Three is a trend!

Not too long ago and within living memory, men knew how to dress acceptably. Somewhere along the way, it became commonplace to wear jeans, shorts, logo’d T-shirts and all manner of other, shocking invaders of style which are now considered “normal” clothing. Fortunately, all is not lost, and if those gaudy, glitzy and flamboyant photographs that we see online, from fashion-shows are anything to go by, a more formal and respectable mode of men’s clothing may soon be on the rebound. The three-piece suit has been asserting itself with increasing frequency on designer runways.

A 3 Piece Suit simply consists of a suit jacket, trouser and waistcoat- with the vest of course, being the distinguishing element. Most men opt for a vest which is of the same outer fabric colour as the jacket and the trousers. But for those that want to stand out a little more, a contrasting vest fabric colour may be chosen or accessories added to express individual flair. It all depends on whether you’re going for that “look at me” appearance, or for a more understated “I know what I want” presence.  Accessorise your Three Piece Suit with a pocket square, handcraft top stitching across the jacket’s lapels (matching the vest’s stitching colour) and gloves – if you want to look like you’ve just jumped off the catwalk!

4 reasons for that savvy waist coat~

The vest, while a simple and fairly inexpensive addition is actually quite practical:

• It can be worn separately without a jacket in less formal workplaces and yes; it can take the place of a jacket but remember to keep the tie.
• It provides extra warmth around the chest for those colder winter months.
• It can be “dressed down” to create a smarter casual look with a crisp white shirt, dark jeans or chinos. Loosen or lose the tie altogether to show just how casual you are.
• It also keeps the shirt and tie in place and some say, can even have a trimming effect!

3 piece suit etiquette~

A few fashion rules apply when sporting your 3 Piece Suit. Take note:

• Make sure the vest is long enough to hit your waistband and show a bit of belt buckle
• Make sure that your tie never, ever hangs out!
• Don’t close the bottom button of your vest (just like you wouldn’t close the bottom button of your suit jacket)
• Never wear the vest totally unbuttoned
• Try to wear your suit jacket unbuttoned to show off your vest
• Select a 2 button suit jacket (instead of a 3 button), so that the elongated “V” of the 2 button jacket leaves more room to show off your vest.

3 piece suits vanished in the ’90s, suffering the dual blows of minimalism and casual Friday (which spread into casual Everyday). But some men are dressing up again, thank goodness, and not necessarily just for the office; they’re even adding flourishes like pocket squares and tie bars. The three-piece suit makes a statement, literally, of one-upmanship in the dressing-up arms race. Those snugly waistcoats, chic jackets and trousers—that English gentlemanly appeal travelling back in time… like a contemporary Mr. Darcy coming to life.

A Dash of Elegance -Boutonnière

“I sacrifice a rose each evening to my buttonhole: Roses are the Order of the Garter of that great monarch called Nature.” In 1838, the French writer Barbey d’Aurevilly was so taken with the new fashion of gracing one’s frock coat with a fresh blossom that he declared himself a “Knight of the Order of Spring time.”

Most men will wear a flower on the lapel of their jacket only a handful of times in their lifetime.  This is a shame.  Nothing adds panache to a man’s appearance like the confidence embodied in wearing a stylish boutonniere. A simple flower worn on the lapel of a jacket is a gesture full of meaning that extends beyond the flower.  Boutonnieres are a symbol of fragile life, of beauty in nature, of love undefined yet captured in a single bloom.

The origin of the Boutonnière dates back to the 16th century. French for “buttonhole” this petite fleur was typically pushed through the buttonhole on the left side of a man’s jacket lapel and held in place by a loop.

An interesting fact is in modern times, a boutonniere is worn in the evening or during a ceremony. In the 1800s, men generally wore boutonnieres all day. To keep boutonnieres fresh, high-end clothing designers of the day developed a strategically placed interior coat pocket for holding a small vase to keep the bloom in water. Also the flower acted like a perfume since it was considered unhealthy to take bath and in that case you needed an aide to smell good!

I would like to address the issue of wearing flowers and masculinity; there are many men who will dismiss the boutonniere as feminine.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Great statesmen, warriors, and poets have worn flowers for over a millennium. Soldiers headed to war have proudly worn flowers on their chests. If you are still not impressed with boutonniere history and grandeur let me give you some more reason which will make you believe that it is in fact very manly and handy to wear one. Boutonnieres are great conversation starters, because someone will definitely ask you about it. Secondly there can be nothing more elegant than offering a flower to a woman you just met than your business card, trust me she will definitely reckon this act of yours. Finally when wearing a boutonniere, it’s about realizing and showing that the little things matter to you and you have an eye for details.

Boutonniere Flowers
Traditional social etiquette limits which flowers are worn in the buttonhole. They are the red or white carnation, blue cornflower, and gardenia.

Any one of these should express a man quite well. If not, many flowers will do. The flower shouldn’t be too big, no bigger than one of these four, or so small that it is not noticeable. A tea rose will look terrific on a dinner jacket. Want to stand out the next time you wear a suit? Put a flower in your lapel buttonhole. Read this article over a couple times and stride about with confidence in your boutonniere. If your jacket doesn’t have a lapel buttonhole or if it doesn’t open, take care of that as soon as you are able, and show your manly elegance by putting a flower in your lapel.

 

Pattern Trap!

Your suit is an investment. It could be an investment toward getting promoted, landing the job, closing the deal or even getting the girl! Appearances are important, and the more self-assured you are with the way you look, the more confident you are overall.

Patterns used for men’s suit are created in fabric by interweaving differently coloured threads. When it comes to selecting a fabric for your next men’s suit, there’s almost an infinite amount of information out there to digest, much of which is twisted into a slick pitch by those pushy sales people!

