Off the Cuff - Carson Kressley [28]
It makes me feel warm all over when I wear it with a striped purple shirt and a black knit tie. Because it gives me that Wall Street kind of feeling of the power suit, but as people get closer, they realize I must work at Rainbow Investments, Ltd.
So if you’re in the market to buy that one wedding-and-funeral suit, your best bet is to invest in a classic style and not some flashy fashion suit that will look dated in a year. It shouldn’t be a trendy silhouette. It shouldn’t have eight buttons or contrast stitching, lapel pins, or rhinestones in the shape of Medusa.
What it should be is a three-button classic British or American silhouette suit (see sidebar) that is going to last you as long as it possibly can—and that you are going to look really, really great in for as long as you possibly can.
Perhaps more so than any other garment you own, suits are about quality over quantity. A suit should be one of the most expensive things you buy, and it will most likely have to last you the longest. If you have the sort of job where you need to wear a suit every day, you probably need to look like you know what you’re doing. Invest in three or four high-quality suits. If you have the kind of lifestyle where you only need a suit for weddings and funerals, why not invest in one suit of the very best quality you can afford? And you do have to think of it like an investment: If you’re willing to spend just a little bit more at the outset, you’ll have it forever and won’t have to replace or update it four or five times over the years to come. Ultimately, you’ll save money. Good grief, I sound positively thrifty.
And let’s just get it out of the way, shall we? Here in the U.S., a really good quality, ready-made suit off the rack is going to cost you about $750; a custom, handmade suit from a reputable tailor will run upward of $1500. So start clipping those grocery coupons, will you?
I know, I know, you’re thinking that you can get a perfectly good suit for $299 at a place like Today’s Man. Well, I always say that Today’s Man is yesterday’s mistake.
You really shouldn’t scrimp on a suit. Don’t buy a suit that’s normally $299 or $399 on the rack at a discount suit warehouse. In fact, avoid buying suits at any place that has the word “warehouse” in its name. Warehouses are best left for things purchased in bulk, like plumbing supplies, lumber, and porn. Not clothing.
If you really don’t have a lot of money to spend, department stores have sales twice a year on suits. With some savvy shopping and forward thinking, you could pick up a quality suit at an affordable price, like a fall suit in spring for half off.
What should you be looking for in a suit? Let’s talk about fabric first. This is simple. Suits are made of 100 percent wool. It’s always the right answer, because you know what you’re going to get. There are blends out there, but you just don’t know what the materials are. They seem to come up with a new fiber every day. It’s like they have people up in their labs twenty-four hours a day inventing the next rayon or gay-lon.
Lightweight wool suits are ideal, because you can wear them in every season. If you only have one suit, that’s what you should get. Wool keeps you cool in the summer and warmer in the winter. Because it’s a natural fiber, it breathes and keeps you dry. It’s easy to care for and it wears well. And the most important thing: It’s durable, which is why a good suit can last just about forever.
If you wear a lot of suits, it might be worth investing in a few suits just for summer, in lightweight fabrics like seersucker, poplin, or linen. Seersucker and poplin are made of moisture-wicking cotton, and linen is a kissing cousin of cotton, made from flax. Its texture allows you to feel the breeze through the gauzy weave. (I think that’s a Jimmy Buffett song!) It’s like the air-conditioned suit, quite frankly. But again, if you’re only going to buy one suit, you’ll be fine