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What’s This About
Wearing a suit well comes down to a few widely followed conventions on buttoning, fit, shirt, tie, belt, shoes and socks, applied to the occasion you are dressing for.
This guide explains each convention and when it bends, such as:
Which buttons to fasten on one-, two- and three-button jackets
How much shirt cuff to show, and where your tie should end
Matching your belt to your shoes, or wearing braces instead
Socks, pocket squares and the shirt collar
Suit outfits for business, black tie events and relaxed occasions
and many more!
Treat these as conventions rather than laws, and follow the dress code of the occasion when the two disagree.
Key Points
01On a single-breasted jacket, leave the bottom button undone and unfasten the jacket when you sit.
02Show about a quarter to half an inch (about 6 mm to 1.3 cm) of shirt cuff below the jacket sleeve.
03Let the tip of the tie reach your trouser waistband or belt buckle.
04Match the belt to the shoes, and choose socks long enough that no skin shows when you sit.
A suit is the most formal everyday outfit most men wear, and a few widely followed conventions make it look neat and comfortable, from the office to a black tie event where a dinner suit is needed instead.
This guide explains those conventions, why they exist and when they bend, then shows how to style a suit for different occasions.
Where the suit comes from
The three-piece suit is often traced to the long vest, coat and breeches that Charles II adopted at the English court in 1666, a fashion recorded by Samuel Pepys.
The modern lounge suit grew out of the looser lounge jacket of the mid-19th century and replaced the frock coat for everyday business wear by the early 20th century.
Related traditions range from Scottish Highland dress to the looser smart casual dress code, and a single-breasted jacket is also often worn on its own as a blazer.
Here is how the classic business suit compares with similar tailored garments.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Garment | Formality | Typical occasions | Distinguishing features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | High | Business, weddings and formal day or evening events | Jacket and trousers in the same cloth, sometimes with a matching waistcoat; single- or double-breasted. |
| Dinner suit (tuxedo) | Highest of these | Black tie events | Silk-faced lapels, usually braided trousers, single- or double-breasted jacket. |
| Blazer | Moderate | Smart casual and business casual | A separate jacket, often navy, worn with odd trousers; single- or double-breasted. |
| Sports coat | Moderate to casual | Casual and smart casual | A separate jacket, often in a textured or patterned cloth such as tweed or corduroy, and often softer in construction. |
Eight conventions for wearing a suit
These conventions are widely followed, but they are not laws, and some change with the jacket style or the occasion.
1. Buttoning the jacket
On a single-breasted jacket, the usual convention is to leave the bottom button undone.
One button: fasten it when you stand.
Two buttons: fasten the top button and leave the bottom one open.
Three buttons: fasten the middle button, the top one too if you like, and leave the bottom one open.
A popular story credits the habit to King Edward VII, who is said to have left his bottom button undone because of his waistline, although the story is hard to confirm.
Whatever its origin, most single-breasted jackets are now cut to be worn this way, so fastening the bottom button makes the front pull.
Double-breasted jackets follow different steps; our double-breasted suit guide and our guide to single- and double-breasted blazers explain them.
2. Unfastening when you sit
Unfasten a single-breasted jacket when you sit down, so the fronts do not pull or crease, and fasten it again when you stand.
Many people keep a double-breasted jacket fastened when sitting, although unfastening it for comfort is common.
3. The shirt collar
When you wear a tie, fasten the top button of the shirt so the knot sits neatly against the collar.
Without a tie, leaving the top button open is normal.
If you cannot fasten the top button comfortably, the collar is too tight, and a shirt with a larger collar size will fit better.
4. Sleeve length
About a quarter to half an inch (about 6 mm to 1.3 cm) of shirt cuff should show below the jacket sleeve when your arms hang down.
If no cuff shows, the jacket sleeves are usually too long, and a tailor can shorten them.
5. Belt and shoes
Match the colour of your belt to your shoes, such as a black leather belt with black Oxford shoes or a dark brown belt with brown brogues.
Braces or trousers with side adjusters are an alternative to a belt, especially with a waistcoat or a double-breasted jacket.
