Yesterday Mariana and I went downtown for a meeting with the All-American Suit Gurus at
Brooks Brothers.
More specifically, the Philadelphia Assistant Manager Keith Hooks and his knowledgeable staff, who were only too happy to help us, despite the 80-plus temperatures on the ground floor due to an A/C outage.
We introduced ourselves and went right into our main thread of curiousity: What, exactly, makes a guy's suit "work"? How is it supposed to fit? What are the different styles? What are the big No-Nos?
And the business-school part of us was asking- What are your big differentiating factors from brands like Aquascutum, RL, Armani, etc.? How have you changed over the years? What % of sales can be attributed to what type of suit, etc?
And so began a couple of the most interesting, knowledge-packed hours of my fresh post-college career, straight from the mouths of experts.
First. When a guy comes into Brooks Brothers (BB, for this blog post), the first thing they do is measure them--they don't ask their measurements, b/c it's "usually a little off." First, they measure around the fullest part of the chest. Have the tape snug, but loose enough so that one can fit 4 fingers under the tape comfortably. That's the chest measurement-- and subtract 6 inches from that for the pants measurement, though that can be adjusted (the suits have a 6 "drop"). So for our "model" whose chest was 44", his corresponding pants were a 38.
In terms of sleeve length, you can tell it's a good fit when the sleeve touches at about 4" above the thumb. Though some men wear their shirts differently and this can change depending on preference, the general rule of thumb (no pun intended) is that the edge of the sleeve should hit 4 inches above the end of the thumb.
Ok, ok, a little pun intended. Sad, but I couldn't resist.
Next, here are some things to think about when determining the fit of a suit:
1) Look at how it fits around the shoulders--a perfect fit has sloping shoulders, that don't have padding going over the edge of the shoulder, or that are tight so that they can't move their arm up at all. Take a look at this helpful pic from Esquire.com:
2) Another important factor is the waist (see third row of pics). There should be a little room under the buttoned jacket. Not so much that you can stick a pillow, but just enough so that it's not pulling/puckering. One wants to look comfortable and smooth, not crazy-tight. A nice example of excellent tailoring, IMUPO, is in the suits of Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl.
3) Number of Buttons! Because Brooks Brothers adheres to a very "American" suit style and cut, they tend to stick to the 2-button suit jackets. When it comes to 3-button suits, however, they told us that one only buttons the top 2, or just the middle button, but never the third button. They didn't mention Chuck's 1-button style shown to the left, as it's not as popular as their 2 or 3-buttons.
4) Waist- Pleats or no pleats? They told us that this is a matter of preference, but the biggest issue with (esp younger) customers these days is that they wear their pants very very low, thereby diminishing the effectiveness/appearance of the pleat. Whether or not you have pleats, pull your pants up. But esp. if you do have them.
5) The 3 types of suit at BB: Madison, Regent, and Fitzgerald. The Madison is the most popular of all suit types. The Regent and Fitzgerald suits are slimmer-the "Fitzgerald" suit is inspired by JFK, with narrow lapels, higher armholes, and "trimmer-fitting" trousers. Fitzgerald is best for younger guys new to BB. I would put the Regent in the middle--it's more contemporary than the Madison suit, but not as slim as the Fitzgerald. Note: They speak of a 4th type, the "Milano" suit on their website, though they didn't talk about it with us in person--perhaps it's phasing out or less popular than the others? Anyway, it's inspired by the even-slimmer tailoring of the 1960s (see website):
Suit Styles Brooks Brothers WebsiteAlso, check out Chuck's two-button number, from the finale of GG season 2--a good fit! And he matches the orange w/khaki pants, a good summery choice.
Other things to Note:
-According to Keith, the staple of a guy's suit wardrobe is the blue blazer w/grey pants. Black is too formal for work. Have grey, blue, and brown for the office. Just not black.
-Most people don't take proper care of their suits- they should be hand-washed, and the starches at the laundromat can really damage them
-Biggest trend BB is seeing now is the fact that more and more guys are working out, and have broad shoulders with really really small waist- that's the most obvious issue with fit!
They have this inverted-triangle-body type fit:
It's not that difficult for them to take it in at the sides, though some clients who have a v small waist will likely need a custom-made jacket, as taking in too much at the sides will mess up the look of the pockets!! See the narrow-waisted, "inverted triangle man" below:
-the "Long" fit is made for guys 6'1" and taller
-Their classic suits have the back vent-- side vents are "more European"--see
GQ Style on Vents-Approx. 15% of BB suits are "custom made" from 'scratch' so to speak; though this is abt 2k more than their entry-level suits, it's the most couture they come- made in-house in NYC!
-highest "rack" line is Golden Fleece- completely handmade
-there is a trend toward versatile suit materials-esp. from BB, most customers choose fabrics that can be worn year-round
-Marks & Spencer used to own BB, they did a somewhat "poor" job until
Claudio Del Vecchio took over 9 years ago (click link for TIME article). Claudio is also responsible for some of the recent tie developments...which Keith told us is a line that has grown a lot in recent years
-Guys and suits tip--don't wear belts wider than 1". Gold vs. silver buckle is your choice, but silver is more popular. They showed us a really cool belt that flips between black and brown sides--see
Reversible Belt.
Def a good investment IMUPO- two colors, and nice quality.
-Another thing--make sure the shoe matches the belt! They told us that's one of the no-nos in men's suit fashion. Here is a good belt wardrobe IMUPO:
AskMen Article
-Biggest Takeaway: How a suit fits is important--and the shoulder fit is one of the first things that people notice. Everything else can be altered rather easily, but get the shoulder part right--it should be very close to your actual shoulder-to-shoulder width! Otherwise it will look really weird.
Also, make sure the waist area looks good! For younger guys, this usually means having it taken in.
Last but not least-- it's ok if the suit feels a little constricting when you move your arms up/around--suits are not meant to play sports in. They're the guys' prime "dress to impress" asset. As for us girls, we have heels, corset tops, hosiery, shapewear,etc etc. so we def don't have this 'fashion-thing' any easier.
Alright, that about sums it up! Feel free to add any more suit tips, as this is not an exhaustive list, but I feel much more knowledgeable about men's fashion now that we've had a good chat with Keith and his staff.
Thanks BB! May you continue to be purveyors of classic American style.
Hey, they suited Abraham Lincoln, and that was a tall order.
xo,Shannon
p.s. ok I really should apologize for that last one. really really bad. sorry couldn't resist :(
p.p.s. IMUPO = In My Un-Professional Opinion, in case you were wondering! :)
