Suit Wearing Tips

*In formal wear, subtlety wins big. Odd-coloured suits don't always fit the occassions that call for a suit, so stick with something neutral and conservative. Colours like gray, black, navy and brown are safe to buy. Pinstriped fashions are a way to get variation, and makes a subdued suit interesting. Thin pinstripes go with bolder colours.

*Shirt and tie should play off against your suit's dominant colour. With conservative suits, all you need to watch out for is the tone. This means you can wear green, but not bright green on a charcoal-toned suit. Soft suits call for soft or pastel shirts.

*Formal wear pants can never be pastel; unless you're doubling as the event's comic relief. The pants must only barely touch the top of your shoe when you're standing, and preferably unpleated and uncuffed, especially when they're slim-legged.



*Don't be tempted to assemble a suit from a sports coat and same-coloured pants. The fabrics will never matched together, and sharp eyes can readily tell the difference. The only solution to this issue is to get out a buy a suit if you need to (or borrow from a mate!).

*Fit is another thorny issue with wearing suits. Consider your height when looking for what cut to take. Buy a suit with shorter tails if you're not tall. If you've gined weight, get a roomier suit. Most off-the-rack suits will clash in your body type in some way, so don't hesitate to take the suit to the alterers. Tailors can fix any mismatch for less than you might be expecting, and you gain points for wearing something that actually looks good on you.

*Keep accessories to a minimum, ditch clip-ons, necklaces or earrings. Ditto for sports watches and sneakers; get hold of a formal timepiece and formal shoes.

*Belts and shoes should always match colour, and come only in black or brown, at least for formal occasions.