Suit up; 4 reasons every man should wear, or at least own one!

Suit. The answer to many first-world problems!

Sure, modern man might not be plagued by many of the survival problems that our ancestors faced. For those of us living in the first world, things like hunger, predators, and pestilence are but a distant memory.

And yet, this new world of ours, we face a different set of difficulties than what we used to. Sure, it’s not a matter of life or death anymore, but it is happiness or misery, prosperity or ruin. This new set of problems that besets men includes low self esteem, bad perception from others, and more.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. “This is sounding more and more like a self-help blog, not one about menswear.” I implore you to bear with me, because the two will intersect pretty soon here. Because, what you wear can affect both your confidence, and the way others perceive you.

And no clothing boosts a man’s self-esteem or raises him up in the eyes of others like a suit. And here’s five reasons why that is indeed the case.

A suit can improve the way you’re seen in the eyes of associates

Sure your opinion of yourself matters a lot. But it’s willful ignorance to say that what other people think of you doesn’t matter in any sort of sense. After all, in almost everything you do in life, you will be dealing with other people. And their own opinion of you can and will affect whether they decide to help you or hinder you.

Basically, your appearance can be either an asset or a liability.

Sure, putting on a suit takes more time and more effort. And that’s just the kind of thing that makes it so valuable before dealing with people. When you show up in a suit, it shows that you care more about your appearance. Imagine showing up to a wedding in jeans and a band T-shirt, and sitting next to a guy wearing a suit. Which of you is going to look like you care more about the bride and groom’s big day? Which brings me to my next point:

 

A suit shows you care about others, not just yourself

Dressing up for an important event for someone else isn’t just classy, it’s a gesture of good-will. Making yourself look clean and classy before you show up means that your buddy’s event is as important to you as it is to them. Not only is this just the decent thing to do, but you score major class-points to everyone around you.

Suit
One reason people commonly perceive K Fed. as a slob is because he dresses like one.

 

A suit helps you feel more confident about yourself

Of course, if your own opinion of yourself is crap, then it doesn’t matter how much other people like you. Confidence, or the absence of it, can both be detected by those interacting with you. And if someone has no confidence in themselves, then how can you be expected to have any in them? I’ve met many people whose own feelings of self-worth are low, despite any false sense of bravado they broadcast. You can stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself  ‘I’m awesome’ over and over. But if you don’t really feel that way, then repeating a mantra about it is pointless.

A suit is the the pinnacle of everyday menswear; it just LOOKS awesome. But chances are, you already knew that. Therefore, if you put on a suit and cleaned yourself up, you’d be able to say ‘I LOOK awesome.’ And looking awesome is one definitive step closer to BEING awesome.

Compare this picture of Will Arnett with the one above. If you know nothing about either of them, which of these guys would you rather be seen with?
Compare this picture of Will Arnett with the one above. If you knew nothing about either of them, which of these guys would you rather be seen with?

 

It’s a fact. Many women find a man wearing a suit more attractive

There’s an entire ZZ Top song about how women love guys in suits. There are a myriad of different reasons for this, and I’ll try to cover as many as I can. But, I’ll go with what is, in my opinion, the biggest case for this. I literally just turned to my wife and asked her why men in suits are more attractive. Her exact words in reply were “Because a guy in a suit looks as little like a slob as possible.”

Now I’m not the authority on what women find attractive or not, but I do know that most of them appreciate it when a guy puts some effort into his appearance. If you’re wearing a suit, then you can still look great even with messy hair or wearing tennis shoes. Putting on a suit shows that you’ve gone that extra mile to make yourself look good. No one, man or woman, finds someone who puts no effort forth to be attractive.

A suit’s representation as a status symbol certainly helps. Suits cost a little bit of money. Therefore, wearing one sort of broadcasts that you have your life together, that you’re stable. And stability is definitely a desirable trait for a male.

The final point I’ll cover for the attractiveness of suits is simply how they look on a guy. A suit brings out all the desirable traits for a male’s physique. This is especially true now, since the sim-fit suit has become so popular. Putting on a suit makes your waist look slimmer, your shoulders broader, and some even make short guys look taller.

