Last issue, emmagem, wrote how a man can impress a girl or employer (current ad future) with the way he dresses. This issue, we promised to delve a little into suits and its suitability to the Malaysia.  I believe that in Malaysia, more and more men are investing in one good suit if no other reason then for their wedding at least. But what if you aren’t getting married just yet and you get invited to a function that says tuxedo or formal wear. What should you do, in Malaysia, formal wear has often been substituted with a batik shirt but let’s say you have finally decided to invest in a suit , how should you go about it? And where should you go about it? Why do we call it an investment? Well, a really good suit can set you back as much as one thousand ringgit but if it’s for your wedding day and if it’s to attend the interview for the job of your dreams, it can be well worth it.And the thing about suits, they can actually be very versatile. I take for example a simple black suit of light weight wool material, gorgeously made, surprisingly great deal bought during a sale. You can wear it for your first job interview, match with a serious shirt and tie; clinch the job and its your first company dinner and all the head honchos will be around, wear it with a nice color shirt and nice tie or without, for the office party; big pow wows to clinch even bigger deal, dress the same suit with more serious ties and shirts and maybe just for a touch of savoir faire put on a vest; your first date with the girl of your dreams, pair it casually with dark blue shirt and some cool cufflinks to show your style and your respect; then  THE Day! Your wedding…time to invest in another suit!

As an ex-buyer for men’s ready to wear in a departmental store, I must say there are no shortages of tailors to tailor make your perfect suit. This will be mostly made to measure tailoring shops that are located in Sungei Wang for instance. But more and more brands are coming up with ready to wear Italian cut suits from the Italian brand Canali to Hugo Boss to Ermenegildo Zegna and London brand Marks and Spencer, and they serve a pretty good selection at affordable prices. And, for fine made to measure suits you can go to Sparks Manshop, a local brand that has been around for a while and made a name for its fine cutting. Though slightly higher in price, wearing a suit cut from any of these fine brands will definitely set you apart from the madding crowd.

What had been observed as a general faux pas in suit wearing by most Malaysian gentlemen is that they tend to misunderstand “good fit” as for the wallet rather then the shoulder frame. These days, one can buy suits from any retailer and they come pretty affordable at two hundred to three hundred ringgit a suit, retailers tend to stock up ready to wear imported from China due to the pricing and also the niche that Chinese mainland suit makers have made for themselves, very affordable ready to wear jackets or suits. However, you should be cautioned that if buying an off the peg suit, do find one that absolutely fits you to a tee or have it altered to fit.

When choosing a suit:

1.) Go for subtle colored suits

• Neutral colors like grey, navy blue , dark brown and of course black seldom go wrong. Pinstripe although usually associated with staid bankers and  lawyers have made a fashion statement for themselves. They give a certain depth to a suit that would otherwise have been ordinary.
• Pairing the shirt or accessorizing the suit would depend on the occasion at hand. Usually if wearing neutral colors, you can match the shirts to any soft shades like light blue, light yellow, or even light pink. Since wearing a suit means pairing of a jacket and pants from the same material and color and is purchased together whether it is tailored or off the rack, which (pause to catch breathe) means pairing any available black jacket with a matching black pants doesn’t qualify the attire to a tuxedo. It would be a serious fashion error if they were made of different material and the blacks don’t match as they are wont to do.

2) It’s all about the FIT

• The shoulders should fit perfectly and is not stretch too tightly across the back or worse crumples in the middle due to excess material. The length of the sleeve falls just below the wrist and you should still see about half and inch of the shirts sleeve’s cuffs. The length of the jacket should cover the backside.
• A well fitted suit looks like the jacket is just resting on your shoulder frame when worn.

3) Choice of material

• Try to get lightweight wool material when choosing a suit. They tend to fall better. Don’t be afraid that it would be too warm for our weather as real wool is a breathable material that tends to adjust to your body heat.  Though a lot of syntentic fabric is now being used, always choose one that is mixed with wool if possible for best results.

4) Sports Jackets

• These are jackets that are worn over jeans, casual slacks of different material. They are usually meant for casual outings like lunches or casual dinners. They can be worn with a button down shirt or a polo tee shirt. Ties are an option.
• The material and design of material can be a little bit more adventurous. Experimenting with tweed jackets, checked design materials and even denim and velvet can bring about surprising results, in a good way. Same rules in terms of fit of the jacket as with a  formal suit.

5) Caring for your suit

• Buy a suit hanger which is slightly curved and padded to hang your jacket so that the ends of the hanger don’t stop in the middle of the shoulder pads and ruin the padding , the shoulder definition is very, very important in a suit. A proper hanger can keep your suit’s jacket in shape for quite a long while.
• In fact if you buy a suit, you should always subject them to the same wash, so that any discoloration from the wash will be the same. In other words, try to wear them as a suit always and not wear either the pants or the jacket or one of  the pieces  more often than the other. Buy a separate sports jacket if you find that it suits you better to occasionally wear jackets without suiting up.
• Only dry clean for your suits and hopefully with a trusted dry cleaner who will and knows how to take care of the material and shape of the suit.
• When carrying jacket over arm, always ensure that you fold the jacket in half at the back and line both shoulder pads together then flip the  inside of one front panel over the other. Then carry the jacket inside out with both lining and label on the outside as this method prevents the shoulder padding from being distorted.  Always use a suit hanger when traveling with your favorite suit.

6) Suit the occasion

• If your invitation says a casual smart attire, what should you wear? Well, generally a very nice sports coat with a pair of smart pants and a tie (or without) may suffice if for instance an art gallery opening or Malaysian theatre. Otherwise, go for a neutral colored suit like khaki color or light brown and wear with a matching tie and shirt or go without the tie and accessories with cufflinks instead. Slate grey suit would go well with a dark blue shirt and dark tie for a fashionable look or wear with white shirt and dark blue tie to set off the colors. And you will look pretty dandy in any fashionable or formal function.
• For invitations stated as formal wear , color of suit is optional, but a full suit would be expected with the exception of batik shirt or national costume as  a substitute. Also, color of suits should veer towards darker rather than light colors to err on the side of caution.
• If your invite reads - “black tie optional” or “black tie invited” or “black tie preferred” means it will be the choice of the guest to attend in tuxedoes.
• If however it reads, “Black tie”, tuxedoes would be the order of the day! It should mean a full black suit with white shirt or wing tips and bow tie. Suspenders are now a fashion option, I believe. But choose either a cummerbund or suspenders or vest but not all three or any two at the same time, oh, and of course, cufflinks.
• A rare invite in our country would be “white tie” which means attending the event in evening tails.

So, suit up and let the world sit up and take notice! of YOU!Ready to wear, Bespoke and made to measure suits

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