Our advice on costumes

Nos conseils sur les costumes

To avoid missteps, check the following points:

black suit jacket

1

You should be able to fit your fist between your chest and the top button of your jacket.

black men's suit

2

The shoulders should break cleanly and angularly: no creases, and a seam at the top of the sleeve right where your shoulder naturally breaks.

navy blue suit jacket

3

Check that you don't have excess material in the armpits and back (no unnecessary folds).

brown leather shoe

4

The right length of pants cannot be improvised: the fabric should only form a single break above the shoe. No more.

How to choose the right fabric?

It must be made of natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk, cashmere, etc.).

Synthetic fibers do not breathe and do not age well (fibers containing polyester will start to shine on the buttocks and elbows). Avoid anything that is not 100% natural for a suit.

Some fabrics are much more famous than others because they are made by iconic weavers with very specific know-how .

The most famous are British : Harrison of Edinburgh, Porter & Harding or Holland & Sherry, or Italian : Zegna, Loro Piana or Vitale Barberis Canonico. That said, they have different ranges with sometimes variable qualities.

Tradition dictates that the jacket, the blazer and the trousers should be made from the same fabric, but the jacket can be made from a different material for greater originality (silk for example).

Which assembly to choose?

costume assembly

Heat-sealed jacket

The fabrics are glued together, one to the other, using a plastic that is heated.

It's ugly because everything is welded together, it ages badly (blisters that form over time and after dry cleaning), and this plastic membrane makes you sweat. For less than €300, it's impossible to find anything other than heat-sealed.

Semi-canvassed jacket

The bib is assembled using seams (or "free assembly"), and only the bottom of the jacket and certain details use heat-sealing.

This allows you to get a good result without making the price of the costume explode.

Canvas jacket

The jacket is 100% free-standing.

This assembly requires a lot of work, but guarantees the appearance and longevity of your jacket.

The characteristics of your costume

Double-breasted or straight, single or double-breasted, the suit jacket comes in many characteristics that must adapt to your tastes, your body shape, and the degree of formality sought:

Collars and lapels

They can be more or less wide, depending on the width of your own bust and the desired effect. Just avoid extreme contrasts (slender bust, huge lapels... or the opposite). Here are the most common:

notched lapels

Notched lapels

It is the easiest collar to wear, and the most versatile too.

reverse point

Pointed lapels

A little more daring than its notched counterpart, it is more or less common depending on trends.

shawl collar

Shawl collar

It is distinguished from the two previous ones by its continuous line. Its wearing is particularly suitable for dressy evenings.

The pockets

  • Piped pockets with flaps : these are the most common. You can't go wrong with them.
  • Piped pockets without flaps : a bit more casual. On the other hand, if they become deformed and bunched, it will be visible.
  • You can also find jackets with a third pocket on the right side of the jacket . This is a ticket pocket , also called a "Derby pocket" .
  • Patch pockets : instead of having a simple slit, the pocket is attached to the outside of the suit. This is very nice on a blazer or a suit that is intended to be very casual (why not), but unsuitable for formal uses.

The shoulders

Neapolitan

The Neapolitan (or natural) shoulder

It follows the lines of your body (Italian style). It sometimes has little or no padding.

classic shoulder

The classic shoulder

With moderate padding.

roman shoulder

The Roman (or oversized) shoulder

It includes padding which will further accentuate the lines of your body.

Less varied, the pants can be straight, pleated or cigarette (very tight, without molding the legs). Original, the cuffs (hems) can be a very good option for a little old school look!

A short history of the costume

It refers to the combination of a jacket and trousers, made from the same fabric and requiring tailoring expertise. When a waistcoat accompanies the ensemble, we speak of a "complete" or three-piece suit.

The origins of the two-piece suit are said to have appeared in the 17th century; when the justaucorps, breeches and waistcoats were matched by colour. However, it was not until the middle of the 19th century that the two-piece suit that we know today appeared in England.

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