Anyone familiar with the show ‘How I met your mother’ knows that Barney Stinson was legendary with the ladies. He was also the only one out of his pals who always wore a suit. And in my opinion, those two things are definitely correlated. So take his advice:

maxresdefault

Not only is a suit the definition of class, but getting one is easy!

The days of a suit being only for the wealthy are over. Just about anybody can find a great-looking suit now, even if they don’t have a lot of money. Not only can you find a suit at many stores, but they’re widely available online now, including our own website. We’ve been helping men look their best for decades, and we’d love to do the same for you!

Blue suit now most popular color pick!

 

Popular retailers selling two blue suits for every one black

 

         Nothing makes a guy look better than a nice, crisp suit. There have been endless surveys on the subject, all which produce the same results. In fact, a Complex article stated that when questioned about Tinder profile preferences, the only constant thing that women didn’t mind was seeing a guy in a suit.

 

But the suit itself has seen a bit of a metamorphosis in this decade. And that change is mostly geared toward the color of suits that guys prefer to wear. And according to the Dailymail website, a popular retailer is now selling Four times as many blue suits as black ones!

 

The rise of the blue suit, and the fall of the black suit

 

         I should probably make one thing abundantly clear here. Black suits will never completely fade out of style. Black suits will always look great, and there will always be occasions for them. For example, I think think I’ve ever seen someone specifically ask for a blue suit for a funeral.

 

I will talk about the theme of versatility quite a bit in this piece, because of it’s sheer relevance. A black suit holds almost unlimited versatility with the accessories you pair it with (tie, pocket square, cufflinks, etc.)

 

But what about the suit itself? There is only one color black, after all. So, other than different degrees of shininess or different fabrics, there’s not much you can do without incorporating other colors. And you can do all of that and more with a blue suit.

 

Why a blue suit?

 

         Blue suits and grey suits have always been strong colors for business and boardrooms. This is probably the only thing useful that I ever learned from the movie ‘Cheaper by the Dozen.’ But the rise in popularity for a blue suit can be explained with one word: versatility.

 

A blue suit can come in a very wide range of different shades. This way, people who don’t want to show off too much can pick one of the darker shades, like navy. On the other hand, lighter shades like royal or cobalt are head-turners.

 

“But you just said that grey can do the same thing,” you might be thinking right about now. Well, you’re right, I did say that. Thing is, grey suits have been in the spotlight much longer. In fact, I was just having a conversation about this with a suit store owner in Los Angeles. And, like he said, ‘grey never goes out of style.’ And he’s right; grey will most likely always have a sort of timeless quality to it. The same can be said for black suits. But right now, the blue suit is in the spotlight, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

 

More than just a blue suit

 

         However, the new hip color isn’t just relegated to semi-formal or business wear. The color can also be commonly found now in the form of the blue tuxedo. Generally, the most popular shades have been either royal blue or navy blue. Local tuxedo shops have taken notice, and as a result the options for blue tuxedos are more plentiful now.

 

If anyone went and saw the movie ‘Casino Royale,’ you might have noticed a slight change in Bond’s wardrobe. 007 rocked a navy blue tuxedo, instead of his typical white or black attire. And when James Bond dons something, you KNOW that it looks stylish.

 

The blue suit in weddings

 

         Do a quick Google search for ‘blue suits in weddings’ and you will come up with thousands of results. Many people are eager to share their ideas for the theme on Pinterest, Facebook, and other social media sites. The blue suit hasn’t just taken the office or streets by storm, it’s done the same in wedding halls.

 

People pick the blue suit in weddings for the same reason they pick it for business or street-wear. It adds some color while still keeping the overall tone neutral. In other words, it’s a good way to throw some personality into your big event without going overkill on it.

 

Now personally, I don’t love the idea of anyone wearing a suit up on the wedding altar. Hold on, torches and pitchforks down, people. My opinion is not law or fact, but just thoughts. Weddings are a time to look your absolute best, so why would you wear anything less formal than a tuxedo?

