The response to my recent post on defending dressing – especially Sarah R‘s comment about her brother-in-law’s experience at his office – reminded me that Husband Mike has some very personal experience with acceptance and ostracization as it relates to style. So I demanded a Manfashion Interlude. And he delivered.
A couple of years ago, I decided that I was going to be a guy who wore suits. Winter was approaching, and it was an excellent time to transition. I had three or four suits that I wore for my wedding photography work, and with a couple more I could make it through the winter wearing only suits.
I like suits. The primary criterion for looking good in a suit is that it fit correctly. The styles do not change much from year to year, and if the jacket gets a bit snug, you just keep it unbuttoned and take it off while at your desk. Pair it with a cool tie and you da’ man.
I wanted to be da’ man, and be taken a bit more seriously at work. The office where I work is quite casual. A couple of the guys wear ties, but there is a 50% chance that their pants don’t fit right. The rest of us got away with a clean button-down shirt and, in my case, a cardigan. (Embrace your inner old man!) My boss was quite stylish, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt me to dress a little better around the office.
During the first two to three weeks making the move from a cardigan to a suit I was assaulted by comments and questions many times a day about whether I was interviewing for a job, giving a presentation, or going to court. It got old. It must have gotten old for the rest of the office, too, because after three weeks I was a guy who wore suits.
What type of suit-wearing guy are you, or do you wish your guy would be?
There are four types of suit-wearing guys:
- The Wedding / Funeral / Job Interview Guy
- The My Job Requires a Suit Guy
- The it’s Just the Suit Coat with Some Mismatched Pants, But I Still Look Better Than That Guy in the Simpson’s T-shirt Guy
- and the I’m a Man, of Course I Wear a Suit Guy
I used to be Guy #3. A social service agency where I once worked had a thrift store connected to it. Since I started my day before the store opened, I had first crack at the goods. Suits were a dollar, ties were twenty five cents. Awesome. I had many vintage sport coats that I thought looked great. I had no idea what to wear with them so the look often failed. But not long before that I had been wearing Frankenstein suits with the arms and legs too short, accompanied by Red Wing work boots and a straw hat with the brim cut off. Any step was a step in the right direction.
Now I am Guy #1. Charcoal Suit for Funerals, just a little snug because it is 7 years old? Check. Dark Blue Suit, fits great because I bought specifically for a recent wedding? Check.
I had a sales job once and really enjoyed the freedom of wearing a suit every day (Guy #2). I had 6 suits, 20 ties, some white shirts and a couple of blue ones. I looked “good” every day and ladies complimented me on my interesting ties. I didn’t look really good in my suits because my suits were not really good suits. $100 to $300 was the most I would spend for a new suit at TJ Maxx, and that was fine for a fella who was wearing suits because it was part of the job. It simplified my wardrobe, and there is tremendous value in that for a guy like me. The goal for Guy #2 is to fit in. He’s wearing a uniform.
I admire people who fall into the Guy #4 category. I imagine Paul Smith coming to visit my parents’ house for brunch, a banker in a real bank (Wells Fargo, you ain’t it), or a butler on his day off. I’ll never be this guy. There is no way I could invest the money required for the caliber of suit, not to mention the proper dry cleaning. People in this category sure look good, though. Sometimes it is nice to page through GQ while sitting in well-appointed clothing stores equipped with partner perches, and imagine being Guy #4. (In Minnesota, see shoplocalshops.com to see which stores meet my partner perch criteria.)
I could be Guy #3 again, but 20 years later I’m not sure what I think about Guy #3. I don’t always like the look, and think it is a bit of a fashion cop-out to pair some random suit coat with a graphic tee with a pair of dark jeans and call it a day. But then again, isn’t the ease of the suit the purpose of wearing it? It seems like Guy #2 at work is not all that different than Guy #3 at the popular drinking establishment in his intent or effect: Look good, fit in.
I said there were 4 types of suit-wearing guys, but there are at least 5. I did not mention Guy #5 because I have never seen him in the wild, but I have seen him in the Sartorialist. He’s wearing his fancy-lad jacket with shorts and hightops. WTF? I can’t even wrap my head around these guys so they’re left out of the discussion.
Images courtesy The Sartorialist. Except Frankenstein. I have no idea where HM dug him up.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
This made me think of a timeless and classic quote by one of the great thinkers of our time:
"Suit Up!" ~ Barney Stinson
I LOVE Suit Guy #3. It's one of my favorite looks. Maybe it's a cop-out, but I think it looks fresh, pulled-together, and hip.
