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“Suit up! Because your personality isn’t the first thing people see”,
a wise man once said. Or a wise woman? Or a meme going around in social media? Anyway, the anonymity of the source doesn’t change the validity of the content. It’s the first impression that counts. And you’re probably not going to impress by showing your scars to complete strangers and proudly telling them you got them on some heroic rescue mission. Your character remains hidden at first, so in the beginning, the only thing that counts is your outer appearance. You eat with your eyes, and you eat with them first. The rest will follow – afterwards. Before you get off your kit, it needs to fit. Sometimes when I see how some Thomas Wayne wears his suit, I turn into a joker. I get corneal curvature it pains me so much.
Talking of eyes: the same goes for glasses, of course. These should also fit properly. The other day when I was sitting on the train, I noticed how an elderly gentleman stared at me over the rim of his reading glasses, and I started to nervously search for my homework book. The tip of the nose is no place for glasses, they belong on the back of the nose (those for whom reading glasses mean trouble looking into the distance should go with varivocals, which enable continuous vision). Also, just like suits, glasses should fit the occasion, the ideal case being that glasses and suit harmonise even with each other. Here are a few examples of some fancy matches:
Keep it simple
If you are not too passionate about suits and can do without a walk-in closet full of jackets, waistcoats and suit trousers, then an all-rounder should suffice – if(!) you have made the right choice. Colours that always go for suits are all those in the range of dark blue, grey and black. While it’s unlikely that you’ll end up on the GQ cover like that, you won’t be putting your foot in your mouth, either. Especially if you work in a law firm or a consultancy, some of the grey gentlemen will still insist on rules like “No brown in town!“. Wherever philistinism rules, you shall always be welcome wearing a double-breasted suit. And you should leave it buttoned up, even when sitting down. Armani sets an example.
Those who want to avoid being outed as someone who arrives at the evening event coming straight from the office where they had to do some more Excel tabulating and pushing a few PowerPoint slides back and forth, the least they can do is choose a jacket with a peak lapel.
Wherever only white or light blue shirts are accepted, the only way to accentuate is with a tie, a breast pocket handkerchief, or a pair of glasses. It goes without saying that this shouldn’t be exaggerated. Hence bright colours are to be avoided. Instead, black glasses with eye-catching details make for the perfect compromise. With Tom Ford glasses it’s the golden “T” in the frame that gives it the certain something.
Dinner Dates
When the motto is „Suit up!“ but you don’t have a dress code at work, you’re free of course to pick a look that lets your personality shine through a bit more. But here also, the suit should be worthy of the occasion. If you’re just going on a stag do, you are welcome to cover yourself in bright colours from head to toe and be a buffoon. At a big Christmas dinner in an official context, or at an award ceremony where your agency is among the nominees, individuality is certainly desirable. But then, attention shouldn’t be forced.
For an exhibition opening, for example, Burberry has the right tailoring on offer – a green velvet tuxedo. However, one should take note that in addition to the high purchase price of the tuxedo, it requires the appropriate accessories. For a coherent overall look you will need to allow also for cufflinks and perhaps a tiepin made of noble material. An embroidered tie can also impress. When it comes to watches, you should either leave your Swatch or Casio at home or hide it under your sleeve on this occasion.
The glasses can be plain in this context – not to lay it on thick with every single accessory. A brand that does “plain” quite well while still being eye catching is Porsche Design. Especially their transparent frames emphasize the brand’s understatement regardless of their strong name, yet don’t diminish the glasses but instead make them a transparent special feature.
A suit with no compulsion
It gets really relaxed once you don’t have to wear a suit at all because there’s neither a business occasion nor a fancy evening event; when you wear a suit just because you can! Then you can forget about any rules, conventions or etiquettes. Especially in the summer you should let your hair down and just wear your jacket unbuttoned, show your ankles and let your t-shirt be as long as it wants to be. Restrictive shirts and ties have no place in your outfit when you’re on your longboard in your blazer and chinos, on your way to uni or to your next Java Chip Chocolate Cream Frappuccino.
BOSS supports you with that (in case you are expecting to have your student debts written off), otherwise you’ll certainly find a light summer suit at H&M and the like. The glasses by BOSS however are, for the most part, really affordable. From approx. £75 you can grab a bossy model that, with horn and Havana, will suit every skater dude. And should it get sporty in the sunshine, you will also find, of course, sunglasses by BOSS in our product range. For about a hundred quid you can get dynamic pilot glasses to show everybody that your interpretation of suits is just like it suits you. Even if Karl Lagerfeld would turn in his grave (of do a kickflip).
For whatever reason you need to dress up, make sure to be true to yourself. What use are the finest yarns if you don’t feel comfortable in them? Or why should you wear a double-breasted suit at the family gathering if it cuts off your gastrointestinal tract at the dinner table? Then better choice is to be a little more relaxed and therefore more authentic. Maybe your shell is already visible from afar, but your charisma is mainly transmitted by your face. Therefore, your glasses shouldn’t seem like a foreign body on it. 😉