Does the pattern on a suit fabric convey any particular meaning? Is chalk-stripe more of a power suit than pin-stripe? Would you wear a navy chalk stripe only during certain time of the day? What kind of pattern suits your personality more? So many questions, at times we are boggled while choosing a suit fabric. We have list out the most common types of pattern that is used for making suits and also on what occasion it is mostly worn.

Solid

The solid suit is a plain suit which consists of only one colour. It means this suit does not have any designs like windowpanes, pinstripes, or checkered patterns. Solid suits are very popular in colours such as black, charcoal gray, navy blue and even white. You will also find them in a wide range of other colours like brown, khaki, tan, and even purple.

This sort of suit is appropriate for office situations as it is very non-distracting. It is also very versatile and can be worn with all sorts of accessories. Matching a shirt or tie is easy with this suit because you can choose any type of design to match the suit.

Pinstripe Suit
Besides the solid suit, pinstripe suit is the most basic men’s suit pattern you can get. This style of pattern consists of vertical lines running all over the suit jacket and pants. These stripes are of medium width and thickness when compared to their pencil striped suit and chalk striped suit counterparts. The pencil striped suits are thin and closely spaced while the chalk striped suits consist of thick stripes. The Pinstripe is by far the most popular striped suit and men use this suit to look more formal and authoritative. Many presidents and CEO’s like to go with classic navy blue pinstripe suit patterns.

Window Pane

The window pane suit has either a square or rectangular pattern throughout the suit. This is created with the use of widely spaced horizontal and vertical stripes. These suits are more stylish than the previous models.

Wear these suits on casual Fridays, to church, or to social events.

Plaid

The plaid suit is one of the fancier patterned suits on the market.  This suit can’t be seen as often as many of the other suit patterns on the market because of its high cost and difficult tailoring methods. This suit is similar to the windowpane suit with its use of vertical and horizontal lines. However, the lines will run in close knit groups with various gaps to create the box like openings.

This pattern can be worn to less formal office settings and fun social gatherings such as church, weddings, and parties. Care should be taken while adding accessories as not all ties will match appropriately with this type of pattern

Checkered Suit:
This suit pattern is one of the trendier styles that can be worn to important social events. You can wear this suit on formal dates, church, weddings and even parties. This suit consists of vertical and horizontal lines running throughout the suit to create a unique looking pattern. Highly skilled tailors are needed to make this suit, as the lapels and pockets can be hard to match up with the main body of the suit. Materials and colours are just as widely available in this suit as well.

Herringbone

This pattern uses alternate diagonal lines making a distinct VVV pattern across the fabric. The herringbone pattern is very popular and can be used for almost any type of suit or jacket.

Glen Check (a.k.a. Prince of Wales)

This is a simple and elegant pattern that uses small checks alternating within larger checks. This pattern suits a sports jackets as it is for a business suit.

All a suit needs is “TLC”-Tender Loving Care

You spend so much money on a suit as more often than not they are the costliest attire in a man’s wardrobe, so there’s no worse feeling than seeing it fall apart before your own eyes. Careful care can help you prevent this fate, but so few people are really aware of just what is involved in suit maintenance. Like polishing your shoes, or learning to shave properly, or how to tie a bow tie, it’s become part of that lost esoteric knowledge of men.

There are three primary areas that you should consider when it comes to care for a suit. First, you should familiarize yourself with the instructions for care. You then need to ensure your suit is professionally cleaned and pressed, and, finally, you must store and wear your suit properly.

You should read the label attached to your suit that indicates how to maintain your suit. These labels would generally apply to off-rack men’s suits. It is important to know the symbols and what it represents. You would not want to do anything unsuitable and damage the expensive suit. The responsibility to maintain your suit belongs to you only.

Useful tips on the go!

Even when you wear your suits, there are things you can constantly do to keep them from wearing out. Don’t wear the same suit two days in a row, as clothing typically needs at least a day of rest to breathe, just like shoes. Hang them up as soon as you’re done wearing them, and don’t be afraid to lay a napkin across your lap to keep yourself safe from stains at meals. These common sense clothing rules can extend the life of a suit by years: clean dirt or stains; avoid moisture and undue stress on the material, especially at the pockets or buttons.

• To lengthen a suits life, dry clean your suit only a few times a year or as needed.
• Avoid carrying too much load in your pockets, which could strain the joints.
• Unbutton your jacket before you sit down. Also pull the pants up when you sit so you don’t pull the fabric too much.
• Hang your suit on a good wooden hanger and store it in a bag to protect it.
• Brush your suit with a clothes brush when you take it off to keep it clean and looking good.
• Avoid packing it in between lots of other clothes, which could cause it to wrinkle or chances to stamp effects of colour from other dull colour cloths.
• To keep your suit looking crisp, have it pressed in between cleanings.
• It is important that each suit can have at least one day’s rest after wearing to avoid it from wearing out fast.
• Do not rub forcefully on stains or dirt to avoid it embedding into the fabric.
• While you iron your suit, make sure of the temperature as high heat can damage the fabric and of course it can burn your suit too.
• Buy men’s suits that say professionally dry clean only, then get it professionally dry cleaned and pressed every five or six wearing.
• The proper care for men’s suit is to immediately remove any spots or stains.

Whether you’re buying your first or 100^th suit, chances are that you can benefit from some helpful men’s suit care tips. A suit that’s been cared for properly can outlive the man who bought it, making proper suit care not just a matter of style, but economy as well. The small rules that make up suit care are simple, take only a bit of time, and add years to your suit.