Given that this blog was conceived to discuss the ill-fated topic of men in suits, bespoke shirts and cufflinks, amongst other sartorial malarkey, I thought it would be appropriate today to discuss what we often turn our cheek the other way from: What unfathomable mistakes are gentlemen of our generation making when it comes to donning a suit, bespoke or not?
And yes, as mentioned in my article Tailor Muffed, picking the wrong tailor who is out for nothing but financial incentive, can often make you look like you just made a really poor off the rack decision. So, without, further ado, here goes our list of the Top 5 Bloopers that one must avoid in order to look like a fully engaged SuitUpDressUp reader. Now there’s a title none of us would want the privilege of losing, isn’t it?
1. Not having your jacket sleeves hemmed or tailored – Most men assume that once their pants have been hemmed, that they are done. Wake Up. Jacket sleeves are just as important, if not more so, to have tailored. Too-long sleeves will leave you looking like Charles Barkley’s side kick on TNT, and too short sleeves will leave you with the Revenge of the Nerds club. Pick your poison. Or not, and opt for a well tailored jacket sleeve length.
Ensure that your jacket sleeve ends approximately ¼ to ½ of an inch above your shirt sleeve length. Additionally, and of extreme importance, is to make sure that your jacket is tailored around your torso. We do, for lack of a better phrase, want to look like we have been poured into our suits. As mentioned above, just like Charles Barkley.
Sweetness.
2. Choosing lapels that are too big – Trends have been leaning towards narrower lapels. And seriously, trends aside, who, in any generation, wants really wide lapels? Unless, of course, you are showing up to NBA draft day as the years no.1 pick.
Redefining style
3. Wearing pants that are too long. Mind the break – The Break that is in the fabric that occurs when your pants are too long, and the bottom of your pants crashes against your shoes, creating a horizontal crease.
Pants with no break are great if you’re Dwayne Wade or are flashing a hipster look. Pants with an exaggerated break are too long and leave you looking disheveled. Hence, go for a medium break – not too baggy, and certainly, not too short (aka capris). It’s all about balance, gentlemen. Or go the other extreme, and wear no pants.
Walter White putting a whole new spin on Breaking Bad
4. Avoid wearing white undershirts that start creeping out from under your shirt. If you really have to, wear a V-shirt. Or best yet, none at all. It is perfectly acceptable to wear a dress shirt without an undershirt. Just saying.
5. Wearing really bold pinstripe suits. Subtle ones will do. Leave the outlandish stuff to Craig Sager.
The Pink Panther. Totally Awesome.
And that's a wrap for this one! I hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!
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