If you find yourself in a line of work that requires you to wear a suit, the tone will likely have to be fairly conservative. For most, it can be understandably difficult to imagine any noticeable differences between one navy or grey business suit versus another, but in truth, there are a number of factors to consider when building a professional wardrobe. Age, employment, environment, seniority, climate and workweek routine are just a few of the crucial factors that need to be thought of whenever commissioning a new suit.
Everyone should have a solid midnight blue and a darker gray in their wardrobe to start, but as you climb the ladder, your sartorial choices open up.
First Few Years
This is entry-level. You’ve just started your career and are at the bottom of the ladder. The point is to look professional and competent, and not flashy or beyond your years. What we recommend will confidently take you through your workweek, as well as through any social engagements you may find yourself attending at this stage in your life i.e. weddings, dinners, dates, etc. This look is best worn with a pair of black oxfords.
Here’s what we strongly suggest for your first couple of suits:
Navy/midnight blue or mid/charcoal gray
Solid cloths from ranges like Huddersfield Fine Worsteds Chelsea, VBC, or Smith Woollens Abacus
Again, we cannot stress how important it is to start with solids. This includes plain weaves, twills, and sharkskins
Cloth weight: 9oz-14oz
Styling:
Jacket
Moderate, proportionate notch lapel
2 button or 3/2
Plain double jet with pocket flaps
Thin to medium shoulder pad, depending on natural shoulder slope
3-4 cuff buttons
Side vents
Pants
No pleats, cuff maybe
Belt loops or side adjusters
Navy to Midnight blues from VBC, perfect for a starter suit
Range of grays from Smith Woolens Abacus
A Few Years Later...
At this point, you’ve put at least 5 years into your career, and are ready to round out your wardrobe with some more casual tailoring for your social engagements. Your business suits will stay within the same palette and styling as the 1st tier entry level suits, but can be updated with more visual and physical texture and can be slightly more seasonal in weight.
Ways to update your business wardrobe:
Visual herringbones, solid flannels, bird’s eye/pin dots
Cloths from Harrisons Oyster, Fox worsted flannels, and Standeven British Classic or Churchill
Optional features: Ticket pockets, pleats and cuffs for pants
Hopefully you’ve been won over with side adjusters at this point. Belt loops can be reserved for more casual options outside of work
Casual tailoring
Linens or mohair linen blends for warm weather (cloths from Mersolair etc.)
1 blazer/sportscoat in a softer construction for social events
Most pocket types can be considered, including patch pockets and double jetted pocket without flaps
100% Linen from Harrisons Mersolair, a warm weather staple
Birdseye in navy from Harrisons Oyster
Pin dots from Standeven Churchill
Many Years Later...
So you’ve gone through many promotions and a good amount of people look to you for direction. You may or may not be at the point where a couple gray hairs are starting to appear, and you may think that this will limit your wardrobe options, but it is in fact the opposite. This is where you really start to have the disposable income, the professional experience, and the clout to get away with more than you ever have before.
Depending on what line of work and how conservative your workplace is, you might be able pull off slightly louder but still tasteful patterns with a more luxe blends of fibers (think cashmeres, angoras, mohairs). If the company you’re with is very, very conservative (solid colour suits only), you can still convey your seniority by picking a more luxurious solid cloth that offers superior drape and subtle sheen. If you are in a sector that has more room for experimentation and character, this is the point where we recommend adding more colour, texture, and pattern into your wardrobe. Seasonal colours and weights should also be considered.
Ways to update your business wardrobe styling:
Patterns including shadow glen checks, pin stripes, windowpanes, and rope/chalk stripes
Cloths from Harrisons Premier Cru and Moonbeam, Fox Flannels, and Standeven
Double breasted jackets
Peak lapels
1-4 cuff buttons
Cuffed pants with pleats
Three-piece suits
You’re also probably travelling more for work and leisure, and the caliber of social event that you’re attending has evolved since the beginning of your career.
Ways to update your casual tailoring:
Wool/silk/linen blends for summer in more expressive colours and patterns
Cloths from Harrisons Seashell and Burra Bay
Cashmeres, cashmere silk blends, and luxury flannels for winter are best made into blazers/sports jackets
Cloths from Harrisons Moonbeam and Standeven Glenesk
Classic patterns like a Prince of Wales check are essential
Subtle Glen plaids from Harrisons Premier Cru
Soft lambswool mix from Harrisons Moonbeam
Classic Pinstripes from Standeven Churchill
Terylene/Linen mixes, great for summer jackets, from Harrisons Seashell
Outliers
If you’re a professional person in an environment that does not require you to wear a full suit, but you are interested in incorporating tailoring into your wardrobe, we are happy that you exist! We recommend not following the guidelines above, and instead that you go ahead and break a few of them. If a navy blue 2 button business suit doesn’t fit in your workplace, don’t order one. We suggest possibly experimenting in either a softer Ivy style silhouette with patch with flap pockets in a soft tweed, or go the opposite direction and get an 80s structured suit with strong shoulders and wide peak lapels in a crisp mohair blend. Take advantage of the sartorial freedom you’re offered and pick cloths that carry a more casual fashion-y edge to them, whether that be through texture, weave, colour, or all three of the above. We recommend cloths from Harrisons Oyster, W. Bill Donegal, Fox Flannel Tweed, and Standeven Heritage Twist/ Oxbridge Flannel. These pair well with a knit polo, an oxford button-up, or a nicer t-shirt.
Bold wide stripes from Fox Worsted Flannel
Checks from Fox Flannel Tweed
Warm herringbones from Fox Flannel Tweed
Variety of patterns from W. Bill Donegal
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