This is the classic length for a man’s suit jacket. If your arms are normal length you will find that knuckle length is just below your behind. Your jacket should always be long enough to cover your behind. Classification: Business, Business Casual.
In suits as in legislation, man does not proceed by chance,
he is always guided by the mysterious acts of his mind.
In every form of dress, the Architectural Idea is ever-present.
The body and the suit represent the place and the material on which,
and with which - one must construct
the splendid edifice of the entire personality.
Thomas Carlyle
The length of your suit will determine how balanced your body appears. Currently, men's suits are going through a transformation. For many years the style was that suits were worn at or below the buttocks. Today, with the slimmer fit, jackets are getting shorter and can be worn level with the jacket sleeve or slightly shorter. This only suits the slimmer male. The more classic your style of suiting the more traditionally dressed you will appear.
Suits are like a modern costume of armour. Adorned in a suit, a man can feel handsome and confident. In the attractiveness stakes, women find a man in a suit second only to a man in uniform.
Regardless of your line of work you need at least one good suit that you can count on. The right suit can give you an advantage at a job interview, impress someone special, celebrate a friend's wedding or when you pay your respects at a funeral.
If you are a professional you'll need several suits of a quality that reflect both your current professional status and hint at your ability to move to even higher positions. A power suit was once described by Shapiro (president of Syd Jerome, a specialty men's clothier in Chicago) as "More than most of us can afford, but something to aspire to. It's well-tailored, stylish in a timeless sense".
Whatever your lifestyle a suit is an expensive item that requires careful consideration. Your budget, physique and the context in which you'll wear the suit all need to play a part in the selection process. Quality is paramount, and a suit under $400 is rarely a great buy.
A suit comprises many parts and requires considerable time to manufacture. Inexpensive suits are made using shortcuts, either in the quality of the fabric or in the manufacturing process. A cheap suit usually looks good only for a short time. Within a few months or several dry-cleanings, it will look tired and shabby. As with almost everything in life, ‘you get what you pay for'. For a suit that will last you five to eight years, expect to pay between $699 and $1,200. Pay between $1,000 and $1850, and you'll delight in the quality of the fabric and its comfort.
The ‘silhouette' is the term used by the clothing industry to describe the cut or shape of a suit. Women have long realized that the shape of a garment sets the tone of its appearance; men have recently realized that they too can choose styles that will assist them in accomplishing certain goals.
Over the last 100 years, fashion influences have had only a minor effect on the suit's basic silhouette. Lapel widths have changed, buttons have varied in number and placement, and jacket lengths have been seen to wander as low as 4 inches below the seat. However, the overall appearance of the suit has always remained true to three basic silhouettes: Fitted, Semi-fitted and Straight. Each silhouette can be found in single and double-breasted versions.
A suit is a uniform;
when it is of good quality and well fitted
it signals confidence and power both in business and social situations