Daniel RidingWe continually stress the importance of good style and good quality when it comes to our wardrobes, so you will be familiar when we express the idea of investment pieces. Now we all know that many of us (if not all of us) are guilty on occasion from picking a frugal piece of fashion on a cheap and thrifty whim. While the occasional basic is perfectly acceptable now and again, we do enjoy spending a little extra of our hard earned money on quality pieces that will last a lifetime and remain classic in style.
It was while writing last week’s article on Gregory Peck, that his choice in formalwear gave way to the thoughts on men’s suits. In today’s world of ever changing style, the suit has remained pretty much the same but that is never a bad thing. While a suit can be seen as something strictly formal, a suit is important to own nonetheless. Contrary to popular opinion, a suit has the transitional properties that can cater to many different events, occasions or even stylish urges.
If you think about all the street style images we post, more so from London Collections: Men, there are many stylish gents who show up and introduce us to their own take on flamboyant and ostentatious formalwear. Colour is a popular translation when it comes to particular formal pieces, a blazer can be blue and trousers can be green; there really are no concrete guidelines when it comes to expressing individuality.
But let us not forget the suit in its traditional and tailored form. Some may see a suit as some form of conformity but don’t be so quick to shun the suit, for when it is done right can be the most appealing and stylish outfit a man can own. For the female population the little black dress has always been seen as a staple piece of a woman’s wardrobe, and here at MFM we feel the suit does the same thing for us gents. Many of us get invited to weddings, christenings, award ceremonies and other events where some resemblance of formality is required. How many of us recall rushing around last minute to find a suit that didn’t make us look like we were playing dress up with our father’s Sunday best?
A good quality suit is something that every gent must have in his wardrobe because you are guaranteed to need it at any given moment. Last minute job interview anyone? As a slim gent I can come across the difficulty of fit and have learned that online shopping is the worst thing you can do when looking for something where fit is crucial. This personal experience in particular involved looking at a bidding website where you can put in specific size requirements and it will bring you up a rather large selection of items for you to bid on or buy. Let me stress that an adult gent’s slim figure is not the same as a teenage boy’s slim figure, so you can imagine my bemusement when a suit for a 14 year old boy turned up. Let’s just say the fit was terrible and wasn’t flattering at all.
While I quickly learned from that mistake, I urge you to learn also if you have not already. A suit should always be carefully considered and purchased in person. If you have the budget for it, then we encourage you to have a suit tailor made for your body. A professional tailor will always pay close attention to the perfection of the silhouette which is achieved through precise cut of fabric and tailoring that is nothing short of perfection. That way you have a true professional making the perfect suit for you, and when something is custom made the quality is always better and will give you a lifetime of wear.
If your budget does not offer up the opportunity of a custom made suit, then fear not for there are many high quality brands that offer up suits that are wonderfully stylish and will give you the gentlemanly style of the likes of Gregory Peck. You will quickly find that a good suit enhances your wardrobe significantly. If you don’t own a suit then your closet will feel its absence and you will be left sartorially poorer. If you do feel the need to shop online for a suit then we urge you to get yourself properly measured at least, and always order from a high quality brand with an excellent and trustworthy reputation.
In terms of colour and style, this is something that you need to take the time to work out for yourself. Get a professional opinion as to what looks best on you. But if all else fails remember that a charcoal suit compliments all skin tones and also works with every colour and pattern of shirt. A good charcoal suit also has the wonderful ability of being transitional between casual and formal regardless of the desired occasion. Pinstripe suits are a difficult style to get right and should be avoided if you lack a certain level of confidence to pull one off. Many of us here at MFM have stated that a pinstripe suit brings forth imagery of either bankers or members of the mafia. Take from that what you will.
MFM Suit Suggestions
For further inspiration please take a look at many of the suits we have found online that offer up style, sophistication and are guaranteed to enhance your sartorial ways.
And Finally…
We hope now that those of you who were not convinced of a suits importance, now feel a strong urge to invest in such a wonder piece of menswear immediately. Don’t just stop at one suit, over time we feel you should invest in a number of suits for the many purposes of style and utility. We all need a suit or two, so why not have fun with it, and make sure you look your most dapper and show those around how men’s tailoring is really meant to be done.