The Four Essential Suits from Esquire
When a guy starts to build his collection of suits, he should be wary of the many pitfalls along the way. Buying a black suit or a thick chalk stripe as your first or second suits aren’t necessarily mistakes, but they are choices that could paint you into a corner when it comes to certain functions.
For example: Your one suit is black. Tough to pull that off at a beautiful outdoor late summer wedding.
Back in 2007 Esquire Magazine ran a one page feature called The Four Essential Suits. They’re the four suits you should consider purchasing, in order, once you start upgrading your wardrobe. The original page from that issue has been hanging in the Dappered… uh… “offices,” ever since.
Here’s what they suggest to buy, in order, with affordable options from this website.
1. A Navy Blue Suit – They call it the staple. And it really is. Remember that late summer wedding? It’ll work much better than a black suit for that occasion. It’s more classic. You can wear black or dark brown shoes with it. And it looks great in any light. They suggest a $984 suit from Paul Stuart. Here’s a cheaper option from Banana Republic. It’s $475 but you should be able to pick it up for much less during a sale.
2. A Light Gray suit – Esquire calls it “The Spare.” Most of us have purchased a dark gray charcol suit. Light gray stands out, in a good way, during all four seasons. There’s costs $895 from DKNY. Try this one from Kenneth Cole for $199.
3. The Pinstripe – Chalk stripe is a REALLY thick pinstripe. Pinstripe is… not much thicker than a pin. Stick with the pinstripe to look less like a mobster. Especially if you are a mobster. Esquire suggests a $1300 Cashmere Arnold Brant… or, for those of us without hedge funds, we could go with this suit from Macy’s Alfani 
Red Label for $270.
4. The Bolder Pattern – A word of advice. You should get all of your suits tailored. Never wear something straight off the rack. Especially with bolder checks. You need to bring this thing in or you’re going to risk looking like the Posters Expert from Antiques Road Show. Esquire picked a $1500 suit from David Chu. Go with something less expensive, and a lot less loud… for $228 at Express.
Those four suits should set you up for any situation, any scenario, at any time of the year.
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