Tips for Wearing a Suit: Another Reason to Post a Photo Of Joseph Gordon-Levitt

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(above: Joseph Gordon-Levitt always looks perfect in a suit)

I was people watching this week at a coffee shop.  Yeah I do that sometimes, it relaxes the brain.

I watched men coming in and out of the shop dressed in their suits to grab their morning cup-o-joe before hitting the car pool lane and it dawned on me that a majority of the men I see are making some crucial errors when it comes to wearing a suit.

First and foremost, YOU should wear a suit, the suit should never wear you.  There is an art to wearing a suit, a right and a very wrong way to wear one.

Because I want all of you gents to be as sartorially correct as possible I have put together a short list of the 6 biggest Crimes Against Suits I have witnessed.

6 Suit Rules to Live By 

1. Never let your undershirt hang out above your dress shirt.  It just looks horrible. If you must wear an under shirt v-necks are best because they are easier to hide.

2. Make sure to remove the little designer tag off the sleeve.  It is NOT meant to stay there.  Trust me, if you leave it there people are laughing at you.

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3. Please, please make sure to remove the X of thread that is stitched across the back vent of the suit. I have literally ran up behind a guy and stealthily clipped it off before.  It was only meant to stay there during the shipping process of the suit to keep it flat.

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4. Skip the pocket.  A dress shirt with a pocket throws off the line of the suit.  You don’t need it, you’re not storing anything in there and it looks a little grandpa, and not in a good way.

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5. Pleats.  I have said it before and I’ll say it again.  Unless you are golfing- and even then it is iffy- NEVER NEVER wear pleated pants.

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6. The Fit. Purchase a suit that fits and get it tailored!  This is sooooo important. You have heard before that 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size?  Well I’d guess that at least 80% of men are wearing the wrong suit size! I see so many men in boxy misfitted suits!  Sleeves that are way too long, shoulders not in the right place and pants that are way too wide.  A good suit should hug your shoulders, not slouch off them. The sleeve width should be fitted and slimming not wide and flapping around.  The sleeve length should end at the hinge of the wrist so that you have a half inch of shirt sleeve peeking out. Your jacket should be fitted to the contours of your body and be pinched at the waist.  Lastly, your pants should just graze the tops of your shoes not drape over them.  Too much of a break in the pants looks uber-sloppy.

This is how a suit should be worn:

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Have you witnessed a crime against suits?  Report it here!

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