How to wear a Suit:The Suits Edition


The Suit; no matter who you are, what you do or where you are going, a good suit can turn a good look into a great look. Let's take a chapter from the lookbook of Harvey Specter and Mike Ross, the leading men of USA show Suits. There are some important aspects to consider when choosing the great suit which includes the occasion, the body type and of course the type of suit.

Harvey Specter's Style
Harvey is the Hero, the boss man. He has a larger body frame and needs to command a certain air of authority and of course his usual arrogance. So lets start from the top. 

Lapel: A lapel is everything when it comes to suit jackets. For his body type, a suits with a peak lapel works perfectly. Harvey has a wider shoulder/chest and this type of lapel tends to elongate and bring proportion to the body.

Pocket Square: If you can, always wear a pocket square, it directs attention to the chest other than the belly and breaks up the look. Learn how to fold pocket squares here.

Pockets: Harvey's jackets always have a change or ticket pocket. This is the second pocket above the regular one. A little 'old school', yes but definitely not out of style. It's a matter of preference at this point. You can never go wrong with the tradition flap pocket either.

Buttons: There are different types of button you can opt for the most common being 1, 2 or 3. Harvey's suit jackets are normally two-buttons with a lower- button stance which creates an illusion of a longer torso.   

Cuffs: Harvey has the right to bare his cuffs and he does. It is more appealing and a point for accessorizing your suit. Another topic for a different day.

Vent: Harvey normally wears a side vent suit jacket. Side vents make more of a statement, more traditional and alas! More Harvey.

Mike Ross's Style
And if Harvey is your boss, you better look the part. Mike is the smart ass every geek wants to become and all the ladies want...cough cough. Mike is not the proverbial bad boy, but your typical law breaker. And we know he's breaking some serious laws to be at Pearson Darby (formally Hardman) but he's definitely a charmer. His look is not that over powering as Harvey's but it has its appeal.

Lapel: Mike is a slimmer body type and he normally opts for the standard notch lapel. This type of suit has been called the 'chick magnet' and to some degree you can say it's worked for Mike. It is perfect for slimmer frames and not too overbearing.

Pocket Square: Mike does not go for that, he's way too cool for pocket squares, thank you. He goes with his crossbody bag instead and a pair of converse please. His style is definitely atypical but catchy nonetheless. 

Pockets: Also a flap pocket kind of guys but Mike doesn't do the coin/ticket pocket. Who need a car when you have a bicycle. 

Taper: Mikes suits are mostly tapered which cliches in his mid area and accentuates his shoulders. (look at the right picture below)

Buttons: Like Harvey, Mike wears a two-button suit.He will normally leave his suits unbuttoned which gives him an appealing bulk but sometimes like his boss opt for the lower-button stance. As a rule of thumb always leave buttons open when sitting.

Cuffs: A little cuff never hurt nobody. 

Vent: Suits without vents makes no sense and of course it's much easier to sit with them right? Go for Mikes centered vent, simple, clean and unobtrusive. 


Wear a Bow tie
There is just an instantaneous sex appeal to a guy who can tie a tie, that sex appeal goes up 10 folds if you can tie a bow toe: impressive. And if you can't there's always the clip ons or the pre-tied. No one will ever guess. Harvey wears a slim line diamond point bow tie. It's an attention grabber and adds dimension to a look. Mike wears the slim line/ standard tie, a classic and safe choice. Learn how to tie a bow tie here



According to some sources most guys think they are a size larger than they are (I'm not going there) so it's always advisable to size down when suit shopping. After all is said and done remember it's always about fit, fit, fit. Can't stress that enough.


Pictures courtesy of the USA network

Laurene

4 comments:

  1. A guy in a nice, fitted suit is definitely my weakness. Red carpet season is not good for me.

    http://www.katielikeme.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. men in suits <3
    www.lamodemm.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mmm mmm mm mmm! Suits. My favourite show specifically for the reason that they KNOW how to rock a good suit. So crisp.
    Lovely post!

    imemmymah | fashion blog

    ReplyDelete