Discussion
Not really sure if this fits in this forum...
I'm about to start a new job that seems to require the wearing of a suit. Currently I'm more smart trousers, shirt, no tie (Its a hospital, I dress like a doctor).
How many suits do i need? do i wear the same suit several times? Do I mix it up a bit? How does it work? Wearing a uniform was so much easier!
I'm about to start a new job that seems to require the wearing of a suit. Currently I'm more smart trousers, shirt, no tie (Its a hospital, I dress like a doctor).
How many suits do i need? do i wear the same suit several times? Do I mix it up a bit? How does it work? Wearing a uniform was so much easier!
I inhabit a very suity world, but it so happens that I like suits and I have lots of them. You should try not to wear the same suit two days running, and should hang up the suit and let it air after wearing it.
You can treat a suit as overalls, or take the view that, as you have to send a lot of time in the suit, it might as well be a good one, not just whatever cheapo thing you can get. Get one that fits; have it altered a bit if need be. Having at least one suit made for your is something that I reckon any serious bloke ought to try at least once in his life.
I add that if you are single and interested in women, sensible women in the professional world tend to like men who give a toss about what suit they are wearing . They may also check out your shoes and your watch, and your cufflinks if you wear cufflinks, NOT to see if you have any money, but to see if you have a clue.
You can treat a suit as overalls, or take the view that, as you have to send a lot of time in the suit, it might as well be a good one, not just whatever cheapo thing you can get. Get one that fits; have it altered a bit if need be. Having at least one suit made for your is something that I reckon any serious bloke ought to try at least once in his life.
I add that if you are single and interested in women, sensible women in the professional world tend to like men who give a toss about what suit they are wearing . They may also check out your shoes and your watch, and your cufflinks if you wear cufflinks, NOT to see if you have any money, but to see if you have a clue.
Breadvan72 said:
They may also check out your shoes and your watch, and your cufflinks if you wear cufflinks, NOT to see if you have any money, but to see if you have a clue.
I have always thought that there are a good way to tel about someone; it's not, as you say, how much one has spent on them...but what has been chosen.Lots of money and minimal taste usually leads to the more entertaining outcomes.
I work in a 5-day-week suit-wearing office, but I only need to wear a tie for certain meetings or events.
I found 2 suits and 8 shirts was a good start. For the first ones, if money is tight, go somewhere like Next where they're £100 each. After 6 months or so I spent a bit more on a third, albeit also from Next just a nicer range, and a while later on a fourth. I also buy new shirts every couple of months, just one or two at a time, to build up a selection and then 'retire' the old ones when they start to look tired.
Currently, I have 4 suits (3 are Next, 1 is Ted Baker from TKMaxx... and I can definitely feel the difference!) and about 10 shirts which I wear regularly. I've got about 6 ties as well that I wear regularly.
Edit to add: I was also advised to get two trousers for each suit. I did for the first one, but haven't bothered since. Even my £100 3-year-old next suits are doing okay and have just needed a couple of buttons reattaching.
I found 2 suits and 8 shirts was a good start. For the first ones, if money is tight, go somewhere like Next where they're £100 each. After 6 months or so I spent a bit more on a third, albeit also from Next just a nicer range, and a while later on a fourth. I also buy new shirts every couple of months, just one or two at a time, to build up a selection and then 'retire' the old ones when they start to look tired.
Currently, I have 4 suits (3 are Next, 1 is Ted Baker from TKMaxx... and I can definitely feel the difference!) and about 10 shirts which I wear regularly. I've got about 6 ties as well that I wear regularly.
Edit to add: I was also advised to get two trousers for each suit. I did for the first one, but haven't bothered since. Even my £100 3-year-old next suits are doing okay and have just needed a couple of buttons reattaching.
Edited by romeogolf on Wednesday 28th June 13:26
romeogolf said:
I also buy new shirts every couple of months, just one or two at a time, to build up a selection and then 'retire' the old ones when they start to look tired.
Worth watching for deals from Lewins, Charles Tyrwhitt, etc - their email mailing list is ok. Never pay full price 
If you are wearing them every day I'd say five suits, with two pairs of trousers for each, in a couple of different weights.
Yes you can get away with fewer, but you don't save any money at all in the long run (suits wear out based on number of wears, not on age), and it's nicer to put on a fresh one apeaxh day and also to have something appropriate to the temperature.
Yes you can get away with fewer, but you don't save any money at all in the long run (suits wear out based on number of wears, not on age), and it's nicer to put on a fresh one apeaxh day and also to have something appropriate to the temperature.
Pothole said:
Even when those jackets and trousers are cut from the same cloth?
This constant PH snobbery is awfully tedious.
It's no more snobbery than it would be if you suggested an A8 for someone touting for corporate airport runs over a Honda Jazz.This constant PH snobbery is awfully tedious.
In a lot of jobs where a suit is expected a M&S suit will stand out enough that it looks like you are trying to make a point. It's no different to telling someone that if they are going to start a job where a Lewis suit would fit in then a double-breasted Huntsman is going to stand out like a sore thumb too.
Best bet is to buy one mid-range suit like you'll get at Lewis in the sale and then see what everyone else is wearing when you turn up. A mid-weight navy single-breasted three button summerweight suit from Lewins or the like will be very u likely to be a mistake.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff