How to Buy a Men's Suit

Choose a Fabric

• When you walk into a menswear store, it may seem to you that all of the fabrics look alike, but you'd be wrong. Each fabric is different in terms of quality, durability, feel and price. You best option is 100 percent wool. But for the sake of greater knowledge, here is a full rundown of potential choices.

  Non-Wools

  Linen looks nice and is lightweight. But as fabric goes, it wrinkles quickly, stains easily, does not travel well and is not a classic look. Be forewarned that your dry cleaning bills will be quintupled.

  Polyester had its time-- and that time is over. It doesn't wrinkle, but it also doesn't breathe, and it's just not natural. It's made from chemicals and urthelene and polythene. Polyester is OK in a blend with wool if you're trying to keep your costs down, however.

  Microfiber is just another word for polyester. And teflon is just another word for microfiber.

  Wools

  Wool is the fabric of choice for a good suit. It's natural, it breathes well, and it's durable and extremely stylish. There are four main kinds of wool used in suits: tweed, a very heavy wool that's popular in cold places and should be avoided if you're losing the battle of the bulge; flannel, which is made of corded wools and is durable, very hard-wearing and especially nice in a charcoal gray with classic pinstripes, though it might be a bit too hot in most offices; tropical, usually a kind of wool crepe that's lightweight and light-colored and more of a summer weight, though it's also more susceptible to wrinkles; and worsted wools, which are your best bet for a first suit. Worsted wools are the gabardines or mid-weight corded wools that are durable, hard-wearing and usually fine for year-round wear. They can be a little lighter or heavier, depending on the weave, but consider them the mid-weights.

  You might come across a suit that is advertised as a "high-twist," 100, or Super 110. This means that the suit is made of a worsted wool yarn that has been twisted more often than the usual 60 to 80 twist fabrics. This makes it a finer cloth of a somewhat lighter weight. Such suits would be perfectly fine, therefore, for spring, summer and fall, but might not carry you through the winter. In this case, consider the local climate when making purchasing decisions.

  The mid-weights are best overall, especially with the usual "air-conditioned-car-ride-into-the-air-conditioned-office" venture that most people have in summer. And if you will be visiting a lot of clients or doing hefty traveling, you will need this kind of durable fabric, which will stand up to the extra wear but not be too hot.