilled into three basic cuts:

1. The American cut, which was first introduced by Brooks Brothers in 1895, features a boxy silhouette, straight lines, natural shoulders, flap pockets, and a single center vent in the jacket. This cut is a classic cut that is an appropriate choice for a first suit.

2. The British cut, which is more shaped than an American suit, has slightly pinched waist, double vents, higher armholes, padded shoulders, and flap-pockets.

3. The European cut aka Italian, which has a Sleek modern silhouette, padded shoulders, no vents, flap-less pockets, and tapered waist on the jacket.

Color

For one of your first suits, it is a good idea to stick with dark solids in colors like black, charcoal gray, or navy blue. If you are buying additional suits subtle patterns such as herringbone or pinstripes may be considered.

from Mark Cohen’s Lifestyle Website http://ift.tt/1GpygqR