The Three Piece Suit: The Next Level Of Formal Wear
photo: dailymail.co.uk
If you thought getting a suit will make you look stylish, how about you take this to the next level and get a three piece suit? If you haven’t heard too much about it or you’re afraid it’s too “business” for you, let me shed some light on the matter.
Let me first tell you what a 3-piece suit is…
A 3-piece suit is no different than an ordinary suit except it has one extra item: the vest. If you wore vests in casual situations, like I advised you is some of my other articles, you’re already familiar with it.
So a three piece suit = suit jacket + suit pants + vest.
Why a vest?
As to why the vest became a part of the suit ,we’d have to look back into history. It seems that King Charles II enforced this “fashion rule” way back in 1666, which stood around up until nowadays.
The fact is, a suit vest can give a guy some big advantages (which I shamefully kept for myself until now because I realized I’ve never written about this).
The vest can help you in two ways:
- It makes your chest look bigger
- It makes your waist look smaller
Those are two fantastic reasons to wear a 3-piece suit!
Obviously, you can’t get the vest from another suit or wear one that you bought separately. All three pieces come in a set and they should always be worn together.
Since the only new element here is the vest, the other rules related to suits still apply to the 3-piece suit so you don’t have anything new to learn.
If you don’t know the basics about suits, I have a men style book that will help you out. If you do, let’s move on and talk a little about the vest.
The great thing about a suit vest as opposed to a casual one is that it has a back adjuster. The purpose of it is to allow yourself to adjust the vest to fit perfectly over your waist. This means that, when you buy a 3-piece suit, you shouldn’t worry too much about the vest – just try on the jacket and the pants. If they fit, the vest will fit you as well.
One thing before using the back adjuster (or the side adjusters that some suit vest have): sit down for a few second AFTER you’ve adjusted it to make sure it fits. if you feel uncomfortable, try loosening it up a little.
The second thing I want you to remember is never to try to “color match” your vest with your suit. I’ve said this before in this article but it’s well worth mentioning again: the suit jacket, the pants and the vest should be made from the same color and same fabric – buy them and wear them together.
In fact… please don’t even try to match them even if you think they have “pretty much” the same color.
Wearing the suit without the vest
In the summer, wearing that suit vest can make you very hot. I know that and, if you’re wondering if you can skip the vest, my answer is a definite YES. 3-piece suits can be transformed in 2-piece suits.
