5 Of The Most Common Suit Mistakes Men Make, According to Frank Bespoke
Putting on a well-fitting suit feels like getting an injection of self-assurance and confidence – it’s just an all-round great feeling. Suits are the bedrock of menswear and have become synonymous with class, elegance, sophistication, refinement, and gentleman-hood.
But there are some common suit-wearing mistakes a lot of men make that strip the iconic menswear staple of everything it stands for. We asked Grant Van Den Berg, the founder and owner of bespoke menswear brand Frank Bespoke, to take us through what some of these mistakes are.
[Frank Bespoke will also be setting up a pop up stand catering to all your tailoring questions and needs at the Men’s Health RESIDENCY event in Johannesburg on 31 August – get your ticket today!]
1/ Buttoning all the buttons
Unless you’re wearing a double-breasted suit jacket, you should never have all of your buttons buttoned.
“Buttoning all the buttons of your suit jacket is a cardinal sin. If you’re wearing a 2-button suit, you should only button the top button – it’s a sartorial rule,” Van Den Berg says.
Related: Buy One Suit And Nail 10 Different Looks
2/ Sleeve Length
Jacket sleeves that are too short or too long are a no-go zone. How can you tell if you’ve got the right length? Van Den Berg explains this to us.
“When you wear a suit jacket, you are meant to see not more than half an inch of the shirt cuffs coming through the end of the sleeve of the jacket,” Van Den Berg explains.
“Guys often want a longer sleeve for their suit jacket, but this just looks clumsy and doesn’t make for a great fit.”
Related: 10 Rules For Looking Good In A Suit
3/ Leaving the tack stitching on
“A massive sore point for me is when guys don’t remove the tack stitching and label off a suit,” he says. “Walking around with those labels on is just madness.”
He explains that the tack stitching on your jacket, in the vents and the pockets, is only there to keep the suit together when it’s being transported from one point to another – but it should always be removed once you’ve purchased the suit.
4/ Belt and shoe combination
Often, bespoke suits will not have belt loops because you wouldn’t need a belt for something that was specifically made for you. But for an off-the-rack suit, Van Den Berg says that the rule is simple when it comes to the belt and shoe combination – if you’re going to go with one colour, you have to keep it consistent.
Related: 7 Reasons You Need To Be At MH Residency
“I don’t care what anyone says. If you’re wearing a black shoe, wear a black belt. If you’re wearing a brown shoe, wear a brown belt. That’s it.”
5/ Dry cleaning too often
You might find this one hard to believe, but your suit only needs to be dry cleaned very few times in a year.
“A suit should only be dry cleaned after every 30-40 wears, particularly if it’s a pure wool suit,” Van Den Berg explains. “After you’ve worn it, hang it up nicely and let it air out before your next wear – don’t take it to the dry cleaner after every wear – this is a mistake a lot of men make.”
Men’s Health Residency: The Ultimate Gentleman’s Experience
We will be hosting the ultimate Men’s Health experience in Jozi on 31 August 2019 and you don’t want to miss this one!
Experience the all-new LEXUS RC F, join panel discussions and workshops led by the country’s leading gents on fashion, grooming, wealth, health, tech, motoring and innovation; enjoy an awesome braai experience while watching the Premier League soccer and stand the chance to win loads of prizes.
