myself stand out a bit. I advise you to wear a tie in more formal arenas but there may be the call for a slightly less formal option. This is where you can lose the tie and undo a couple of buttons. I tend to undo two or three, it really does depend on what you feel more comfortable with though.
Shoes are an integral part of the look, you can’t put in all this work and then ruin it by putting on a pair of trainers. The first point for a good pair of shoes is that they’re polished. There may be some cases where this is an exception because it is not possible but I’ll come onto that later. You can wear any number of shoes with a suit, so I’ll just suggest a few basic, common shoes that people tend to wear. Firstly, most people will tend to wear just an average smart shoe. If this is the case its usually best to go for black or brown, not some crazy colour unless you are completely certain it goes and that it will be appropriate in whatever situation you plan on wearing it. To give a bit of variation, people often wear brogues instead. These have a pattern and are more interesting than the average smart shoe. Another alternative is a loafer, although these may not always be appropriate. The loafer is a nice shoe and can look really good and original. However, it is very easy to get this wrong and for those who lack confidence in their ability, you should probably steer clear of these at the start and go for something a little plainer. If in a more relaxed setting in which you wear a suit, as mentioned earlier, the loafer may be the perfect shoe for you. They are fashionable and make a statement. With the low cut of the shoe showing off more of the foot than most shoes, people often wear no socks with these. This isn’t for everyone though and to do that is to make a statement and to draw attention to your own knowledge of fashion. You need confidence to pull this off and if you don’t have that, you may want to wait until you are more comfortable in a suit. An alternative for a lower key event is a suede boot. They are smart and don’t degrade from the look of your suit and add a little more informality to a smart look.
We are just going to touch on accessories you can wear with a suit. A large amount of these will probably not apply to your day to day work suit but for making a statement at other events. While at work, I would advise you just wear a belt and watch. The general rule I follow when it comes to a suit is nothing too fancy. Also, if you’re wearing black shoes wear a black belt and if you wear brown shoes wear a brown belt. Now, when trying to make a statement, there are a number of accessories you can wear. Be careful though, don’t wear too many, it just looks too busy and ruins the suit. An example of some of the accessories are waistcoats, pocket watches, braces and pocket squares to name but a few. Mix and match these different accessories to find the combination that
suits you and your personality best. The great thing you can do with accessories is that you can swap what you wear together and add a bit of variation to a single suit. This is great if you don’t have many suits but they can also really make you stand out. I personally am a fan of the waistcoat and pocket watch combination but obviously this isn’t to everyone’s taste and you should decide for yourself.
These general rules can also apply to a part suit look. For example, a jacket and shirt with a pair of chinos or jeans is a strong look, especially for younger men. The key to all of this is to have fun, play around with things and relax into the suit. This, along with a few of the simple rules I’ve tried to outline here and you will have no problems picking and wearing a great suit. I’d just like to thank D’office Threads for the opportunity to share my knowledge with others. If anyone wants to ask me any questions or wants advice, don’t hesitate to email me on [email protected].
Thanks for reading this and I hope it helped.
Jack Powell
Twitter: @mensfashions1