I’m often asked, “How many suits qualify as enough?”
My answer usually is, how many suit/sport coats do you have that fit you well now?
Believe it or not, most men have clothes that don’t fit properly. Come to think of it, when was the last time you got measured? However, that discussion is another blog entry for another day.
My firm answer is that you should be able to wear a different suit or sport coat over a 2 -3 week period. Figure between 10-15 suits and/or sport coats or combos thereof. And it should be enough for 2 seasons worth.
(Remember, building your suit wardrobe takes time, it doesn’t happy over night, it will take a few years to build it)
Why so many? The answer is that the wool is a living breathing organic entity. It lives and breathes with you. We’re talking 100% wool, no blend or synths. When you wear it, it eventually forms and shapes itself to your body.
Here are a few reasons for owning a 3 week supply of suits:
One is usual daily wearing will cause wrinkles. And if not allowed to relax, the wrinkles can get “set”. Not a good idea if you’re trying to impress the office natives.
Another is sweat or to be polite, perspiration. Yes, I know you don’t sweat, but trust me you do and it’s in your clothes. Without letting your jacket and/or pants to air out, your office popularity might start to suffer, if it hasn’t already.
An additional point is wool stress. If you’re wearing clothes that don’t fit as well as the first time you bought them, they’ll eventually stress the seams. Which means a split somewhere or worse, those stress marks will show across in front of your pants.
Wear and tear is also a culprit in why rotating your suits is important. When was the last time you checked your pant cuffs for scuffs or heal wear or the edges of your sleeves?
One more point, excessive dry cleaning can eat away at your wool garments. The solvents from the dry cleaning will eventually wear down the wool. Your garments shouldn’t require dry cleaning more than once or twice a year.
The axiom here is, NEVER wear your garments twice in a row, change your suits daily, always hang the jacket and pants separately to allow them time to air out overnight before putting them back into your wardrobe.
Yes I know, it’s a pain, but think of this way, you paid good money for your clothes this isn’t planned obsolescence. With care, you garments will repay you with many happy years of compliments.
