My Transition From Skinny To Tailored

my transition from skinny to tailored

Ask me five years ago why men wear tailored suits and I would laughed saying; “because they’re old and overweight.” Although that may have been true, I now find myself right this moment shopping for a tailored fit suit. So what’s changed?

Well for one, I’m not eighteen anymore. Being twenty-three, my lifestyle is very different to how it was five years ago. All those late night takeaways have taken its toll and my lack of enthusiasm towards playing football has made me a proud owner of a 34 inch waist. Not only that but my desire to bulk up and pump weights in the gym has given me quite broad shoulders as well. It is fair to say, I’d rip a skinny suit easily in a day or two. Unfortunately two suits that are very dear to me are destined to stay in the back of my wardrobe until I am either able to drop a waist size, or pluck up the courage to give them to a charity shop.

Different Suit Sizes & Styles

We all have many different suit sizes and styles to choose from when we’re out shopping and knowing which style best suits you is essential. You have a choice between the school boy/rocker suits – the skinny fit. Then you have the slick and streamlined suit – the slim fit. Going up the ladder and getting old in age brings you to the comfortable and kind-of slim fit – tailored fit. The last and pretty much the least desirable fit – the regular fit.

skinny suits for kids

Skinny Fit

Skinny fitted suits are the perfect suit for the young hairless man who is venturing out into the big bad world. Perfect for the stylish kid who likes to look cool, show off his dapper shoes and wear his Ray-Bans at night. Can you wear these to work? Of course! I did and they worked very well for me. If you are proud of your physique then this suit is perfect for you. Be warned, your movement may be restricted in these so watch out before jumping over that fence or chasing that bus.

Slim Fit

Slim fit is probably by far the best fit and if I hope I can slim down enough to get back into them. Slim fitted suits look and feel amazing. You can breathe and stretch freely in these suits without worrying that lifting your leg too high will cause your trousers to rip at the crotch. Yes that has happened to me, on more than three occasions. I wouldn’t advise running for a bus though. Want a suit fitted for all formal and casual events/days the slim fit looks fantastic and feels equally the same.

Tailored Fit

Want comfort without losing style? Tailored fit my friend. This suit will go in at the waist and your calfs allowing you space in your chest and thighs (the big parts of us real men.) Worrying about your ripping your suit is the thing of the past. You can look at the tailored fit suit as the dad of the family. Old and wise enough to know how to last a long time while still keeping it’s owner comfy and looking sharp. Feel free to run and jump in these as you wish.

james bond running in a suit

Regular Fit

Regular fitted suits are by far my least favourite. This is for the men who want to wear a suit and don’t really care what others think. Style is out the window on this one and comfort was the one who kicked it out. You’ll never have to worry about durability as these suits will last you a lifetime. I have read that many people buy a regular suit from a retail store for cheap and get the suit cut and chopped to fit them perfectly – food for thought maybe?

Slim Fit Double Breasted Jacket By Antony Morato

Slim Fit Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose

It was only a few months back that I discovered Antony Morato and it turns out that not many people actually know about this wonderful brand based in Italy. So considering its summer time and everyone keeps asking me where they can buy a quality double breasted suit from I figured I’d show you one of my favourite blazers from Antony MoratoThe Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose.

The Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose.

The reason why this suit is my favourite is due to that it is notably a simplistic and well crafted suit. I am not a fan of over exuberant outfits for myself although I love them on other people. This suit is designed with fantastic italian tailoring and look top dog – good job to Antony Morato. The material used is a blend between polyester & viscose, which is not a top quality material but will last you a couple years. The viscose material will give the suit a slight shine to it making it look more expensive than it is.

The sizing with the suits designed by Antony Morato are done in EU sizes so please check this size guide before you order yours. Even though there is free returns you don’t want to be sending things back and forth.

antony morato size guide

The double breasted design is perfect for work or play and can be worn either as a full suit or with some chinos/dark jeans. If you don’t already own a double breasted suit then this is definitely a great starter to your wardrobe. The blazer will set you back £149.90 with the trousers adding £69.90 on top of that, totalling £219.80.

The Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose.

Get the matching trousers here – Blended Viscose Trousers.

Moss London Slim Fit Sky Blue Linen Suit

Moss London Slim Fit Sky Blue Linen Jacket

With the weather heating up and people walking around in t shirts its only befitting that now all the bright colours are coming out. In line with that I wanted to show you guys a classy summer suit you could wear pretty much anywhere from work, to the beach to a wedding.

Moss London Slim Fit Sky Blue Suit

The Moss London Slim Fit Sky Blue Suit is made from mostly from Linen mixed with polyester which is perfect for summer, it’s nice a light and breathable so you won’t be sweating buckets, at least not because of your suit. Due to the notched lapels, the suit would more suit a day out or an event rather than work but then I guess it depends what you work as and how casual work is. If everyone at work wears a suit and tie, then this isn’t the suit you want to wear to work, you’ll look far too laid back.

To add to that smart-casual look, the blazer has one button fastening, which looks great. If you paired this with a nice crisp white t-shirt during the day and then put on your spanking white dress shirt at night, you literally have the perfect summer outfit.

