Dressing Successfully Suits A sport jacket should be long enough to cover a man’s rear. A suit does not fit properly if the lapels spread out too much or if wrinkles appear below the collar. Men who are heavy set should choose suits which accentuate the vertical line of the body, such as pinstripe, chalk stripe or herringbone suits. For shorter men, the length of the jacket is the main point of the suit. Having a jacket which is either too long or too short will either make the legs appear shorter or the body appear smaller. Tall, slender men can wear horizontal lines to accentuate the breadth of the shoulders, distracting the eye from the height of the man. In addition, they should choose fabrics such as worsteds and tweeds since these bulky materials add dimension. Trousers Trousers should always be long enough to cover socks. A perfect fit in trousers will allow for a slight amount of the pant to fall over the shoe. Shorter men look best in trousers that are slightly tapered at the bottom. Shirts Dress shirts are crucial to properly finishing a fine suit. The best dress shirts are made of 100% cotton. Single stitched seams are best. A perfect fitting shirt will have cuffs which are visible by at least 2 cm. When a shirt is completely buttoned up you should be able to insert two fingers between your neck and the collar. Shirts come in many styles. Your tailor will know which looks best on you and which works best with the suit you are wearing it with. Ties In general, the tie should contrast the shirt. Although lately the trend is to wear a tie that is an almost perfect match to the shirt. This style is known as the “millionaire look”. A tie should touch the top of the belt. Ties should not be worn with short-sleeved shirts. Shoes Match the shoes to the suit as best as possible: smooth materials call for smooth leather shoes; heavy textured material call for suede or textured shoes. Colour is important in selecting the right shoes to match a suit. A black suit should be worn with black shoes. Brown shoes go well with tan, brown, olive, khaki, sand and beige suits. Black, navy and grey suits look best with black shoes. A white suit should have white shoes.