Six Looks With A Three Piece Suit

That Dapper Chap looks at ways to keep your three piece suit fresh by styling it differently to achieve different looks.

Suits available from next.co.uk

You needed a suit right?. You read my suit buying guide on SociallyShoppable.com and after trying a few on you bought the one that fits and looks the best. You now have a three piece suit! Congratulations! 

Monday morning arrives and you proudly wear your new suit to the office and receive some admiring glances and even a couple of complimentary comments. The problem now is, that suit you just paid £200, £500 or £1,000 for will never get that same reception again.

So, how do you keep it fresh, how do you retain peoples interest and make it something else and stop yourself from becoming that dull guy in the office who always wear that same suit?

Suit, Shirt and boots from Next.co.uk

Change up your three piece suit

The suit that that I am focussing on is by Next, it is a heritage style 100% wool suit in a brown check and is perfect for the coming months. Priced at £195 for all three pieces its a great suit for the cost.

Bright red lining catches the eye

A close up of the check pattern

Of course the best way to wear a three piece suit is as a three piece suit, nothing is smarter and it gives you an immediately cohesive and smart look which will see you through most occasions. 

Wear it with a tie to work or even a bow tie on #bowtietuesday or that autumn wedding or maybe you just fancy sporting a heritage look as I am in the shot below.

A dapper three piece look with a vintage bow tie

Add lapel pins and a pocket square for personality and interest.

Just because you bought it as a three piece suit it doesn't means you have to wear it as such. There's no law, you won't get arrested and there are much bigger and way more fun crimes to commit! 

Feel free to lose the waistcoat if its a warmer day and simply wear the jacket and trousers. This look is still formal but not quite so formal as wearing all three pieces together. Its a slightly more relaxed look and lets you show off your tie which you could use as an opportunity to show a bit of your personality and introduce a strong colour or pattern. But please promise me that you will NOT wear a tie with a picture or Homer Simpson or any cartoon character splashed across it for that matter. I love Daffy Duck and his speed induced crazed antics but I dont want to see him on your tie!

The Next suit sans la waistcoat, burgundy leather boots and knitted tie also by Next

Burgundy and brown make a great colour combination for the Autumn months

If you fancy a change to a tie or bow tie why not consider a neckerchief or a cravat. With the vintage movement getting wider its an option that will make you stand out from the crowd and give that suit another alternative look. 

Another way to change things up is to opt for something different below the waist. I'm not talking a sex change here! I'm not saying you shouldn't if you want to as I'm all for people being who they want to be, I'm just suggesting a less dramatic change with an alternative pair of trousers. You can easily get away with wearing the jacket and waistcoat with smart jeans and chinos as I have below.

When things turn cooler you can easily wear a sweater or cardigan instead of the waistcoat. Again use this as a way of adding some colour or a different texture.

Burnt orange cardigan by Next.co.uk. My own vintage case and vintage bow tie

Wear the jacket over your cardigan or sweater for warmth

And for winter you can go all out and add a hat and scarf. Of course you can wear an overcoat but why cover up that beautiful suit?

Bakerboy hat and fairisle scarf to keep out the chills, both by Next.co.uk

Thank you for reading this post, I hope that it has gone some way to help you in your quest to keep that suit from becoming that dull old thing that you throw on every day. Just take a minute to consider how you can make it look different and take a risk. What have you got to lose apart from the label of being 'that guy in that same old suit'