How to Wear a Three-Piece suit

Look snappy in a three-piece suit.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A three-piece suit

1. Aristocratic Look
   
   Pairing a three-piece pinstriped suit with a color-coordinated shirt and tie will keep you from looking like you’re stuck in the age of the abacus. Play up the polish with sophisticated hues like pearl gray and plum.

2. Traditional Look
   
   Co-opted properly, Wall Street style can look fresh. Pair a slim-cut pinstriped suit with a classic contrast-collar shirt and a diagonal-stripe tie. Just keep the Gordon Gekko effect subtle by sticking with a narrow tie.
   
   Vests are back this season. Cut close to the body and one of the more expressive of garments, they are certainly well known but not entirely understood. Relegated in the mind’s eye to restaurant waiters and country farmers on BBC television shows, most people not sure what to do them and are secretly intimidated by the vest.
   
   In reality, they are an excellent alternative for those times when you want an extra layer of clothing but a sweater is a bit too much. For some guys, a vest takes some guts to wear, but don’t be afraid to stand out and get noticed. They give you a vintage look and most have pockets for loose change or keys.

3. Add a pocket watch for that extra sharp look. If you actually have a family watch, that’s wonderful; if not, go out and buy a nice vintage one and start your own family tradition. Regardless, make sure it actually works because people will go out of their way to ask you the time. Vests have that effect.

4. Vests, of course, come in different shapes and sizes. From casual sweater vests to three-piece suit orphans, there is something for every occasion. According to a recent Wall Street Journal story, more men are investigating three-piece suits; last seen on the fashion radar somewhere in the 1980s. These days, the three-piece suit is a far cry from that unappealing, boxy contraption. Today’s version is more in line with the Golden Era of the 1930s and ‘40s, when men made a point of choosing clothing that celebrated rather than concealed individual personality. In fact, it is now not uncommon for a tailor’s client to request additional festive or contrasting vests to fit certain occasions or to be worn separately.

5. As with any piece of clothing – though more so with vests – fit matters. In this case it means your vest should lie close to the body but not constrict movement like sitting and bending. It should also fit in the chest; no gaps around the armholes and the front of the vest should completely cover your shirt and lay just over the waistband of your trousers. This last rule is open to a little interpretation as the “shrunken suit” trend applies to vests as well. If you are in especially good shape, you can get away with your vest ending well above the pant line, providing a particularly vintage look.

Tips & Warnings

• When it comes to buttons of course, the bottom one is always undone. We all know the story about that, right?

[rarob08]

on 2/13/2009 Super article. I just bought a three piece suit - these are great tips on how to wear it! Thanks!!

[NickfromGiblees]

on 12/6/2008 Great article, thanks for the pointers good pointers on where the vest should sit and whatnot.