Tip of the week: How to buy a men’s suit

Ignore brand names. High-end labels mean nothing. Unless you intend to spend more than four figures on a suit with a lot of handwork, almost any suit you buy will have been produced by machine, “in minutes, usually in an Asian or former Eastern Bloc country.” Accept that, and plan to make the suit your own through alterations.

Try on everything. Designers do like to push a particular look, but a cut that looks good on one person doesn’t necessarily look good on everyone. Stick with classic cloths and patterns, but try on every available option until you’ve identified a look you feel comfortable in.

Pay for alterations. Some people look sharp in a suit right off the rack, but by paying just a little for personal tailoring, “you can end up with a $100 suit that looks like it cost $1,000.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek