suit rotation

[scottyrocks]

Gentlemen,

With so much talk of suits recently, I thought I'd post this.

I have not been able to wear suits to work on a regular basis since about 1991 when I became a PE teacher exclusively.

Ive always had 3 to 4 suits in my rotation but have always felt that I was just a bit short. Is one per day of the week a fairly standard thing if you wear suits to work every day? What is your suit rotation? In other words, how many suits do you own that are part of your normal work week?

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Gentlemen,

With so much talk of suits recently, I thought I'd post this.

I have not been able to wear suits to work on a regular basis since about 1991 when I became a PE teacher exclusively.

Ive always had 3 to 4 suits in my rotation but have always felt that I was just a bit short. Is one per day of the week a fairly standard thing if you wear suits to work every day? What is your suit rotation? In other words, how many suits do you own that are part of your normal work week?

I would be curious to hear opinions on this as well. I would also ask if there is a difference in expectations between Europeans and North Americans. Is seems to be that in NA you are expected to wear a different outfit every day, where in Europe that is considered extravagant. To me, if it's clean you can wear it as long as you like. In the old days, one suit with two pair of pants was good enough for anyone. Opinions?

 

[avedwards]

In my school the majority of the male teaching staff wear the same suit each and every day, or at most have two suits in rotation.

If it were up to me I'd have at least five suits in different colours/patterns and I'd also make a point not to wear the same suit on the same day of the week the next week (i.e. not have a Monday suit, a Tuesday suit etc. but rather have five suits picked at random). I'd also have enough ties that a suit-tie combination is not repeated more than once a fortnight or so.

Just my £0.02.

 

[bobalooba]

I've only had one teacher in my life who wore a suit everyday and it seemed he had two suits with several pairs of pants. He had a navy suit which he always matched with the navy pants or white pants and a black suit he matched either with black or grey pants. I seem to remember him only wearing one tie, a red one, but my memory may be off.


Otherwise I should think someone looking for what to wear day to day should consult matt deckard's college wardrobe page as it has many interesting suggestions/combinations to keep your outfits new.

 

[Dan D]

Embarrassement des suits...!

Dear ScottyRocks,
I'm embarrassed to admit that I've got about thirteen suits in the wardrobe (including suits for different seasons) and pluck one forth dependent upon the weather and mood; I agree with avedwards' idea of not having one for a specific day of the week, and mixing the rotation as well. This makes suits last longer, and opens up more variety in combination with shirts and ties as well. Useful for linen suits, which would otherwise wear out sooner than woollen ones!

At least, those are the excuses with which I delude myself every time I purchase yet another suit...

 

[norton]

Coincidentally I was reading this today because I had the same question. I wear sport coat because I haven't had any suits that fit, but I'm picking up three suits on Thursday. I was wondering if I were to get more what types/colors I should get and came across this article:

http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2006/11/suitable-wardrobe.html

 

[Dan D]

Useful link

Dear Norton,
That's a useful website you've mentioned; I'd also recommend this one here for its practical and insightful comments on style, particularly suits.

I wish you many happy hours of endlessly compulsive reading, as I've had!

 

[GallatinHatMan]

I wear a suit or a sports coat everyday. I wear suits on days I expect to be in coat and sport coat and slacks on days in the office. For a lawyer a suit is practically speaking, a uniform. I have twelve suits, most of them weighted for "year round" wear. I tend more because of personality to the more conservative blacks, blues and grays but have a couple of browns and tans. I only have about six sports coats and they tend to be lighter colors and more patterned. To give my wardrobe a bit more flair I have drifted toward more colorful shirts and ties, rather than the more traditional whites and powder blue. My wife, in fact, convinced me to buy a, horror of horrors, a black shirt, which I have decided I like very much with a gray suit and black and gray combination tie. I chose daily dress to fit the weather, my mood, and the type of cases I have that day. I pick a hat to match the suit.

Yesterday, for example, I wore a tan suit, pink shirt, blue-tan-pink striped tie and one of my Open Roads shaped as a fedora with a tear drop crown. I don't always look good, but I try to be professional with a bit of flair. For some reason, people seem to expect that if you try cases, you'll have a distinctive "look." My hats certainly serve that purpose for me, whether I'm wearing a camel colored Borsalino or a black or gray homburg.

 

[Lone_Ranger]

To give my wardrobe a bit more flair I have drifted toward more colorful shirts and ties, rather than the more traditional whites and powder blue. My wife, in fact, convinced me to buy a, horror of horrors, a black shirt, which I have decided I like very much with a gray suit and black and gray combination tie.

Careful with that. We have a local attorney that favors wearing a red shirt, and dark tie, with a dark suit. He always reminds me of Al Pacino, in "The Devil's Advocate." Who of course, turns out to be Lucifer.

The lawyer in question is, you guessed it, a defense attorney. lol

 

[Doggy Darb]

For work, I have two suits for fall/winter and two suits for spring/summer. I also have a more formal suit for those two periods. As of late, I have not needed or been able to wear suits to work. I have found that basic suits can be worn with great frequency. If a suit stands out or is ostentatious, those that see it frequently are very aware that it is the same suit.

For fall/winter, I like to have a dark gray or charcoal suit and a navy blue suit. Spring/summer is lighter in color. My preference is to have both a medium gray and a taupe or khaki suit. I avoid stripes, checks, ornate or unique cuts, etc. Your special occasion suits can be lime green with a hot pink racing stripe if you like, though I would not recommend that for Sunday services or a funeral.

 

[davestlouis]

I wear a suit 5-6 days a week, depending on my work schedule. I have 5 suits in rotation, looking for a 6th. I have one suit that is nearing the end of its service life, it's a Jos. A. Bank, it's been in use for about 3 years, the jacket is getting to a point where it doesn't want to hold its shape, and the pants are getting thin in the seat. I feel like I've gotten my use out of it. I wish I could wear sportcoats and wool pants, it would give me a lot more freedom, but alas, it's suits only at the mortuary.