Moss isn’t known to be as expensive as other retailers and this suit fits well to that reputation, priced at £139.00 it is part of the lower end suits in high street retailers – although you probably couldn’t tell it was under £150.00.

Should You Grab This?

If you have winter suits, summer suits and all year round suits, then yes you have enough suits and this one will fit nicely into your collection. However, if you get by with 2-3 suits, then I wouldn’t advise this bad boy, summer suits are great but only last a couple of months.

Moss London Slim Fit Sky Blue Suit

Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White

RALPH LAUREN SLIM FIT SHIRT WHITE 2

I suppose you don’t always have to wear a dress shirt to work, and even if you do, then you might want to wear a different type of shirt on the weekend. I love my dress shirts that I wear to work but on dress down day or if I’m going out to eat then I love wearing my other formal shirts that ARE NOT meant to be worn with a tie.

Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White

RALPH LAUREN SLIM FIT SHIRT WHITE 2
Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White – £85.00

This Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White is the perfect shirt for those of you who want to look smart and fresh without feeling like you need to put on a tie. Ralph Lauren is probably one of the most well known brands, we know what to expect from them and if you have ever owned a ralph lauren polo shirt then you will know; they last a long time. This shirt is made from 100% cotton so the white colour will be easy to look after & maintain.

Collars

The collars are pointed button down collars which pretty much mean that they must be worn with the shirt fully done up and can not be worn with a tie. On the left side of the chest is the trademark Ralph Lauren Polo logo in a sharp blue.

Price

Priced at £85, the Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White is definitely going to be one of those stand out items in your wardrobe.

How To Wear This

Depending on what you do for a living, you could wear this to work or to study, I would recommend mainly wear this out to dinner with a blazer and some chino’s/dark jeans. Add a pair of boat shoes/loafers or dark trainers and you are winning.

Get yours here; Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White.

If there are any discount codes available for this you can find them; here.

Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White - £85.00
Ralph Lauren Slim Fit Shirt White – £85.00

Moss London Slim Fit Grey Check Suit

MOSS LONDON SLIM FIT GREY CHECK SUIT

The Moss London Slim Fit Grey Check Suit is one of those suits I’m not a big fan of. Is it unique? No! Is it something new and fresh? Not really. Could you wear this to a special event? Please don’t!

So why would you buy a grey checked suit. Well..

Grey checked suits stand out in an amazingly subtle way. Grey suits can pretty much be worn every day of the week, whether worn to work with a tie or on the weekend with a bow tie. People love checked suits and grey ones are no different. I don’t know why but everyone just assumes a checked suit is an expensive suit. The Moss London Slim Fit Grey Check Suit is a normal single breasted slim fit suit with one button fastening.

For some reason Moss decided not to allow us to pick our own trouser size and actually just design the trousers to be six inches smaller than the chest size. Although I find this extremely weird for a company to force you into wearing a certain trouser size, it does however make sense as most people generally are 6 inches smaller in their waist. I’m actually a size 40 chest in slim fit and 34 waist so well done to them. If you find the trousers don’t fit you could easily send it back or take it to your local Moss Bros.

Made from 100% polyester, its just a normal quality retail suit really. As you would expect in a retail suit, the Moss London Slim Fit Grey Check Suit is priced at £99.

So I don’t know if you have been convinced by all of this, I personally havent. I love checked suits, I like grey suits, I’m not the biggest fan of one button fastening and don’t like the fact I can’t pick my own trouser length. If you don’t mind these things and just want the suit.. Here you go..

Moss London Slim Fit Grey Check Suit

Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat

Here’s a great reason why you should sign up to your favourite retailers newsletters so you get notified of all their sales. Burton at the moment have 25% off literally everything! All you have to do is enter “STYLE25” at checkout. So as I always do when a sale is on, I went through loads of their products and found a really nice trench coat.

Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat

When buying a trench coat you have two options really, either you get a nice thick warm one that kind of works as a blazer at the same time or you get a lightweight trench that is just a throw over your outfit. In this case with the Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat it is a smart lightweight black coat that’s waterproof and perfect for all seasons.

I love lightweight trench coats as I can wear it during summer or winter and it’s really easy to carry around. Trench coats are generally priced quite highly as they everyone wants them. This one is no different, normally priced at £70. It’s now on sale for £49 and if you buy it today you get an extra £12 off.

The jacket has those extra buttons to create that double breasted look, along with the smart black belt to make the jacket look professional, both done up or open. Made from a mixture of polyester and cotton this jacket should last you a couple of years at least.

Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat

Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat
Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat 2
Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat 3
Black Shower Resistant Belted Trench Coat 4

Diversity In Suits

mens wardrobe suits

If you want to look dapper and be known as the guy who dresses really well then; open your wardrobe and have a look at your suits. Have a nice good look at each suit. You should see a great range of colours, designs and fits. If all your suits are summer colours, skinny fit, single breasted, single vented and one buttoned, then you have done something wrong. Similarly if you have all tailored fit suits, all black, grey and navy, then yes you have also made a mistake.

