A Man’s Business Suit De-constructed Men's Business Dressing Etiquette Young Professional & University Graduate Student Etiquette

Outclass the Competition

by Harold Almon
Be at Ease School of Etiquette Austin
512-821-2699

A shirt collar is to sit approximately one quarter (half) inch above the topside of a business suit jacket collar. The jacket is to lie a quarter inch below the shirt collar without rippling below in the back. It is not to pull away from the neck.

A knit shirt and/or a black T-shirt can be worn and the collar can sit even with it.

Ensure each jacket fits with the shirts selected to be worn with it.

The shoulder width or point to point is to be no more than one inch beyond your own. A natural softer shoulder can be slightly wider. The line from the shoulder down to the armpit is to fall freely without any material bunching.

The lapel is to lie flat and roll softly to the top button. The lapel is to be 3-4 inches wide at its widest point. It can be narrower to present a contemporary look.

The body is to be tailored in American Sack or silhouette cut with slight shaping, sloop naturally at the shoulders, and fit. It can follow the shape of your chest and waist in a European cut, or when you are young.

A suit is to be fully lined, single breasted with two to three buttons, and have notched lapels, hand stitched padding, and finished seams. It can have a boutonniere loop behind the left lapel.

When in a set of three, the top two buttons can be buttoned. The center button only may be buttoned. Avoid buttoning the bottom button. Buttons can come in a set of two. Each can be set higher on a coat. Still, the top button only is to be buttoned.

The bottom buttons on a jacket and/ or a vest coat are to be left unbuttoned. The rule: the top button is sometimes, the middle is always, and the bottom button is never, buttoned, unless it is the only one or the jacket is to a uniform. Avoid standing and wearing a suit jacket totally unbuttoned, (What part of always could you not understand.)

You can sit with a jacket buttoned and tell the fullness across the chest. Each jacket is to have pockets with bottom flaps that are to be kept junk free.

The body front can be cutaway to show more of the trouser; same rule.

The back of a jacket is to be long enough to cover one's butt: the seat of your pants. The old school rule: the bottom is to fit in the center of a cupped hand, can be ignored. This rule may be used unless you have a guerrilla reach, or are short and therefore the jacket would look like a skirt.

Each sleeve is to be short enough to show one half inch of shirt cuff. It can show just a quarter inch. Long sleeve shirt cuffs are to show beyond any jacket sleeves. The old the rule: the coat sleeve is to extend to the end of the thumb, may be ignored: especially when you want someone to believe the suit really does belong to you. The sleeves are to cover just the wrist bone on each hand.

Have someone take a picture of your jacket sleeves from the back while you are wearing your jacket. Get the sleeves hemmed up until you look like the jacket belongs to you and you can see your shirts cuffs. Each jacket sleeve can have functional cuff button holes; when each does, each front button hole may be left open for show.

Each leg is to be tapered to break over the instep with the bottom covering half of the heel of the shoe worn with it. The pants rule: plain front no cuff; pleated front cuffed. Do what you will with it. A suit is worn to show deference to authority or to show it with or over someone else. See you on the hill.