It’s wedding season for a lot people and this means that buying a suit is something that a lot of men are thinking about. If you’re on the hunt for a suit, it’s important that you know what you’re looking for so that you find something that will last for you the long run. In this article we’ll talk about some tips to consider while you’re out there looking for a suit – whether it’s at a conventional store or on SuitUpp.com, these tips should help you look your best.

Know Your Suit Size

First and foremost, you should really find out what your exact suit size is. Ideally, you could go to a tailor and have him determine your size. Alternatively, you could check out our suit sizing page and determine what your suit size is there. It’s important to find a suit that fits you perfectly as the fit of the suit is probably the most important factor in how you look in it. You can buy the fanciest suit there is, but if it doesn’t fit right, you won’t look good in it.

The perfect Fabric

Choosing the right fabric is important. Depending on your budget, you could get a different suit for every season. If your budget is not huge, then you should stick to a worsted wool suit. Most nice suits today are made of this type of fabric and are typically classified as super 80, super 100, or super 120. Super 80 just means that there are 80 threads per square inch and the same logic applies to super 100 and 120 (super 120 being the best). The better the fabric is, the less likely it is to wrinkle fast. We wrote an article about this topic recently that you can view here: fabrics used in suits/tuxedos

Your Trousers

First of all, you have to make sure that your trousers fit well. If you can put two fingers between your pants and your waist, you’re good. The good news is that tailors can help adjust your trousers quite easily so don’t worry if what you see at the store doesn’t fit you well right off the bat. The two other things to consider are your cuffs and pleats. Nowadays, flat front pants are more in style (i.e. no pleats) and the same goes with no cuffs on your pants. However, there are further considerations that you must make before deciding on which to go for. Check out the following two articles that we’ve written that can help you decide:
> Should you cuff your pants
> Should you wear a crease in your pants

The final note about your trousers is that they should be hemmed. Make sure to get a professional to do this – usually not very expensive at all. Hemming just means professionally cutting/tailoring the bottom of your pant legs so that they are not too long or too short. Ideally they just reach your shoes so that your socks are slightly visible. Speaking of socks, you should also check out this article we wrote: how to choose which socks to wear with your suit

Number of Buttons on Your Jacket

More important than the number of buttons is the fit of your jacket. It should not be too tight around your chest or stomach area and it should also not be too loose. The most common style in terms of buttons in North America is the two buttoned jacket. Wearing more or less buttons is a consideration that you can make. We’ve written about this in the past and you can check out the article here: How many buttons should my suit jacket have?

Final Considerations

Make sure to keep in mind that European suit sizes and American Suit Sizes are slightly different and different manufacturers can implement these sizes slightly differently as well. Make sure to check out our suit sizing page for some of these details. When you do try on your suit, make sure to get it tailored to fit perfectly and ensure that the final product is comfortable enough that you can spend a whole day in it without trouble. If you have questions about what tailors can do, see this article: What can a tailor really do?

Finally, make sure that when you wear this suit, you feel confident – it is this feeling of confidence that your surrounding audience will pick up on rather than the details of your suit.

Best of luck and make sure to check out our excellent suit deals on SuitUpp.com!

Recently, a number of people have been asking to see if we could give them some basic tips as to what suit size they should purchase from SuitUpp. It’s very important for any working professional to be able to dress well. Part of dressing nicely is learning what type of suit will fit you perfectly. Below we’ll give you some basic tips on how to choose a suit size. One thing you could do is walk into a department store and try on a few suits and apply the tips that we give you below. When you find the perfect fit, note the size. Once you have this, you can order that suit size from SuitUpp. From that point and on, if you purchase that suit size, even if it’s a bit off, it’ll be something that a tailor could fix up for you with no problem. Here are our basic tips:

Shoulders: The suit’s shoulders should hug yours and should not protrude beyond your own. Many designer suits come close and at times it will not be perfectl but as close as possible without it being obvious would work. Shoulders on a suit is one area that is very difficult to tailor.

Chest: It should not be difficult to close the buttons of your suit and it should not cause any strain for you either. Furthermore, you shouldn’t have too much room between the buttons of your jacket and your chest. Specifically, this space should not be more than your own fist size. This is a rule of thumb and may vary depending on comfort. Some common sense applies

Length: When your arms are hanging straight down, you should be able to cuff your fingers under the sides of your jacket. 

Pants: Your pants should not be so long that they will drag on the floor (which will destroy them) or so long that you’d have to pull them up to your chest to prevent this dragging. Typically your pants should be ¼ to ½ inch above your shoe sole.

how to find out your suit size

Our good friend Sam Ikiima from Chicago, Illinois told us that he loves the suits that we sell on SuitUpp but didn’t know what suit size to buy: “Guys, How do I know what suit size will be right for me since a suit size might be a bit different from vendor to vendor?”

Great question Sam! Well, first and foremost, the easiest way to find out your suit size is to go to a big department store and see which size fits you best in general. Let’s say that your suit size, based on your findings, is a 40 Regular. Once you know this, you can buy a 40 Regular from SuitUpp. Afterwards, you can take the suit to a tailor and generally have it custom fit for you… here are some general notes:

• A jacket that is too big at the waist can be easily taken in by a tailor
• If your slacks are 1-2″ too big or small a tailor can easily taken them in or out. If the slacks are over 2″ too big, a tailor can re-cut them to fit (typically more expensive).
• Typically and unless otherwise noted our pant bottoms come unfinished and unhemmed. It is best to let a professional tailor alter the length for you.

Do this and you can buy the right suit from SuitUpp. In the event that for some reason your tailor says that the suit can’t be custom made to your fit, we have a great return policy.

Now, if you don’t want to take a trip to your local department store, what you can do is just read our article on how to find out your suit size.

Hope this helps!
SuitUpp Team.