How should you choose a suit?

To choose a suit that actually fits, work through one hierarchy, in this order and no other: shoulders first, then cut, then fabric, colour, and finally the alterations budget. A well-fitted suit shows three signs: the shoulder seam sits exactly on the bone, the jacket buttons without pulling, and the trouser hem breaks lightly on the shoe. For a first purchase, the smartest pick is a plain navy suit in Super 100s to 130s wool, at 300 to 600 euros off the rack plus tailoring. Rushed salesmen run this method backwards and start with the price tag. Classic mistake.

The short version, before you step into the fitting room:

• Shoulders that fit: the one thing no tailor can fix.
• A straight or half-fitted cut for most body types; slim and double-breasted only if you know why.
• Wool fabric, with less than 30 percent synthetic fibres in the blend.
• A simple first colour: navy or mid-grey, no loud patterns.
• 40 to 80 euros set aside for alterations.

Which suit cut for which body type?

The cut decides everything else, and the types of cut fit on one hand. The straight cut (regular) hangs without hugging the waist: it is the comfortable option and the one that ages best. The half-fitted cut tapers the jacket slightly and flatters most male silhouettes. Slim fit hugs the body; it demands a lean frame and forgives nothing, including sitting through a two-hour meeting. My stylist's advice: when hesitating between two sizes or models, take the roomier one. A tailor can add light waist suppression, never the reverse.

That leaves the double-breasted suit, with its two overlapping rows of buttons. Long dismissed as dated, it is back in menswear and lengthens the torso on slim or tall men. A two-button single-breasted jacket remains more versatile for a first suit, though: a double-breasted jacket has to stay buttoned while you stand, which limits comfort over a full day.

The fitting: the checkpoints that forgive nothing

How do you know a suit fits? Check three zones in strict order: shoulders, back, buttoning. A tailor can shorten sleeves, take in a waist, adjust a hem. Nobody rebuilds a shoulder. The seam must stop exactly on the bone: if it overhangs, the jacket is too big; if it bites inward, too small. Second checkpoint, the back. The jacket collar must stay glued to the shirt collar as you move; a gaping collar betrays a cut that fights your posture, and no reasonable alteration corrects it.

Then the buttoning: jacket closed on the top button (never the bottom one, the rule is absolute), the fabric should neither pull into an X across the stomach nor billow. Slide a flat fist between jacket and chest, no more. This is also when you check sleeve length: the shirt cuff should show by about one centimetre, half an inch at most.

Before trying on a suit, set up real conditions. Come wearing a proper shirt and the dress shoes you will actually wear, ideally late in the day when the body has swollen slightly. And move: sit, stand, raise your arms, cross them. Five minutes of gymnastics in the fitting room spares you years of pinching armholes. If the salesman gets impatient, that is his problem, not yours.

Which fabric should a suit be made of?

Wool remains the reference fabric for suits, for good reasons: this keratin fibre breathes, recovers its shape overnight on a hanger and holds a trouser crease. The Super 100s, 120s or 150s labels refer to the S number, a grading of fibre fineness: the higher the number, the finer the yarn. Between Super 100s and Super 130s you get the sweet spot of durability and softness. Above Super 150s the cloth turns luxurious but fragile, best kept for suits worn ten times a year.

Cotton gives more matte, casual suits, excellent worn as separates. Linen looks superb in summer and creases proudly within the hour: great at a garden party, risky at the office. Be wary of blends beyond 30 percent polyester: cheap shine, zero breathability, quick pilling. A touch of elastane or polyamide is no problem. Check the cloth weight too, often printed on the inner label: around 250 to 280 g/m² (roughly 8 to 9 oz) for a year-round suit, 220 to 240 g/m² for a summer fresco wool, 300 g/m² and up for winter flannel. As for care, the good habits cost nothing: never the washing machine, a wide hanger, 24 hours of rest between wears, and dry cleaning two or three times a year at most.

