Tips For Suits

Who doesn’t look great in a suit right! But they’re not always the comfiest of things to wear, or the most straightforward either! So here, we’ll look at some quick tips to help you feel that little bit more comfortable.

Get a suit that fits you

Typically, we feel most uncomfortable in a suit because it simply doesn’t fit us, and that’s not your fault either! The most common and easily the most popular way to buy a suit is to walk into the store, maybe get a quick measurement of the chest from the store assistant, try it on, and walk out with that suit and call it a day.

Now there’s nothing wrong with this, at all, it’ll work for sure! But if you want to feel more comfortable it’s time to put in a little more thought. The most obvious option is to opt for a made to measure suit, or if your budget can do it and you want a luxury experience, go fully bespoke. But this isn’t for everyone, and it’s certainly not the most affordable route! So we’re going to talk tailoring and fitting.

You can 100% head to M&S and pick up a gorgeous suit that ‘fits’ you, awesome, yay. When we’re trying it on, consider the ‘fit’ label. Regular has a classic slightly looser silhouette, tailored has a little more shape, and slim is well, slim. We’re not entertaining the idea of a skinny suit. Don’t even think about it. Put it back.

Choose the fit that sits properly on your shoulders, but has space to move around in and feel comfortable. We’re only worried about the shoulders - the shoulders of the jacket should not extend beyond your own shoulders, and shouldn’t be so tight to restrict movement. We’re not thinking about olympic diving here, but eating should be easy! Trousers, pay special attention to how they feel around your waist, thighs, and calves. We don’t want material that hugs our legs, we want a little drape - it’s classy trust me. And if you’re uncertain of length, go a little long, that’s always safe.

Next, we’re heading for a tailor to adjust this gorgeous suit! They’re going to take in the waist of the jacket to give you some shape, perhaps shorten the sleeves if necessary (we should see roughly 1/4” of shirt cuff under your jacket), and they’ll shorten your trousers to nothing more ruffled than a full break. I love a quarter break and no break, personally, but that’s me, you go for your preference, but a pile of extra fabric isn’t the look for your wedding day.

Suit Material

Just a quick note on suit material, you want to wear something suitable for the weather, and how hot/cold you run. Natural fibres are always going to be more comfortable than synthetic (I don’t care what the ad says, wool is better than polyester, I don’t care about the crease resistance).

Wool comes in many different weights, if you’re going to be indoors most of the time and want to keep your suit on, opt for something lighter to midweight, outdoors without a coat then go heavier, summertime - no matter what get a lightweight wool, or better yet, linen!

Shop Earlier than you think you should

Something suit wearers tend to do in my experience is leave it much later to start shopping than the dress wearers. This isn’t a dig, typically it’s a lot easier to find the right suit than it is the right dress. But that doesn’t mean leaving it to a week or even a month before the day to start.

Give yourself time to look, and time to get excited about getting dressed up too! Go shopping with your wedding party, pick out the look, it’s a fun time for you too.

On top of that, it can take 4-6 weeks for a suit to be adjusted after you’ve picked it up, and like we just talked about, you’re going to get your suit altered to fit you and be comfortable, aren’t you!

Practice Your Tie

Really, pick out a knot that will look good with the thickness of your tie and collar spread, and practice. You’ll feel more confident that your tie is looking good, and if you’re not happy with it then you know how to adjust it ahead of the ceremony and photos.

I would highly recommend having your wedding party do the same, I can’t tell you how many ties I’ve tied on the wedding morning!

Spares

Spare shirt, spare socks, maybe another spare shirt. Wearing a suit can get a little toasty, and it’s a long day! A super easy way to help yourself feel more comfortable, look better, potentially even smell better, is to take a spare shirt. This one is super easy, an identical shirt to what you’re wearing on the day, pop it in a garment bag, hang it in your room, and change when you feel like you’re getting a little sweaty. Simple!

If you want to add an extra level, pack yourself a little touch up kit with some cologne, hair product if you’re that way inclined, deoderant, spare contacts if you’re blind like me, extra socks are a saviour too! Nothing will make you feel fresher and more comfortable than a fresh pair of socks after several hours in dress shoes!

Pack yourself a little kit of extras, it’s 100% worth it, and it will make your day a thousand times more comfortable. If you want some ideas of what to pack then you can follow this link right here to my list of spare supplies you might want on your wedding day.

Empty Pockets

This one is for the photos as much as it is for you, but trust me, empty pockets is the way to go! When we get to taking photos you’ll have to empty out your pockets anyway, you might think we won’t noticed that phone in your jacket pocket but we will, I promise you we will, and we’ll ask you to take it out and leave it somewhere!

The added benefit to looking sleek and dapper in the clean lines of that suit with the empty pockets, is that you’ll feel lighter, it sounds silly but the simple act of not having a phone or wallet in your pocket makes a huge difference to how that suit feels as a whole, and believe me it’s considerably more comfortable too!

To Match, or to Complement

Some things should match, some things just shouldn’t. Your socks should absolutely match the colour of your trousers. A pattern is fine, but please, make sure your socks match your trousers. It looks so much more polished and thought through.

Ties and pocket squares, please don’t buy them as a little two pack. Pick something that complements, not matches. If you have a plain tie, maybe go for a patterend pocket square to liven it up, if you have a fun tie, then pick one colour from the pattern for your pocket square, or match it to your shirt. If in doubt, match your pocket square to your shirt. This is always classy, it will never look wrong, and is always the safest bet for this!

On a larger scale, it’s up to you if you want to match your wedding party, or have them complement you. I’m a big fan of having the same theme, but a different look. It sets you apart. You might do something like bow ties for the wedding party, and a tie for you, or vice versa. Maybe it’s a waistcoat just for you, or a matching waistcoat for the wedding party and a contrasting one for you. There are a lot of options for this, but it’s all preference!