Men’s Summer Suit Style

Fashion Friday is a weekly post series on the subject of fashion and beauty. I’ll talk about items that I find or want for my wardrobe to ways to beautify yourself to featuring fashion bloggers.

Couple weeks ago, I was contacted by the Online Media Manager at Bonobos to create a Summer style inspired post around their new collection. They recently launched their new men’s Summer suit collection. The suits are a great-fitting and lightweight natural complement to warm-weather weddings and garden parties.

If the man in your life is looking for a suit to wear for a warm-weather outing this summer or for work, check out the men’s Summer suit collection by Bonobos. Bonobos has several suit syles: the foundation and the capstone. The foundation comes in a regular and a slim style and there are several options of material: wool or cotton. The capstone also comes in a regular and a slim style and there are several options as well, wool or tuxedo.

If the man in your life is looking for something more relaxed, but still dressy, check out the men’s Summer blazers. There are slim and regular styles of blazers. There are several options of material: wool, cotton, or cashmere.

Capstone Suit – Super 130s

Foundation Slim – Blue Micro-Stripe

Is the man in your life tall? Is it hard for him to find the right suit? My husband is tall at 6’4 and has had experience finding the right suit for work. He looks for a slim fitting suit with two buttons. He doesn’t wear a vest since it doesn’t look quite right on him. His idea of the perfect pant is one with no pleat, with a single, crisp crease down the middle of the pant that end right at the joint of his foot.

Below is a quote from my husband on his experience with suits.

“When I worked on Capitol Hill, I saw a lot of guys wearing suits the right way – because making a first impression, especially in politics, is crucial. Their jackets were not too big, nor too small, pants always seemed to fit just right and of course everything was polished and dry cleaned often, which makes a big difference. In the summer we opted for cotton suits as they offered some comfort in the summer heat and humidity that plagues D.C. each summer. If I didn’t have a cotton suit on hand, I opted for Super 100’s wool which is thin, comfortable and form-fitting. One of our fun traditions was ‘Seersucker Thursday’ – an old tradition in the Senate in which many guys would wear seersucker suits.

The biggest mistake I saw however, was the length of tie worn on the hill. Some guys, including a few senators (in which I won’t name), had ties that went well below the button on their pants. My general rule of thumb is to make sure your tie ends right at your belt. Wear it too short and it looks like you stole a tie from a child. Wear it too long and you just look ridiculous.

When I moved back home and worked in banking and photographed weddings on the weekends, I would see a lot of guys wearing pants that were too long or too baggy. It just looked sloppy. If it’s windy and your pants blow around your legs like a towel around a flagpole, it might be time to invest in some slimmer fitting pants. As far as sleeve length, when a guy wears a jacket with sleeves too short, it looks as if they’re trying to relive their high school days. Wear it too long it’ll give the impression your swimming in a garment too big for your frame.

It’s not hard to find a well fitted suit – but it can be hard to convince others what looks good on them.”

Men’s Ties

Men’s Pocket Squares

Is the man in your life looking for suit styling and fit tips? Check out the tips from the Vice President of Design at Bonobos, Dwight Fenton.

“Fit is the most important detail for a suit. Marry that with classic color options and quality fabric, and you have a great looking, versatile suit for every occasion,” says Dwight Fenton, Bonobos VP of Design.

Fenton’s simple suit tips to find the right fit:

• Fit starts with the shoulders: The jacket should grab your shoulders snuggly but not be overly tight. If the shoulders fit, pretty much anything else can be adjusted.

• Length matters: To determine the appropriate length, you should be able to cup the bottom of the suit with your arms by your side.

• Show some shirt: A flexible but general rule of thumb is to have a quarter-inch of your shirt cuff showing. If you’re wearing a heavier cuff, like a French cuff, you may want to show a little more

Hope these tips for suit styling and fit help the man in your life find the perfect suit or blazer for this summer’s warm weather outing or for work.

What does the man in your life look for when finding the perfect suit?