One of the biggest challenges when purchasing a suit is fit. But what an off-the-rack suit lacks is conformity to your unique deviations from the template, made for a range of body types and shapes within a size. In this post, we’ll talk about how to get a suit that fits perfectly so you can feel your absolute best.
What’s Your Body Shape?
The shape of your body determines what looks best on you. For men, there are 5 distinct body shapes:
- Oval
- Trapezoid
- Triangle
- Inverted triangle
- Rectangle
Remember that even supermodel males can get the blues if what they’re wearing doesn’t “work” on their shape. Dressing well starts with understanding what looks good on you. Knowing your body shape allows you to emphasize your positive physical aspects, de-emphasizing the features you’re less comfortable with.
The Custom Suit vs. The Tailored Suit
Sooner or later, you’re going to need a suit. Whether you’re a tech geek, deep in the subterranean warrens of a global company, or a movie star, men need suits. You may not wear your suit to work but sooner or later, you’re going to wear one. Weddings, networking events, and even cocktail parties may call for a suit. And an off-the-rack suit isn’t going to cut it unless you take that puppy to a tailor.
Tailoring changes everything. The suit you buy off the rack becomes a fitted statement of self-aware style once a tailor’s worked their magic on it. A nip here, a tuck there, a break at the top of your shoes, and suddenly, you’re a well-dressed man, equal to the moment. But there’s a solution that’s even better than a tailor: a customized suit.
With a customized suit, it arrives on your doorstep already made to fit your measurements – no tailor needed. A custom suit that fits says something about who you are – competent, professional, and ready to succeed. And because your suit is custom-made to fit, you have a secret weapon that will look amazing on you for years to come.
Finding the Right Tailor
It’s clear that buying a customized suit is the way to go. But, let’s say you already have a suit, and you just want it to fit better. Men are rediscovering the value of tailoring and what it can do for indifferent clothes. Strategic tailoring that ensures a fit that works well with your body shape can take “indifferent” and turn it into clothing that makes you feel like a million bucks. And once you get your first suit, pair of pants, or shirt tailored to fit you well, you won’t be looking back any time soon.
That’s why it’s so important that you find the right tailor. Because when you find the right tailor, you’ve found an indispensable resource that will dress you well for the rest of your life. Ask around. Check online reviews. Then, start your search for the right tailor by taking in a pair of pants that need to be hemmed. Starting with smaller jobs will reveal the skill of the tailor, as you move on to more complex tailoring items like fitting a jacket or switching out collars to update them.
A Hard Habit to Break?
Breaking old habits isn’t that hard when you have a well-tailored suit to show yourself off in. Once you’ve felt the satisfying glow that fitted clothing imparts, you’ll be hooked.
A common habit among men is the “George Costanza wallet”. This wallet is thick with post-it notes, business cards, credit and membership cards, and those coffee shop stamp cards you always forget about and never use. When you sit down, you’re lopsided!
Sometimes, the only way to break this habit is to buy a virgin wallet and start from scratch. The fastest way to undo the benefit of a well-fitted suit is to stuff a George Costanza wallet in the back pocket of your pants. Only carry essentials. And please, throw out those coffee shop stamp cards. You know you’re never getting that free coffee!
A Suit Signaling Your Unlimited Potential
With customization and tailoring comes the edge of the well-dressed man. As I said, once you start you won’t be able to stop. As the compliments roll in, you’ll want to look great all the time. Starting with a good quality suit that’s made for your body type, or tailored to your body type, is the first step.
Take care to select a suit that’s well made in a quality fabric. If this is your first suit, choose something basic, with single-breasted lapels and the classic two-button jacket closure. Once you’ve worn a customized suit, you’ll be a dandy before you know it, with a selection of suits in your closet that look incredible on you because they all fit perfectly! Here’s to getting you suited up to turn all the right heads your way.
