I have received several comments saying that you are not sure how to suit up for summer! Are you really out of ideas on how to style up your summer look?! Well fret not, thank you to summer all year round here in Singapore, I can quite say that I am a summer suit style expert for once. Bonobos lightweight cotton linen suits I believe is one of the best way to start up.
Now a little bit about this brand, Bonobos is a clothing brand which focuses and builds its identity around delivering a great fit off the rack for a wide range of body types. Launched in 2007, their high energy and superb and personal customer experience on the Internet, Bonobos quickly became one of the largest apparel brand built on the web in the United States. Starting off with their signature line of better-fitting men’s pants now have evolved to a range of products which includes full suits, ties and accessories and even swim wear! You can find out more about Bonobos and their products on their official website.
So you must be wondering how versatile can suit be such that it can be worn to almost any summer occasion such as garden parties, beach weddings, city park stroll or a weekend staycation abroad! Just this four simple steps for you to follow!!
FIRST and foremost, you have to believe you can do it. You have to put you head up and be confident with what you have just put together. Nothing is more important that your self-esteem and no matter how amazing your suit looks and fit, your expression and pride wearing it plays the up front role. So make sure you have all your blemishes covered as much as possible and always remember to Moisturise and apply SPF! And be prepared for a lot of fun in the sun!
SECOND, you need to wear a suit with the right fit. This is where experts comes in. Dwight Fenton, Vice president of Design for Bonobos have these tips just for you! One – Fit starts from the shoulders. The suit should grab your shoulders snugly but not overly tight. This is to avoid either obvious wrinkle or just excess fabric. This is the easiest way to know if the suit fits you. If the shoulder fits, pretty much anything else should fit nicely in place if not require minimal adjustments. Two – Many people never understand the right length matters. Length draws the line between smart and sloppy. So to determine the appropriate length, you should simply be able to cup the bottom of the suit with your arms by your side. This is the easiest way to see if the suit is of the right length as we all should have grown proportionately. Three – Always show some shirt. Although i believe this is rather flexible but as a general rule of thumb is to have a quarter inch of your shirt cuff showing. You can avoid showing your cuff if you are not wearing shirt inside for sure. But if you Just got a brand new cartier cuff links on your French cuff, you may want to show off a little more.
THREE, always remember that the colour and design also plays a part in putting up a good look. This is where I come in to say something about colours and design. Always remember the colour of the suit and shirt needs to be at least a different shade! My suggestion is to have a dark suit over a white shirt to pull off a rather smart, sharp and formal look (A White Shirt for men is like a Little Black Dress for woman! its a MUST HAVE!) If you are on the dress up mode for a formal beach wedding, try going for the double breasted suit, it will definitely give the extra sharp look on your personality. On the other hand, if you want to pull off a rather relax look, you can have lighter coloured suit over a darker or printed shirt. This will give a touch a playfulness in your looks and personality. And to pimp it up a notch, hit it up with a knee high shorts and loafers. That is one look screaming for the California beaches! But remember when you wear suits, only leave the topmost button on, either that or none at all. And that is where you can flaunt all the designer belts ready to show to the world.
FORTH, last but not least. Accessorise. Men’s always have this believe that there is not enough accessories made for them. Let so through this step by step. We can start off with a hat, there are many hats that can make of break your look, so choose wisely. From the ascot cap to spot the experienced golfer look, to the boater hat to spot on the casual sailors look. Not forgetting the well known fedora to spot on the old businessman look. This three types of hats should do you justice when wearing it with a suit. Next is the sunglasses, from the wayfarers to the aviators. I cant explain much on this as this is face by face basis.
Then we have the ties and bow ties. Always use a tie of a contrasting colour as compared to the shirt. This will immediately give your look a pop of colour and draws more attention to the upper portion of your body.
To add some bling, the lapel pin or a diamond encrusted brooch can spice up your personality and looks. My advice is to try not to have a lapel pin larger than the lapel itself. It might just appear too out of place.
Then we have the belt, from Hermes to Louis Vuitton, from Burberry to Fendi. They are all famous with their belts and buckle, so why not have one to bring up the value of your entire look. Then we head down to the shoes, with socks or no socks, shoes can either make or break the entire look. Loafers and Oxfords usually makes my top picks but there is always the choice of having monk-straps or even sneakers. There are many more accessories that men can have on them which includes watches and bracelets and cuff links just to name a few. But i shall stop here for now.
Now there you have it, all I have to say about styling up your summer suits.
Saludos a la diversión en el sol
photos and information by Bonobos
thank you Jason for the opportunity to write