Get More Use Out of Your Suits is our brand-new style scenario series on making the most out of what’s probably the biggest investment you have hanging in your closet… your suits. Suits have evolved over time to make the wearer look as good as they can. The angles, the lines, the fabric… it all projects competence and power. Yet who among us hasn’t looked at our own suit or suits hanging in the closet and thought “geeze I don’t wear these things all that much??” The traditional, often stuffy, suit-and-tie look might be in the sartorial time-out chair at present, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a few tweaks to the idea, and still look like a million bucks. As G.M.U.O.O.Y.S. develops, we’ll show how to dust off your favorite suit(s) and wear it/them more frequently in a contemporary, but not overly flashy way.
The Suit: Spier and Mackay Medium Gray Wool Suit – $298. From Spier’s ultra-affordable but still half canvas all wool suit line. In person review with one of these suits can be found here. Light gray or navy would work well here too. Whatever your favorite simple gray suit happens to be, that should work. Some of us would be fine wearing a charcoal gray suit with reddish brown boots, but others see that as a faux pas, and would necessitate dark brown or black boots. That’s up to you though. The splurge option: Suitsupply Vitale Barberis Canonico Tropical Wool suit – $499
The Shirt: Banana Republic Premium Poplin Dress Shirt – $54 ($90). Rarely on sale and worth every penny UNLESS… you struggle with ironing. No shame if you do. Just know that these don’t have a non-iron finish. They’re a true 100% cotton poplin. Soft and smooth… after you iron them. Out of the dryer they’re really wrinkly. But the collars are excellent. The pics on the BR site don’t lie. They look great without a necktie. A size medium fits my 5’10″/185 lb frame great, although a little tight in the neck… but I’ve got a bit of a thicker neck (16.5 usually.) Currently 40% off. Sale ends Saturday 9/23.
The Watch: Orient Kamasu Automatic – $240 w/ Crown & Buckle NTTD Supreme NATO – $34. One of Orient’s best. In house automatic movement, classic hands and indices, sapphire crystal, and a 200m water resistance. The bracelet it comes on is great, but we’re going with a super smooth 007 inspired striped NATO strap for this scenario.
The Boots: Factory 2nds Allen Edmonds Liverpool Chelseas – $349 ($495.) Warning: As these are from their Factory 2nds Shoebank site, they’ll have some sort of cosmetic blemish (individual to each pair) that you won’t see until they arrive. And there’s a $25 restocking fee for any returns on Factory 2nds. See the breakdown of this gamble-proposition over here. The Less Expensive Option: Nordstrom Fulton Chelsea Boots – $119.95
The Socks: Made in the USA Darn Tough The Standard Mid-Calf Lightweight Lifestyle Socks in Charcoal – $26. As comfortable as you’ll find for a pair of dress socks. “Versatile terry loop cushioning under the foot and below the ankle.” They really are worth the twenty six dollars.
The Belt: Nordstrom Newman Reversible Leather Belt – $49.50. A basic, reversible, do-anything dress belt. Ships and returns for free.