Suits are to men what LBDs are to women. The former is very important in every man’s wardrobe, more important than the wardrobe itself.

You should consider all these before picking a suit.

A. SHOULDERS.
A good suit should hug your shoulders. When buying a suit, go ahead & try sizing down. When you pull on a jacket, there should be a firmness to it.

B. SLEEVE WIDTH.
Trimming them of excess fabrics cuts a mean figure.

C. CUFFS.
Your suit sleeves should end just above the hinges of your wrists so a quarter to half inch of shirt cuff shows.

D. SIDES.
Your jacket should contour to your body. Have a tailor nip it at the sides. This will accentuate your shoulders.

E. ANKLE.
Preferably flat-front pants, cut slim, with very little break at the ankle. This produces a long, clean look. Your pants should just clip the tops of your shoes, not bunch up over them.

F. LAPELS.
Nothing does more to dictate a suits character than the lapel. Preferably, a slim one, about two inches at its widest point. It is modern without being rock-star skinny.

G. BUTTONS.
GO FOR TWO. Sure, a three-button that’s cut well can do the job, but a two-button is much more consistently reliable no matter your shape or size. We typically opt for ones with low-button stances, because they create a long, slimming torso.

H. TICKET POCKET.
If you’re into more of a naija-dandy vibe, go for it.

I. FLAP.
Preferably a traditional flap pocket. But if you want the ’90’s look, slit pockets will do.

J. VENT
Finally, don’t ignore the back of the jacket. It plays an integral role in a suits character. Generally, we prefer a centre vent; its unobtrusive & keeps the lines of the suit clean & simple, but side vents like the image above, make more of a statement.

Culled from HARRIS-APPAREL Facebook page.