How to Buy a Suit: Your Complete Guide

A suit is a real fashion essential for every gentleman. You must look dapper once in a while. For those working in corporate environments, a suit is a sure must have. While it is an essential, a suit is real investment. That means that you must be keen enough to buy something that not only fits your style but will last. Here we guide you on how to buy one. Obviously if things don’t add up, don’t bother buying try another store.

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1. The Sales person

He’ll tell you whatever you want to hear—that everything looks great on you and that the store’s tailor can fix any suit. Don’t listen to this stuff. You know what you want, if they don’t have it then you cannot buy from them. For all these reasons, you need to know as much as possible about how a suit should fit and what kind of suit you’re looking for before you walk through the door. Remember, you’re the boss, not him. As soon you hand him your money, he will turn into something else.

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2. Why are you buying the suit?

Are you hunting for a suit that you’re going to wear to the office once or more a week? (If so, keep it dark and classic.) Or are you looking for a suit you’ll wear a few times a year to weddings and funerals? (Black or navy is a safe bet.) Is it a suit you’ll wear to job interviews? (If so, you want to be well dressed but not better dressed than the guy interviewing you, so nothing too pricey.) Or is it the kind you’d wear with sneakers and a T-shirt, or wear just the jacket with a pair of jeans? It’s important to know what you want and why you want.

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3. Know your size

It sounds obvious, but it’s not. The most crucial element of a suit is its fit, and not many sales guys understand how a suit should fit or, more specifically, how you want yours to fit. Before you step into a dressing room, get a handle on the various components of a suit.

4. Shoulders

The suit’s shoulders should hug yours; shoulder pads should not protrude beyond your own shoulders. If you stand sideways against a wall and the shoulder pad touches the wall before your arm does, the suit is too big.

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5. Chest

You should be able to easily button the jacket without it straining. Conversely, there shouldn’t be too much space between the button and your chest—no more than a fist’s worth.

6. Length

When your arms are hanging straight down, you should be able to cup your fingers under the sides of your suit jacket. However, these days, with shorter suits in style, some jackets reach only about an inch beyond the cuff of your suit sleeve.

7. Number of buttons

Now you need to think about the style of the suit itself. The first thing you need to consider is the number of buttons on the suit. This will determine a good deal about the cut and fit. Here are some basic pointers:

• The three-button suit now seems to be the standard young man’s choice. Instead of opting for one of those high-cut versions, look for one with a roll-over lapel—one in which you button the middle button, encouraging the soft lapel to roll over the top button.
• The two-button suit is the conservative kind. Every fashion label imaginable is designing two-button suits, except they’re making them more streamlined and modern. They are still as fashionable as always.
• If you’re looking for something fancy, a bit more high-style, try a one-button suit. It’s not for everyone, but if you can pull it off, it’s a sleek look.

8. The vents on the back of the suit jacket

• A center vent is all-purpose; it is both modern and traditional. You can’t go wrong.
•  Side vents are more fancy and more suave. It will be hard to find one in your local boutique in Mukwano Arcade. Try Wina Classics.
• A vent less jacket is just plain wrong. There is a different between a blazer and a suit jacket.

9. Time to dress up

If you’re not wearing a dress shirt and dress shoes, ask for them; a good store should be able to hook you up.  And not just the jacket. Consider the pants, too: They should be comfortable, and the rise (where the pants sit on your waist) shouldn’t be too high or too low for your taste. If you don’t think the pants fit right, try on another suit.

10. What a tailor can do for you

Here are the areas you should direct your tailor’s attention to:

• Shoulders: If your suit doesn’t fit in the shoulders, it’s not going to fit anywhere else. Salesmen will tell you they can reduce or reshape the shoulder pads—don’t listen to them.
• Pants: If the pants are an inch or so too tight or too large in the waist, a tailor can usually fix them. But if it’s more than an inch, you’re asking for trouble.

10. Pick it up

When you return to get your suit after it’s been altered, always try it on again. Often, it will need another tweak or two so it fits as perfectly as you want it to. Congratulations, you’ve bought a suit.

Photos courtesy of Asasira Arnold & The creative hub

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