How to choose your first business suit

Whether you are heading a small start-up or representing multi-national company, one thing that you can't afford to get wrong is your business attire. The way you are dressed makes a statement about who you are and what you represent. While some CEOs have been known to dress down and take a less-formal approach to meetings, there aren't many people who can get away with wearing a hoodie or a T-shirt to a business meeting. If you want to be taken seriously by senior executives, you need to look the part, and a proper business suit is an essential item for your wardrobe. If you have never given much thought to buying a suit before, it can be a little overwhelming when you begin your search. You are faced with so many choices of colours and styles of business suits that it can be hard to decide. Here are the three things that will help you find the perfect suit for you.

Choose the colour and material. Determining the right colour for your suit doesn't have to be complicated. If you already have one or more business suits in your wardrobe, it makes sense to pick something different to expand your range. If this is your first proper suit, then charcoal grey and navy offer you most options. You can wear these colours with a range of shirts and shoes without difficulty across a variety of situations. Once you have covered these basic options, you should make sure that you have a black suit for formal occasions before expanding your wardrobe to brighter, more adventurous colours. Business suits should always be either made from wool or a wool-silk blend. It is best to avoid synthetic fibres as their look doesn't normally wear well.

Get the shoulders right. With business suits, the shoulders are the most important part of the design to get right. While there are things that a good tailor can do to improve the fit of most parts of the suit, it's hard to adjust poorly fitting shoulders. When being fitted for your suit, it is vital that the seam on the shoulder of the suit extends to the end of your actual shoulder but does not go beyond it. In this way, the suit shoulder will lie flat without being pinched or baggy in appearance.

Customise the buttons. If you want to display a touch of personality with your business suits, one of the easiest ways to do that is by customising the buttons. Instead of using the standard buttons supplied with your suit, why not see if you can find something shinier, such as mother of pearl, or perhaps a button with an antique finish to present a little more gravitas?

To learn more, contact a resource like Gentlemen's Outfitters Charlestown.


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