I love a man in a suit. And as a fashion-lover who works in a sea of Birkenstocks, I SO get this. But I don't care…I dress for me and I want to look chic and professional.
I get a lot of comments about how much money I spend on clothes, too, which is incredibly rude. First, it's like they are implying that I am selfish or shallow. Second, they assume they know what I spend. I hunt down insanely good deals and probably pay the same price for quality clothing that they do at JCPenny and the like.
End rant.
Mike: I think this is your best guest post yet! I love your categories – they are soooo true
The 5's def only exist in the Sartorialist. I've been keeping my eyes open for ages, and that's the only place I see 'em!
I don't know if this fits into any categories but I like a man who wear the apropriate version of suit for the ocasion(sometimes #3, sometimes #4).
Great post!
I've decided to be Guy #3 today, but I need a graphic tee. It's quite convenient that Target sells everything one would need to be guy #3.
If I can find a KEEP ON TRUCKIN' shirt, I'm all set.
Yay!!! I got quoted!!!
Oh, and it was my brother-in-law, not my cousin. But the story is still the same.
Sarah R: Crap! Sorry, Sarah! I'll fix it.
I'm sure you could pull off Guy #3 and look great; you learn a lot in 20 years.
Also, don't forget about the guy who wears a suit with no socks — the Sartorialist seems to love that guy too. All I can think is that there must be a lot of sweaty feet and blisters involved.
It's all good, Sal. You get tons more mail than I do.
My hubby is #1. I truly think the last time he wore a suit was for our wedding, which was 15 years ago. He's a truck driver, so not a whole lotta suit wearing going on there. I don't even try to buy the man nice clothing anymore, as he wears it to fish or cut the grass and ruins it. Maybe if he has a career change, his wardrobe will follow suit, but I don't see that happening.
I just married a truck driving, redneck, hunting, fishing, beer drinking kind of guy.
Audi,
Mark seems to be a Guy #3 who can pull it off without resorting to the Target Guy #3 uniform. Just thinking of the post he did on your site about using a jacket in many different outfits.
And I forgot about No Socks Guy. Maybe it is a plot by the mole skin industry.
My husband, while Guy #2 because he is an attorney in court everyday, actually aspires to dress like an old Italian man, but a little more preppy. Which I think makes him Guy #4, and I love it.
men can be so intimidating in a suit around my office- you know they are either A. in the president or vice-president categories, or B. they are important customers, and we want to make them VERY happy.
My husband is suit guy number 0. Doesn't own a suit, has never worn a suit, does not feel the need to have a suit. Wears jeans and tees/sweaters. Doesn't even own a button-up shirt. lol.
I LOVE to see old guys in a suit. So cute! There was a guy I used to see on the Metra who would wear fantastic suit, bow ties and tennis hats. He had a fantastic style that was all his own and he had to be in his 80's.
Like Anne, this post made me think of Barney.
And the 'keep on truckin' comment made me laugh – I totally want photos of THAT outfit!
You know what I really like? (A lot!) The vintage-photo suit-wearing look, back in the old days when all men wore suits everyday, whether to church or the construction site. I love that kind of worn-in sleeves-rolled-up look. Stylish and very manly.
Great post!
I love a man in a well-fitted suit.
Awesome article, Mike! My husband used to be Suit Guy #2 (and still is, for his job), but I'm gradually easing him into a stylish #3 for casual/dressy purposes, where he doesn't want to feel like he's at work. I think when he's old, he'll be #4.
I'm going to show him this – I bet he'll love it.
Oh do I love a man in a suit.
As do most women.
Isn't that reason enough to wear them?
I usually skip your posts, not wearing much (um…any) women's clothing. This post stuck a chord. I like wearing suits and have 50+ ties. However, my office is always very casual, and I tend to wear slacks (occasionally jeans) and button down shirts (sans ties). Customer presentations sometimes necessitate ties, but more often not, since our customers are typically wearing polos. Wearing a suit regularly wouldn't simply draw attention to me, that attention would be overwhelmingly negative. The clothing you wear should reflect the image you'd like to put forward. In my company, wearing a suit every day would send a very confusing message that you don't understand the corporate culture or customer expectations.
I love guy 4s, but my husband is a guy 1….though he has amazing style:)
I love suits on guys.
I bet HM looks dashing in his suits.