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ShopWiki is a guide designed to help consumers find specific products on the Internet with ease. Our wiki buying guides help you decide the best products to buy and where to buy them.

Clothing for Men Buying Guide

Let's be honest, guys. We care about what we look like. But we differ in how much energy we want to put into the whole dressing process. Here are some guides to make getting dressed a little easier and clearer. Need to learn the basics? Consult our Men's Guide To Getting Dressed .

Want to know where else to look? Come to our Style Resources for Men .
Already have a favorite brand or designer? Visit our Men's Clothing Designer page to shop on familiar ground.
Tall, short or off the normal size chart? Check out our guide to Men's Special Sizes .
The Guide to Career Dressing is perfect for college grads or guys who just landed a big promotion.
The Guide for Dressing for Special Events helps make sure you have the right digs for all those special occasions.

Seasonal Guides

Before the New Year's ball drops read the Men's Guide to Holiday Dressing .
Winter is here, you'll need to stay warm and we've got some tips to keep you looking sharp in the Men's Winter Style Guide .
Interested in what you'll be wearing when the spring thaw arrives? Read the Men's Spring Style Guide .
Other seasonal style guides available: Men's Fall Style Guide .

Men's Suits

What's a Suit?

"Ha. That's a silly question. 'What's a suit?' C'mon, it's a suit. A suit , man. Dumb. [pause] So I have these corduroy pants and plaid golf jacket my buddy gave me, if I wore those together--" NO!

Suit : Suits are perfectly matching jacket-and-pants combs, worn in professional and formal situations. Really, I can't stress the "perfectly matching" enough. Navy is not navy is not navy in the menacer universe, so don't be caught with a light shade of blue below and a darker shade above. If you want a suit, buy something the store says is a suit and quit the mixing and matching.

Blazers & Sports Jackets : A coat different in color from trousers is commonly called a blazer. Blazers , as well as its "hipper" cousin, the sports jacket , are a more casual option. Blazers can be worn with jeans or khakis . Suit jackets shouldn't be worn as a blazer , they should be worn with the suit pants or not at all.

The Business/Formal Alternative : Now, certain occasions do allow and even call for a navy blazer with gray pants. This is a good alternative choice for a man interviewing with a company that prescribes to business casual dress.

Style

If you are more conservative and don't follow fashion trends, get a classic suit, two or three buttons, single breasted, in grey or navy --the men's version of the "little black dress."
Jacket styles can be one , two , three or four buttons. Double-breasted or single . The choice is up to you.

A double-breasted suit looks good on an older, heavy-set man.
Single-breasted favors the small-chested.
A tailor is the only person who will ever judge a man by the size of his chest.
If you're looking for something a little trendier, look through men's fashion magazines or Men.Style.com and see what designers recognize as being "in" right now.
These days the trendiest style in jackets is the single-button suit .

Lapels come in two options on suits: notch and peak (shawl collars are only for tuxedos and smoking jackets).

Notch lapels are less ostentatious and favored by businessmen.
Peak lapels are wider and bolder--not a great choice if you only have one good suit.

Vents are tailored into the back of the suit to give men the ability to sit and move around. Never buy a ventless suit . Otherwise there are two choices:

Side Vents : two vents evenly spaced out on the jacket's back--tends to be favored by the Italian designers.
Single Vent : placed in the center of the jacket's back, the most traditional placement.

Fabric

Cotton and wool are your best bets. Of the wools, worsted is a solid choice. And, among worsted, look at mid-weight, corded wools and gabardine, which was invented by Thomas Burberry in the late-19th Century.
As long as you're getting a reliable fabric (worsted), there's no need to purchase a higher-priced option, unless it's the only suit you plan to acquire before the next millennium.
Seersucker suits are great for warm climates and summer weddings. Linen suits look great on the hanger but wrinkle in the blink of an eye. Leave these to Tom Wolfe.

Color

The "big" suits in your life should be dark: navy or charcoal for work and black for very formal events.
After your first couple of suits, look into some pinstripes or herringbone .
For other color options, consider how often you will wear them, and the settings in which they'll be appropriate. For example, if you're starring in Miami Vice , a white and/or pastel suit is a great investment.

Size

The key to success is wearing the right size. Most men wear clothing that is too big for them -- either they don't know what size they are, can't figure out international sizes, or the think the baggy look is "in."
While pants can be tailored to fit you, little can be done to jackets . A jacket should fit you almost perfectly on first fitting .
How to measure (it is best go to a professional get accurate measurements):

Chest : Measure around chest. Go just under your arms, across your shoulder blades, and keep you arms relaxed and down at your sides.
Coat length : Measure from the highest point of the shoulder down.
Inseam : Measure from inside crotch seam to the hem of pants that fit you well, not too long or baggy. It is best, though, to measure this on yourself.
Waist : Measure around your natural waistline, which is the point your body creases when bending to one side.
Neck : Measure around fullest part of neck.
Rise : Measure from the crotch to top of waistband.
Sleeve : Measure from center back of neck, over point of shoulder, and down outside of arm past elbow to wrist with arm relaxed at side.