I like men in suits. Suits make men look powerful, polished and smart. You can smell the Alpha! A fine suit is like a piece of art. The man’s body becomes a museum piece. It is also symbol of sophistication and breeding and suiting up properly has become a lost art. In our casual, dressed down world, a suit sighting is rare. Especially in Potcouver where I live. The uniform of most men here fall into four categories:
- Manchild Uniform: baggy jeans, hoodies, beanie caps, skaterboy shoes and a frumpy backpack that makes them look like they are in 9th grade.
- Standard Dad Bod Uniform: golf shirts or untucked collared shirts, chinos or khahis with either too high or too low waists, and sandals or runners. Laptop bag.
- Metrosexual Lumberjack Uniform: skinny jeans, plaid, beards, unlaced combat boots with big wool socks These are the uniforms of my city. I used to live in Toronto. Suit sightings are much more frequent there.
- Rocker Dad Bod Uniform: Long thinning hair, faded 'insert-hair-band-name here' shirt, jeans from the 90’s
I have specific suiting fetishes if you will. The suit sleeves should end at the hinges of a man’s wrists, so that a quarter to half inch of shirt cuff shows. Ideally his shirt has French cuffs and elegant cufflinks...but I digress. I like a single breasted suit with a single vent. It should have a full canvas so it holds its shape. It should be a solid color. I don’t like pinstripes or patterns (although I am a sucker for a tweed jacket). The suit jacket should contour to a man’s body which means that if bought off the rack, it has been tailored. There should be ZERO puckering in the back seam. Nipping a jacket in a bit at the sides a bit also helps to define a man's torso. He should easily be able to cup his fingers under the bottom of the jacket ensuring that it is the right length. I like a good notch lapel that is no wider than 2 inches at it’s widest point. I like a traditional flap pocket and in that pocket, a nice pocket square. I’m a fan of the British rolled-shoulder. A British rolled shoulder has the padding extend over the shoulder and roll down a bit into the sleeve. It’s a technical difference, but it’s also a visual trick that makes the shoulders seem broader and the arms look really built and what's not to like about that!? I prefer slant front pockets to straight ones. My favorite suits are made of cashmere or merino wool. For summer a light wool blend or a stiff linen blend suit is great.
I like flat front pants and I like them slim cut with a ½ to ¾ break at the cuff. I do not like the current flood pant look with a man’s socks showing. A man’s socks should only show when seated. If there is a flood guys, you can roll up your pant leg. I don’t like cuffs either - straight hems all the way. The pants should sit at or just below the hipbone. Ideally the opening of your pant leg should measure between 8 1/9” and 8 3/8.
So yeah, clearly I’m not picky or demanding at all. Totally reasonable things to like, right? I also like unicorns. Haven't spotted one of them lately either.