Looking good is all about being different, never wearing an outfit that was similar to yesterdays outfit. Your wardrobe should consist of, tweed suits, wool suits, polyester blends and cotton. You should also have different fits and colours.

When you switch between fits (tailored, slim & skinny) or between material (wool, cotton, polyester), what you will find is that people will tell you that they love your new suit, then a week later ask you regarding the same suit, if you just bought a new suit and swear they have never seen it before.

There is no “best” material, fit or colour. All are great and as long as you switch it all up you can make 5 suits look like 20.

mens wardrobe suits

Top Quality M&S Blue Super Slim Fit Suit For £79

wall street suit cover photo

So if you are at a stage where you don’t really have a lot of suits and you read my blog looking for bargains and grabbing some cheap but quality suits – I’ve done a post you are going to love! Well to be fair I don’t know if you will love the post but I know you’ll love the suit.

Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 2
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 3
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 4
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 5
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 6
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 7
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit 8
Blue Super Slim Fit Suit

Blue Super Slim Fit Cross Hatch Suit

So when it comes to buying suits from retail stores, it doesn’t really get better quality at a lower price than Marks & Spencer. When buying a suit, there are so many aspects that come into play and it’s pretty fair to say M&S have most of the boxes ticked.

The Blue Super Slim Fit Cross Hatch Suit comes with a one button, slim lapel suit jacket. The colour of the suit is a navy blue that looks dark but professional at the same time. If you have less than five suits then you need this suit in your life. It’s priced at £99, which is an absolute steal.

This suit isn’t one of those cheap suits you can only wear a few different ways. Because of the style and colour you could wear this suit with black or brown shoes, you could also throw on polka dots, or different coloured ties and pocket squares.

Blue Super Slim Fit Cross Hatch Suit

Monday (02/03/2015) M&S have a 20% off sale which would last 24 hours. That knocked off £20 dropping the price down to £79 from £99 for a M&S suit, I’ve seen shirts more expensive than that in M&S.

wall street suit cover photo

Bright Blue Tonic Slim Fit Suit

BRIGHT BLUE TONIC SLIM FIT SUIT JACKET cover

Summer’s coming and let’s be honest, we miss it. When it comes to what to wear in summer, its obvious, we all wear bright colours. All the pink shirts come out, all the extremely bright ties are pulled out of the draw. We do it every year and this year will be no different. I’ve got a tip when it comes to summer shopping; buy all your bright summer clothes in winter. They are all on sale for silly prices because no one wants super thin and incredibly bright suits in january.

Which brings me to this Bright Blue Tonic Slim Fit Suit from Burton. Blues are great, everyone loves them and tonic blues are sharp and they very much grab everyones attention. I have had a few issues with buying suits from Burton in the past, many times the suit has just worn away ridiculously fast. On the other side, I have had a few good suits that lasted me awhile from Burton so I wouldn’t totally rule them out.

The bright blue on this suit is just perfect – It just looks like the suns shining. You can definitely wear this suit with all other bright colour accessories, whether it be a yellow pocket square, a pink tie or green socks.

Since it’s not yet spring the sale of these bright coloured suits are still going on. The Bright Blue Tonic Slim Fit Suit Jacket suit is on sale from £99 to £79.20.

Bright Blue Tonic Slim Fit Suit Jacket

Bright Blue Tonic Slim Fit Suit Trousers

BRIGHT BLUE TONIC SLIM FIT SUIT JACKET
BRIGHT BLUE TONIC SLIM FIT SUIT TROUSERS
BRIGHT BLUE TONIC SLIM FIT SUIT JACKET cover

Page Grey Sharkskin 2-Button Slim Fit Suit

page grey tm lewin

I have a wedding to go to this weekend and needed a quality grey suit which wasn’t too stand out and bright but also wasn’t too dull. Obviously I could have went to the normal retail stores like Next, M&S and Moss but they just don’t give that wow factor. TM Lewin are known for their quality and the Page Grey Sharkskin 2-Button Slim Fit Suit is no different.

The Page sharkskin grey suit is cut to our Sackville slim fit block. The two-button jacket has narrow lapels and tapered waist giving this suit a streamlined style. Made up in a durable merino wool blend in a contemporary sharkskin style weave, this suit will ensure you look great all year round.

The grey straight faced lining gives this suit a stylish and sharp British look, making it perfect for everyday wear. The sharkskin further enhances the soft texture and gives a subtle sheen for a modern style. We have used a floating chest piece to make the jacket durable for daily wear.

The Page trousers complete the look for this suit maintaining the slim cut. Tailored details ensure trousers that fit perfectly. Classic tailored details have been maintained throughout, with front tailored pockets, back jetted pockets a double hook and bar fastening and French bearer all ensure a sharp slim fit style.

All of TM Lewin’s suit trousers are unhemmed, they offer a free alteration service to help you achieve the perfect fit.

Obviously with TM Lewin you are going to pay a bit more than normal for the quality of the suit but for some reason this suit isn’t priced high compared to their others. The jacket is £104 with the trousers priced at £75.

£179 for the whole suit.

Page Grey Sharkskin 2-Button Slim Fit Suit

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