6. Tie length
The tip of the tie should reach about the trouser waistband or the middle of the belt buckle.
A tie that stops well above the waistband, or hangs well below it, catches the eye for the wrong reasons.
7. The pocket square
A pocket square is optional, and it usually looks best when it complements the tie rather than copying its fabric and pattern exactly.
A plain white linen or cotton square goes with almost any suit and tie, and a silk square with a small pattern adds more colour.
8. Socks
Choose socks long enough that no bare leg shows when you sit or cross your legs; over-the-calf socks are the surest way to do this.
Plain, dark socks that match the trousers or the shoes are the easiest choice for business.
Suit outfits by occasion
These outfits are starting points; swap any garment for one you own in a similar colour and formality.
Business
Wear: a navy wool suit, a white cotton shirt, a silver-grey silk tie, a slim black leather belt, black leather Oxfords, dark navy over-the-calf socks and a white linen pocket square.
Our guides to Savile Row tailoring, Turnbull & Asser shirts, Berluti and Gaziano & Girling shoes look at some of the makers behind these garments, but any well-fitting suit, shirt and shoes will do the job.
Black tie
When an invitation asks for black tie or black tie optional dress, the classic choice is a dinner suit rather than an ordinary suit.
Wear: a black or midnight blue dinner suit with silk-faced lapels and braided trousers, a white dress shirt, a black silk bow tie, black patent or highly polished black Oxfords, black silk or fine wool socks and a white linen pocket square.
Our article on Tom Ford covers one of the labels known for dinner suits.
Relaxed occasions
For a smart casual lunch or a weekend event, wear the suit without a tie, or swap the suit jacket for a separate jacket.
Wear: a grey herringbone jacket, a light blue Oxford shirt, beige or olive chinos, a brown leather belt and brown suede loafers.
Our guides to Ralph Lauren Purple Label, the Brooks Brothers Oxford shirt and other staples and Anderson & Sheppard show more examples of this relaxed tailoring.
More suit styling tips
Our black suit guide applies these tips to one suit colour in detail.
Get the fit right
Fit makes more difference to how a suit looks than the price or label; our article on The Row’s pricing looks at what goes into the price of high-end clothes.
A ready-to-wear suit with good alterations can fit very well, and a made-to-measure or bespoke suit is an option if ready-to-wear sizes do not suit your proportions.
Choose the suit by the shoulders first, because they are the hardest area of a jacket to alter.
Choose the cloth for the season and occasion
Worsted wool suits most of the year, flannel and tweed suit winter, and linen, cotton and open-weave wools suit summer.
Plain cloths are the most versatile, and pinstripes, checks and herringbone add pattern.
Start with versatile colours
Navy, charcoal and mid-grey suits go with the widest range of shirts, ties and shoes, so they make good first suits.
Develop your own style
Once the basics are in place, a signature look can come from the cut you prefer, the patterns you like or vintage-inspired details.
Our guide to waistcoats covers the three-piece option.
Conclusion
The suit is still the standard choice for business and formal day and evening events, and our guide to looking well dressed covers the wider picture.
Fasten the right buttons, check the cuff, tie and sock lengths, match your belt to your shoes, and choose the suit and accessories for the occasion.
Take the next step with The VOU
Our quizzes and guides can help you choose suits and accessories that suit you.
For the vocabulary behind this guide, see our explainers on clothing, garments, fashion accessories, menswear silhouettes and outfits, and our guide to styling by occasion, location, season and time of day.
We also cover heritage luxury brands and how logo-heavy luxury designs come across.
Take our three quizzes
Check your body shape with our body shape quiz for men.
Find your seasonal colours with our seasonal colour quiz for men.
Take the fashion style quiz for men to explore personal fashion styles, with outfit ideas for each.
Book a consultation for personal help
You can read about choosing an image consultant and what an image consultant does, and our guides to dressing for your body shape and seasonal colour analysis explain two optional frameworks for thinking about proportion and colour.
If you would like personal help after the quizzes, you can read about The VOU’s image consultants and stylists, see our paid consultations and styling services for men or contact us with questions.