Men in Suits

Closet Content Analysis: How many suits are in your closet?

NICE

I love the look of men in suits! I'd like to see more men in suits. I'd like to see my husband in more suits. It may happen this year since it appears that there is an increased interest in dress formality in the workplace for men. Clothing trends come and go and I'm glad to see that there will be more men in more suits this fall.

Perhaps what I like even more than the formal business appearance of tie and shirt is the casualness of a t-shirt or turtleneck with the suit. A suit teamed with a t-shirt and sandals in the summer is a statement that any man can make. Come fall the transition may be loafers, no socks and then well, winter temperatures will dictate what you pair with your suit.

Photo Source: Bonobos Fall Suit Collection 2014. 

There is a fall crispness to our mornings and there's a "back to work/school" mentality that affects how we buy. Therefore if you are in a situation where suits are the norm or perhaps were the norm or maybe are not the norm and you want to start a new tradition in your workplace, it's time to go shopping.

I envy men for the ease they have in buying online. A North American woman's size 6 rarely fits the same between brand names and between countries, it is nightmarish since it is a 10 in the UK, 38 in France, 42 in Italy and 36 in Germany. For men, pant size is standard relative to waist size and inseam, although that's not the only requisite when it comes to fit. 

Fit is an issue and it means the difference between dowdy and chic. In fact, a couple of Stanford Business School college mates began an online men's apparel company motivated by providing a signature line of better fitting pants. That was in 2007 and by 2011 their company, Bonobos, began providing f2f service in Bonobos Guideshops in major centers across the U.S. In 2012 Bonobos began showing in Nordstroms and select stores. 

Of course they have suits that obviously fit well - standard, slim, short, regular, tall - well-tailored suits in Italian wool as well as other fabrics.

Although they are the largest apparel brand ever built on the web in the United States, they are presently only shipping to the following countries: Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. According to the Bonobos website, they're in the process of increasing their international destinations.

How many suits are there in your closet? Maybe there will be one more than there was last fall and perhaps it will be a Bonobos suit from their men's suit collection.