There’s nearly nothing like the feeling of wearing a well-fitted suit. Suits are timeless, classy, and flattering when worn correctly. Above all else, they make you feel powerful with every step you take as you move about the world.
Now don’t forget, a suit is a set of trousers and a jacket that are cut from the same material. Not “kinda” the same, or “close enough” to being the same, or “similar.” We said what we said.
Avoid making the mistake of buying separates from different brands and with different materials/styles in a “build-your-own-suit” type of fashion. It doesn’t work for the men who do it every day and trust us— it won’t work for you.
Whether you’re the best man at your brother’s wedding, some lucky girl’s dream date for the prom, or going on a string of job interviews; shopping for your first suit can be intimidating.
With good reason, too. Buying yourself a suit isn’t quite as easy as the 1-2-3 process of walking into a shop, selecting a suit, and buying it. There are more things you’ll need to consider before, during, and after the process of buying a suit.
The Color of Your First Suit
This may or may not have been the first thing you thought about when you decided that you simply must get yourself a suit. Regardless, it’s probably best that it’s your first step.
We recommend you go with either a charcoal gray or navy blue suit for your very first suit purchase. Why? Well, these colors both are professional without being too formal. Plus, they’re the perfect neutral colors that coordinate with many different shirts, ties, and shoes.
Unless you’re going to a strictly black-tie event— like a gala or a very fancy wedding— we don’t recommend you buy a black suit. It can come off awkwardly formal in the wrong setting.
Lighter-colored suits can be fun to play around with in the summer and generally casual occasions, but we don’t recommend your first suit be such a specific shade or color.
All in all, you want a classic and versatile color for your first suit, which is why you’ll want to go with charcoal or navy.
The Cut and Style of Your First Suit
The cut and style of your first suit should be conservative— end of story. The top should be a two-button jacket with a notch lapel, trust us— this universally looks good on practically every guy. Just make sure that the lapel isn’t rolled too high and that a fair amount of your shirt and tie are peeping through at the neck and cuffs.
As far as your pants go, try out how you feel in a flat-front pair of trousers, as opposed to pleated ones. Sure, you may feel that they’re constricting initially, especially since you don’t wear dress pants too often. But again, we urge you— trust us. Most guys your age (we’re assuming you’re young since this is your first suit, right?) have ditched their grandpa’s pleated pants in favor of the flat-front look.
The Fit of Your First Suit
Confidence in a suit comes from the fit of your suit.
For whatever God-forsaken reason, most guys shopping for their premiere suit go to the suit store and end up choosing a suit that they just drown in. We get it. You wanna be comfy. You want body parts to not feel constricted.
But look, suits are men’s equivalent of tight dresses and heels for women (kinda— you get what we’re saying).
The suit should skim pretty close to your body, with the jacket fitting comfortably— but still snug. Your trousers should have the slightest break— please don’t walk around with your pants pooling at your feet. And we don’t really recommend the cuffed look, either.