Which lining should you look for?

Invisible detail, enormous difference on the body. A half-lined or unlined jacket breathes far better than a fully lined one, especially when the lining is viscose or cupro rather than polyester. Turn the jacket inside out in the shop: clean inner seams are also a reliable clue to serious manufacturing. On a suit worn from May to September, the half lining is, in my view, the most underrated comfort factor.

Which colour and which patterns for a first suit?

For a first or only suit, navy crushes the competition: job interview, office, dressed-up dinner, ceremony. A dark blue suit works with a white shirt as happily as with light blue or pale pink. Mid-grey comes right behind, a touch less formal and kind to most complexions. Black, against intuition, is the most restrictive pick: right for very formal evenings, funereal in daylight.

From the second suit onward, open things up: light grey, mid-blue, summer beige, then quiet patterns such as a subtle Prince of Wales check or a fine pinstripe. The rule that prevents 90 percent of mistakes: one patterned element per outfit, no more. And remember a suit lives surrounded by other colours; our guide on how to match colours in an outfit keeps jacket, shirt and tie in agreement.

Two-piece or three-piece suit: do you need a waistcoat?

The two-piece (jacket and trousers) covers 95 percent of situations. The three-piece adds a matching waistcoat between shirt and jacket and changes register at once: more formal, more architectural, and it lets you remove the jacket while staying dressed. It is my preferred option for a groom or best man. For a guest, a good two-piece is plenty; our guide on how to dress for a wedding breaks down the codes by time and venue.

One detail few salesmen mention: the waistcoat must cover the trouser waistband, even with your arms raised. Too short, it cuts the silhouette in half and ruins the effect. If you buy a three-piece, try all three pieces together, not the jacket alone. And for a suit bought for a single event, run the cold maths: a waistcoat at 80 euros extra rarely pays off if it never leaves the wardrobe again.

Where to buy: off the rack, made to measure or bespoke?

The buying route weighs more on the final price than colour or cloth. Here is the honest comparison, the one you rarely hear in a shop.

The three ways to buy a suit

Option	Indicative price	Lead time	Best for
Off the rack + tailor	300 to 600 €	Immediate + 1 week of alterations	Standard builds, first suit
Made to measure	600 to 1,200 €	4 to 8 weeks	Atypical shoulders or proportions, suit worn weekly
Bespoke	2,500 € and up	2 to 4 months, several fittings	Enthusiasts, very precise requirements

The good news: a well-chosen off-the-rack suit, once altered, visually rivals options twice the price. Most serious brands in this bracket offer half sizes and two leg lengths, which makes the hunt easier. Always reserve 40 to 80 euros for the tailor: sleeve length, trouser hem, light waist suppression. Those three adjustments turn a decent suit into one that looks cut for you. Made to measure earns its price as soon as your build leaves the standard grid: broad shoulders with a slim waist, very tall, long arms.

Buying online? Doable, on one condition: order two sizes and return the one that fails. Measure yourself with a tape (chest, waist, inseam) and compare against the brand's size chart rather than your usual size, which shifts from label to label. A suit bought remotely with no fitting and no alterations usually ends up at the back of the wardrobe.

Shirt, tie, shoes: finishing the silhouette

A fine suit collapses on a poor base. A well-cut white shirt remains the most reliable foundation in the wardrobe, light blue just behind. The tie is no longer compulsory at the office, but when you wear one, its tip should graze the waistband, no higher, no lower. Add polished leather shoes (black oxfords for formal, brown derbies for the rest), a belt matched to the shoe leather, and long socks that never expose the calf when you sit.

One last piece of advice to close the outfit: every accessory should sit in the same register as the suit. A chunky dive watch clashes with a formal three-piece just as a dressy black leather strap looks odd on a linen suit. A suit is a coherent uniform: every added piece has to speak the same language as the others. That coherence, more than the price, is what makes an outfit work.

Frequently asked questions