Men
There's nothing wrong with buying a suit off the rack, and there are a lot of great OTR suits out there. But the key to buying any suit is making sure it fits properly. You can wear a bazillion dollar bespoke Kiton suit, but if it doesn't fit right, you're gonna look goofy, man! "What good is all your money if your style's still tasteless?" Inversely, a $700 suit can look like a bazillion dollar bespoke Kiton suit if it's well-tailored. Part of this (i.e. what makes the fit "proper" or appropriate) is subjective and depends on your own personal style, as well as what decade it is/what happens to be fashionable at the moment. (E.g. obviously Joe Pesci would've looked funny (get it?!) at the restaurant wearing a suit that, today, would look completely dope.) On the other hand, there are certain aspects of a "proper" fitting suit that are not subjective, and you will look like an amateur if you get these details wrong. Yeah, yeah, yeah, "there are no rules in fashion." But this mentality is how disasters like this guy happen. (Sorry, bro!) Perhaps a more useful axiom is, "You need to learn the rules so you know how to break them." (Or however that quote goes...?)
If you've never purchased a suit before (OTR, MTM, or otherwise) the process can seem pretty intimidating. You're making an investment; a classic, well-tailored suit is something you'll have for a long time. So in the interest of "learning the rules" I've posted the infograph below as part of the first installment of the OFFICIAL HUBERT GUIDE TO BUYING A SUIT.
A quick note before you dive in: there are a thousand guides to buying suits. The little infograph below is by no means a comprehensive guide, and should be taken with a substantial amount of salt. (E.g you should NEVER wear a suit that has no vents!) But it's not a bad place to start, and contains a lot of terms with which you should become familiar. I will post more advanced suit game stuff in the future, so if you're already past the basics, feel free to skip today's class.
Via visual.ly
- Who Says Knit Ties Can't Be Dressy?
As the knit tie has made a return onto the menswear scene we often hear men say they love knit ties, but they are apprehensive to wear them. The preconceived notion seems to be that a knit tie cannot be worn with a suit, in my opinion a clean silk or...
- What Goes Around.......
I recently came across some Zegna ads from 1968 and noticed some style similarities to the fashion of today. Here we have an tweed sport with a oversized Glen plaid, using burgundy as its complimentary color. Hacking (slanted) pockets and welt stitching...
- Interview In Dejour Magnetize With Gianluca Isaia, Of You Know, Isaia:
NEAPOLITAN STATE OF MINDA master class in personal style by Italian menswear magnate Gianluca IsaiaPAUL FREDERICKCLOSEOn an uncharacteristically warm fall evening, I?m late. Practically running through midtown Manhattan, I?m regretting the cashmere sweater...
- "men Are The New Women"
Interesting article from the NYT the other day about the economic aspect of the recent resurgence of interest in menswear: here. ?The fabrics don?t change,? he said, pointing to the classic gray flannel of his suit. ?But the fit does. If you?re wearing...
- Heads Up / Ermenegildo Zegna F/w 2012
The Fall/Winter 2012 lineup from Ermenegildo Zegna looks classic-yet-innovative, and incredibly dope as per usual. I mean, a three-piece double-breasted suit in corduroy? Yeah, man. The Italian fashion house, founded in 1910 in Trivero, Italy,...
Men
Suit Up / How To Buy A Suit (Part 1)
There's nothing wrong with buying a suit off the rack, and there are a lot of great OTR suits out there. But the key to buying any suit is making sure it fits properly. You can wear a bazillion dollar bespoke Kiton suit, but if it doesn't fit right, you're gonna look goofy, man! "What good is all your money if your style's still tasteless?" Inversely, a $700 suit can look like a bazillion dollar bespoke Kiton suit if it's well-tailored. Part of this (i.e. what makes the fit "proper" or appropriate) is subjective and depends on your own personal style, as well as what decade it is/what happens to be fashionable at the moment. (E.g. obviously Joe Pesci would've looked funny (get it?!) at the restaurant wearing a suit that, today, would look completely dope.) On the other hand, there are certain aspects of a "proper" fitting suit that are not subjective, and you will look like an amateur if you get these details wrong. Yeah, yeah, yeah, "there are no rules in fashion." But this mentality is how disasters like this guy happen. (Sorry, bro!) Perhaps a more useful axiom is, "You need to learn the rules so you know how to break them." (Or however that quote goes...?)
If you've never purchased a suit before (OTR, MTM, or otherwise) the process can seem pretty intimidating. You're making an investment; a classic, well-tailored suit is something you'll have for a long time. So in the interest of "learning the rules" I've posted the infograph below as part of the first installment of the OFFICIAL HUBERT GUIDE TO BUYING A SUIT.
A quick note before you dive in: there are a thousand guides to buying suits. The little infograph below is by no means a comprehensive guide, and should be taken with a substantial amount of salt. (E.g you should NEVER wear a suit that has no vents!) But it's not a bad place to start, and contains a lot of terms with which you should become familiar. I will post more advanced suit game stuff in the future, so if you're already past the basics, feel free to skip today's class.
- Who Says Knit Ties Can't Be Dressy?
As the knit tie has made a return onto the menswear scene we often hear men say they love knit ties, but they are apprehensive to wear them. The preconceived notion seems to be that a knit tie cannot be worn with a suit, in my opinion a clean silk or...
- What Goes Around.......
I recently came across some Zegna ads from 1968 and noticed some style similarities to the fashion of today. Here we have an tweed sport with a oversized Glen plaid, using burgundy as its complimentary color. Hacking (slanted) pockets and welt stitching...
- Interview In Dejour Magnetize With Gianluca Isaia, Of You Know, Isaia:
NEAPOLITAN STATE OF MINDA master class in personal style by Italian menswear magnate Gianluca IsaiaPAUL FREDERICKCLOSEOn an uncharacteristically warm fall evening, I?m late. Practically running through midtown Manhattan, I?m regretting the cashmere sweater...
- "men Are The New Women"
Interesting article from the NYT the other day about the economic aspect of the recent resurgence of interest in menswear: here. ?The fabrics don?t change,? he said, pointing to the classic gray flannel of his suit. ?But the fit does. If you?re wearing...
- Heads Up / Ermenegildo Zegna F/w 2012
The Fall/Winter 2012 lineup from Ermenegildo Zegna looks classic-yet-innovative, and incredibly dope as per usual. I mean, a three-piece double-breasted suit in corduroy? Yeah, man. The Italian fashion house, founded in 1910 in Trivero, Italy,...