Never underestimate how useful being suited up is.  As one of the last symbols of class in our vulgar democracy, the difference between a properly suited man and a common schmuck comes down to the details.

These 8 guidelines make sure you don’t overlook any of the basics.

1.  Cuffs

Make sure the cuffs on your button-down shirt are poking out from your blazer about half an inch.

This goes for cuff-links too.

 2.  Tie

Be sure to tie your tie with a dimple.

But this isn’t your only option.  A man below shows how to invert the tie dimple:

3. The Gig Line

The gig line is the line made by the alignment of your button-down shirt, your belt buckle, and your pants fly. Make sure they are all in a straight line.

4. Pants

The bottom of your pants leg should end at the middle of the rubber on your shoe’s heel. A tailor can easily make adjustments to fix this.

5. Socks

Socks should always be an off-color of whatever color the pants are.  Anything else is the mark of an amateur.

 6.  Shoes

Always wear black shoes with anything except khaki.  And even then, wear black:

7. Shoulders/Waist

If the shoulders on your blazer are too wide, it can make you look incredibly awkward, like your shoulders bend at right angles or you have football padding underneath. Get a blazer that’s more fitted to your body shape, or with the shoulder hem right at your shoulder joint. A tailor can also fix this.

Yes:

No.  Just no:

8. Color

A lot of people go straight for black, which is fine, but you can never go wrong with a blue blazer. When in need of a semi-formal outfit for a get together or a meeting, go with blue.

And if you’re going someplace where peacocking will win you points, talk to someone who knows what they are doing and try something creative:

Inspiration for today’s post goes to “Matt.”  RoK tried to get you a guest account on here, but you gave us a bad email.

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