H and I will attend a family wedding May 28 as guests. I have my outfit, but told my H he would have to get a new suit. (Current suit is probably 10 years old.) He doesn’t have to wear suits often, he does sometimes wear suit to work as a DJ (part time job) and he ends up sweating profusely by the end of his DJ events. His current suit has seen better days, and this wedding is a great excuse to push him to the store.
We are running out of time to even shop for a suit. Between being out of town, working full time plus several part time jobs, I have a one hour window Monday night to get him to a nearby K and G store to buy a cheap suit. I do not need any suggestions for bargain shopping at Macys/Nordstroms etc. No time for online orders. For time and money purposes, we are content to take him to the store that is 10 minutes away, is open til 9 pm so I can get him there to shop.
What I do need is basic fashion advice. We have no fashion sense. H is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 210 lbs, and has a huge gut. He will not fit into any “modern fit” slim suits. His current suit is basic navy. He does have a black tuxedo he wears a lot for DJ’ing weddings, so prefer to get a different color suit. Navy, dark gray, or some other color?
This man will wear this suit til it falls apart, so looking for a more traditional cut vs anything super trendy.
Wide vs narrow lapels? One button vs multi-button? Solid color vs slight stripe vs suit that looks like it has some texture to it no actual stripes or pattern?
There are some brand name suits there that are on sale, but am assuming most will be no name, and that is okay with us.
Any tips for picking out something that won’t stick out as “country bumpkin” ? We will be attending a large fancy wedding and already feel a bit out of place. This is H’s step-brother’s child getting married.
Look at matching separates. Unlike your typical suit that is “nested” (coat and pants sold as one and you have to take whatever pants size that is on the hanger with the coat), you can choose your coat size and pants size separately but the coat fabric and pants fabric will match the same as a normal suit. Your husband sounds like he wears a 44 Long coat. The advantage of separates is he can now choose the pants that will fit his waist and the length that will work, without alterations, since time is of the essence. I agree with doschicos, except you only want to be looking for a 2-button, single-breasted coat and definitely do not want a 3-button. Probably would not be able to find one anyway as most coats are 2-button. The other color to look at is Navy, either solid or pinstripe. No plaids!
Suggested stores:
Kohl’s, and they carry separates
Men’s Wearhouse, and they carry separates
Jos A Bank
Macy’s (My personal least favorite store)
Nordstrom (My favorite store. Pricey, but will do back-flips for you on the alterations.)
H just needed new suits for works (plus we also have a wedding in early June) and we went to Jos A Banks. He bought 3 suits for $700 including alterations (which took a week.) He went with a charcoal gray, a lighter gray and a blue. I think he is going to wear the blue one to the wedding as its an afternoon into evening affair.
Whatever you decide don’t get pants with pleats. Not the style anymore.
What jshain says, though 6’1" is on the border between regular and long so try it on. Leave fashionable (3 button, ventless, skinny lapels) to the young and slim. Charcoal is safest, vertical stripes are ok, avoid the light grey color as it is not considered very dressy. Spice it up a bit for a wedding with a brightly colored tie.
Double breasted suits hide spare tires. And they can be worn with a tee shirt at less formal events. For a basic wardrobe, I like one in navy and one grayish brown. Both can be worn with maroon (wing-tip) shoes. If I had to choose one, it would be the navy and I’d get black shoes. And a nice (silk) tie and handkerchief are nice if you can get them. I like them to coordinate, but not match. My husband’s suits are a smooth wool blend, but his ties are generally textured. He has a beautiful medium blue tie that has small, silvery grey squares on it, so I bought him a silver handkerchief to wear with it.
If your only choice is single breasted, I’d go with a navy (solid) with wider lapels. Narrow lapels might not look right on a man his size. I’d get multi button because you’ll get better coverage and fewer gaps when he sits down. I wouldn’t worry about brand names. Just make sure he has black dress socks, a crisp looking shirt, and polished shoes. I’m sure he’ll look great in whatever you pick out.
Current fashion dictates shorter length, tighter fitting coats. But NOT when you have a “gut”! Nothing worse than a “borderline” guy with a gut with his coat too short in the front, raising up, even when it’s unbuttoned. Also, if your husband has a big butt, try to avoid center vents.
If you have a Men’s Wearhouse, I’d go there. Ours have extended hours. You can buy suits as separates and they have excellent, trained salesmen to create a great-looking outfit that includes everything (jacket, pants, shirt, tie, belt, tie clip, cuff links if needed, dress socks). Plus, I think that any minor alterations can be made in your time frame.
I vote for charcoal gray or dark navy, single-breasted, 2-button, center-back vent, probably 42-44 long depending on gut size. Black shoes, black socks.
Is there something wrong with your husbands current suit? We just came from a memorial service. DH wore a more than 10 year old Burberry suit navy blue. It looked fabulous.
If your dying for a new suit, and it isn’t going to get a lot of wear, I agree Men’s Warehouse is a good place to go.
If he might use that suit more often, I would suggest Brooks Bros.
Go to Mens Warehouse and get a single breasted charcoal/ dark gray suit (I would skip stripes). Pleated pants are out so go with flat front pants. They can have it done with in the week. The darker gray is perfect because it looks great with a tie or can look really sharp with an open necked, crisp white dress shirt.
I personally would not consider purchasing a double-breasted suit jacket even though austinm is correct that it is flattering on men with “spare tires”. Two reasons why: 1) You have to always keep the coat buttoned to look your best and 2) Unless he’s shopping for multiple suits, the style is too fashion forward as his only (current) suit.
I have a great “suit story” that I would like to share:
About 25 years ago I took a group of my employees to an Anthony Robbins seminar. During his presentation I noticed that the bottom edge of his suit coat was curling under. It looked terrible and I knew what was causing this. Against the advice of my wife, I sent Mr. Robbins a letter. I explained to him that his suit manufacturer was using linings that were shrinking during the dry cleaning process. It was due to the manufacturer using inferior quality rayon lining material (NOT Bemberg Rayon) and not attributed to poor dry cleaning practices (because the shell or outer fabric, along with the coat fusing looked fine). Several weeks passed and I soon forgot all about this and then soon thereafter I got a phone call from a man whose name I did not recognize with a Toronto Canada phone prefix. I waited a couple of days to return the call, thinking it was someone soliciting my business. When I finally did return the call I got a very irate man on the other end saying he was going to SUE me! I recall saying something like: “Bring it on. I am the technical advisor of the International Formalwear Industry and do most of their product testing for them instead of using the International Fabricare Institute” (which was true, btw).
I never heard from him again and I can only imagine the nice compensation Anthony Robbins received.
Please don’t buy a double breasted suit…this is only a good look when it’s perfectly tailored and the accessories are just so…a very dapper look that most can’t pull off, and should not be anyone’s “only” suit.
Stick with a basic dark charcoal suit with a white shirt and decent (understated) tie. Make sure it all fits well, and he’ll look just fine.
I’d go for single breasted solid – navy or charcoal. I like solids for men who don’t have a lot of suits as they seem more versatile (can be matched with greater array of shirts/ties IMO).