 

And as I said, there are plenty of blue tuxedos to choose from. My personal favorite is the indigo blue one-button tuxedo by London Fog, with a black lapel. You can inquire about buying it here. But if you’re looking for a darker blue, can see my favorite navy/midnight pick.

But if you still like the idea of rockin’ the blue suit for a wedding, then I can still impart a recommendation. I’m a big fan of the cobalt blue two-button setup from Fino Uomo. It’s a slim-fit coat, pants and vest, and brings out the best features in anyone who slips into it.

blue suit

Picking the blue suit for prom

 

         Prom is another one of those events where I feel a tuxedo is better suited for wearing. But if your heart is set on suiting up, then take comfort in the fact that you certainly won’t be alone. Businesses saw lots of demand to stock the blue suit for more recent proms. Personally, I saw the popularity of the color blue soar in both 2016 and 2017. And all indicators point to that trend continuing in the future.

 

Some parting words

 

         As I said before, there’s no indication that the trend toward blue will go anywhere but up. So if you’ve got the itch to buy a nice blue suit, I suggest you go for it. There’s many different options out there, and I’ve already told you about my favorites.

 

Stay tuned for future articles about suits and men’s formalwear trends. And as always, if you have any ideas for future posts, be sure to let us know!

        

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

Fitted tuxedos; the new normal in tuxedo coats!

Fitted Tuxedos

 

I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures of some of the more old fashioned tuxedos. And to be perfectly honest, many people these days no longer find them very desirable. As such, more and more wearers prefer the cleaner-cut fitted tuxedos.

 

This is mostly due to the small, minor features that tuxedos popular in earlier eras have. Now, I say tuxedos, but every single one of these thing applies to suits as well. These include:

 

  • Shoulder pads
  • Relaxed fit in the coat
  • Pleated tuxedo pants

 

Shoulder pads; not so desirable in fitted tuxedos

 

Once such feature is the so-called ‘shoulder pads.’ These subtle inserts are designed to artificially broaden the wearer’s shoulders, and make them look more masculine. However, in lower quality tuxedo coats, the shoulder pads are more obvious than in higher quality outfits.

fitted tuxedos
Crisp, non-frumpy shoulders; a feature of a fitted tux

Fitted tuxedos eliminates this undesirable feature by either including much smaller shoulder pads, or eliminating them entirely.

 

Relaxed fit coat; also referred to sometimes as baggy.

This is another one of those coat features that people don’t really find desirable anymore. Many older coats have more of a straight-down cut. This gives them more of a, for lack of a better word, ‘boxy’ sort of look. This type of appearance doesn’t really mesh too well with the typical body type nowadays.

tux_ball
This fit actually isn’t optimal; there should be no ‘pull’ on the coat from the button. This gentleman needs a size bigger.

Lots of people prefer the fitted tuxedos also because it eliminates this feature. A fitted tuxedo sports more of a ‘tapered middle,’ which accentuated the build of the majority of people’s body build.

 

Look over there; is it Shakespeare? No, it’s just a guy in pleated pants.

Pleats are small folds in the thigh area of pants. These allow for more mobility and greater comfort when doing things like sitting, squatting, or even dancing.

fitted tuxedos
A pair of double-pleated tuxedo pants.

And while this is great, is had the side effect of simply making a person’s thighs look wider than they are. It also adds more loose fabric to hang free; not a good thing.

 

Pants that come with fitted tuxedos not only eliminate the pleats. They also go one step further, and provide a tighter fit. This is also known as ‘skinny fit pants, and they do give the wearer’s legs a more slender appearance.

 

However, if you have bigger legs, consider getting pleated pants, or go halfway; look for non-pleated, non-skinny fit pants. Skinny pants and large thighs or posterior are a volatile combination; ripped pants can mean a big rental replacement bill.

 

So these are just a few of the features that fitted tuxedos don’t include. However, there are some cases where these features can be more helpful than out-of-date. Be honest with your tuxedo expert.

How do you prefer your tuxedos to fit? Let us know in the comments and rate the article below!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...