Justin Jeffers is the founder of fashion blog, The Fine Young Gentlemen.
The basics. So often they seem to be overlooked by the American male. The result is the failure of many a good man’s attempt at clothing himself in a respectable manner.
So let’s walk before we run.
The most important thing for any piece of clothing a man dons is the fit. You could be wearing the most expensive suit made from the most expensive fabric in the world, but if the suit does not fit. You will still look like crap. A man will look better in a $500 suit that fits him well than the aforementioned multi-thousand suit that does not. Simple.
A few things to pay attention to when you're finding a suit: If the shoulders of a suit jacket protrude an inch past the wearers shoulder line then clearly it does not fit well.
If the pant legs look like sails flailing in the wind then clearly they do not fit and will need to be taken in.
Proportions are the foundation of fit. In men's clothing, they determine basically everything. If you a wearing a suit, the width of the lapels, length of the jacket, width of the tie, length of the collar points on the shirt collar as well as nearly every other aspect of a suit and shirt all play off of each other.
All those parts of the suit need to be consistent. You cannot wear a skinny tie with a wide lapeled jacket and think you look good. Designers play with these proportions to create their ‘signature’ looks, but these often serve to mislead men. It's nice to think you can be creative, but you should leave the daring looks to the professionals.
It is only when the various aspects of what a man is wearing are in proportion with each other and with his face and body that what he can be wearing can be deemed to fit well.
Regardless of your stance on the O.J. Simpson trial, there is one thing that we must take away from it, a line from Johnnie Cochran. That is, "If is doesn’t fit, you must acquit." In other words, if you are wearing something that does not fit get something that fits to replace it. If you are looking to buy something that doesn’t fit, don’t buy it. For any well dressed man knows that at the foundation of dressing well is well fitting garments.
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