In a chapel elegantly adorned with flowers and white linens, guests arrive and quietly take their seats. A woman enters in a lovely cocktail dress escorted by a tuxedoed usher. Behind them, her date shuffles along, hands buried in the loose pockets of his khaki pants, his torso drowning in the smock of a dress shirt left open at the collar. The well-tailored groom is set and the congregation stands as the bride … wait a second … khakis?!

Gentlemen, take note: how you present yourself speaks volumes about your attitude and personality, so acknowledge and respect the important occasions in your life and dress appropriately. More specifically, grow up and buy yourself a suit.

Formal occasions, like weddings, funerals, interviews or big meetings, call for a certain décor. A classic, quality suit you can don for any occasion is therefore a necessary asset.

Men who work in an office will generally need a suit for at least four days of the week in addition to the initial interview, but that doesn’t mean men who don’t work in an office get off the hook.

“A good suit is a critical component for every successful man’s wardrobe,” says Tim Ryan, owner and president of Harley’s Store for Men in Shorewood.

If you own or manage a business, you will attend meetings with superiors, other stakeholders or perhaps banks. When applying for a loan, a bank will be more willing to help if you look like you can pay it back, but if you show up improperly attired, you send a message that you don’t take yourself or the situation seriously and they shouldn’t waste time or money on you.

In other formal occasions, arriving underdressed sends similar negative messages. “I think it [shows] a lack of respect,” says Don Zegers, owner of Zegers’ Clothiers in De Pere, “I think it underlines a respect factor as you enter that room.”

The basics

Men’s suits, categorized by style, generally follow one of three fashions: the European, or Italian, style, the British style, or the American, or “sack” suit.

While the anatomical specifics technically set them apart—the number of buttons on the coat, lapel size, shoulder pads—according to Ryan, the main differences between the styles lie in the silhouette.

An American suit offers a classic but not-too-trim look with a softer or more natural shoulder, while the British style sports a more built up, squared shoulder.

The European look remains the most stylized and contemporary with a narrower, trimmer silhouette.

Like different cuts of jeans, each style of suit tends to flatter one body type more than others. The European style especially compliments tall men with lean builds; however, the double-breasted coat of this look can also camouflage a stockier build, so you can have your beer and drink it too, just see a tailor to keep the torso elongated.

The forgiving cut of the British style also works well for less shapely men if cut from a simple fabric.

The standard three-button coat gives the illusion of height, and the fading pad of the military-inspired shoulder can balance a wider waist and create a more built look to the arms.

For every man—but especially guys with large chests—the extremely versatile American suit with its two-button coat makes for a wise purchase. In fact, Ryan suggests that for any man, “a classic, two-button, flat-front pant model is generally flattering on all body types.”

When looking for an investment piece, this clean, classic look should come first on your list. And though each style looks different on every man, if you have already acquired some wardrobe staples and you want to try some different looks, Ryan argues the right size and correct fit “can make any silhouette work.”

If you’re about to purchase your first suit, or one you intend to keep for a long time, stick with a two-button coat.

“If a guy’s going to get a good suit, one suit, get a good two-button,” Zegers says. “Two-button never leaves—it’s timeless.”

The two-button look conveys height, slims the waist and sits you perfectly between the goals of looking fashionable and owning a classic, long-lasting piece.

A one-button coat, considered a fashion suit, may fall in and out of style and doesn’t work as well for shorter guys.

Within reason, the more buttons on the coat, the taller the wearer will look, but before you go off and buy yourself a three-button coat, know that it is also a fashion suit from the ‘90s and more difficult to “pull off.”