How to describe a man's suit?

The suit was blue.

kuatolives said:

The suit was blue.

Click to expand...

...sharp-looking, and well-fitted. Exactly the sort of thing that a woman would pick out for her man to wear to a formal event like this. That was something that made her a bit nervous. Still, it fit well, it made him look very handsome, and when he smiled, it was a little bit magical.

(If I wrote it, of course, I would write And he had to wear a god-damned tie, something he said he wouldn't do again in his life after his wedding but which his job suddenly required, so there he was, miserable at his job and now with a convenient bit of cord around his neck for hanging; too late, he wondered if they were hinting.)

Black tie means a tux. Wikipedia describes the basic elements and has a couple of pictures. That should clarify the descriptions on fashion and catalog sites.

ETA: The kind of tux without tails.

ETA 2: A glossary.

I think you are writing the same scene as me!

And I have so far far the websites of the couture designers extremely unhelpful. I was hoping to find a little blurb about one of their suits to work off of. The phrases "custom-tailored" and hand-tailored" keep popping into my head, but I don't know if they are too general.

I obviously don't move in these sorts of circles!

Let's see if I can help you with a few things you posted: Double Breasted: this has the two rows of buttons forming an incomplete 'v' down the front of it, so called because it is buttoned on both 'breasts' of the suit as it were. It's tailored to fit a slimmer, trimmer man and doesn't usually work well on the potbellied (because I can never carry one off so it must be the suit! ) When thinking what this looks like, think of "Arsenio Hall". They also gained popularity in the late 30's/40's (I'm pretty sure it was that era, could be as early as the 20's) and was also the basis for the 'zoot suit'. Which is basically a more fitted double breasted but with a longer hemline. Three Button: typical suit that you see most non-fashionable and suitaphobic men wearing. so named because it's fastened by three buttons (of which the bottom one should always be left undone). It's a good fit for taller or rounder (or both) men. Shorter men usually go for the two button because it appears better. Side vent refers to where the notch is located. Men's jackets are usually notched or 'vented' in the back for ease of movement. No vent is one that is usually very tailored for the individual person and allows for movement. side vents must have their 'notches' (and here think of a pleat or slit in a woman's skirt or gown) in the side. As how to describe the quality of one over the over? Talk about fit, fabric and general appearance. For the good suit talk about how it accents the man's body, with ease of movement and a rich fabric. For the cheaper, suit, discuss the poor, bulky off the rack fit and the poor quality of the fabric (maybe even make it appear 'frumpy' such as it being wrinkled and/or not pressed, etc) and you should be able to get your point across. Rabe...

Depending on what you're writing, you could always do the brand-name toss out. "He stood there in his ARMANI tux, a look of blah blah blah on his face. Next to him, short and fat so-in-so's tux looked like it might have been bought at Sears for about twenty dollars..."

And listen to Rabe. Very good descriptions there.

The stylish cut of his tux...

The expensive cut and midnight blue sheen of his tux...

His tux was exquisitely cut and a perfect match for his suave manners.

A tux Liberace wouldn’t wear. Or…. A tux Liberace would love!

His tux was a fashion nightmare.

Would something like this work? I would not even try to describe it literally...

Just use the word 'Armani'.

Does he look like James Bond in a suit by any chance... *faints*

Cut to precision, bold across the shoulders, gentle lines around the waist, the perfect inverted triangle: black, satin lapels, perfect length, subtle movement, best served with an Aston Martin... *mental images causing an overload - may have to log off for a while*

"Have you ever heard the phrase all over him like a cheap suit? Fred's TJ Maxx reject was the suit they meant-- and they were being polite. The waistband bound him in ways even an inventive hooker couldn't dream up, and I suddenly knew with far too much certainty whether he dressed to the left or the right."

and I suddenly knew with far too much certainty whether he dressed to the left or the right

Click to expand...

Vivid mental image there. Wow and eeeuuu.

Great discriptions.

Fit would be the single biggest thing she'd notice. Alas, anyone can make an expensive name brand suit look bad if it doesn't fit right. How the suit fits is going to be a key piece of describing the suit. I can think of long waisted/short waisted men who look terrible in suits because they don't get them altered properly to accomodate their proportions better. I can also think of someone who chose his suits carefully, though he couldn't afford to spend much, but he still looked fantastic because he paid attention to the tailoring.

Don't forget to mention his shoes. Women tend to focus on shoes as a big factor in an outfit.

Jenan Mac said:

"Have you ever heard the phrase all over him like a cheap suit? Fred's TJ Maxx reject was the suit they meant-- and they were being polite. The waistband bound him in ways even an inventive hooker couldn't dream up, and I suddenly knew with far too much certainty whether he dressed to the left or the right."

Click to expand...

Bravo, bravo!!

Don't get too specific, though. It will date your book. In the old Harlequin romances they used to make a point to describe exactly what the heroine was wearing in minute detail. Unfortunately, to read them now is to realize how horrible the fashion was in the 70's. Invariably these women are wearing horrendous mumus made out of polyester.

So, yes, talk about the cut and the fit and the way he looks in it, and do make her notice his shoes. It's true, women always notice shoes. But don't describe it catalogue style because guaranteed, whatever you pick will be out of fashion in a year and someone reading it then will be pulled out of the narrative by his shiver of revulsion about someone actually wearing a tux with "no vent." Or with. Fashion is fickle.

I worked in the City in London for 17 years and during that time saw some wonderful examples of tailored Saville Row suits and some terrible "off the peg" suits too.
Couple of things you should mentioned is the sleeve length and the shirt. On a good tailor made suit, the suit sleeve shouldn't be too long, the shirt cuff should always be visable by approx 1-1 1/2 inches and the shirt should always be double-cuffed with cufflinks. I think a nice cutaway collar always looks very dapper. Think of Prince Charles; his shirt cuffs are always visable and he wears cutaway collars.

For the other guy, his suit should be ill-fitting with long sleeves that cover the tops of his hands making hand movements awkward. Perhaps he clutches the suit sleeves nervously with his fingers.

Linda Adams said:

Alas, anyone can make an expensive name brand suit look bad if it doesn't fit right.

Click to expand...

Depends on the designer. I look great in Armani, a lot less so in Dior. You pick the cut that suits you.

Richard Armour said:

tailored Saville Row suits

Click to expand...

I have no idea what that would look like, but it sounds attractive.

Greenwolf, like a few of the other people have said: I think details aren't totally necessary. You can give an impression with just a few words. I happen to think impressions are more important than details because they last longer and tint the character through out the remainder of the book. However, if you want to use details, use them. I would mention something to do with lines and fit. Lines and shadows are good because they catch the invariable attractiveness of the suit, the black and white, almost angular approach. Relaxed perfection.

Focus not so much on the actual picture as the details that the POV character would notice and her reaction. If she's a fashionista, what will matter to her is that it's the current style (or not), that it's trendy or conservative, and so on. It's all about the emotional/psychological effect on the POV character, rather than the objective description, at least once you get past the basics of tux, black, well-fitting (or not), etc. The basics are enough for the reader to create an image, and the rest is more about characterization (and staying true to POV) than the image the reader creates.

You can sort of see this in the preceding responses to the question. Each person, depending on his/her fashion knowledge, will mention different aspects of the description. So, focus on what the character would notice, and that's the description you want.

JD

A Tuxedo in any color other than black is just a costume.

The shirt should be white of off white but never any color other than white.
The only color permitted is in the shirt studs. Rubies or emeralds are nice. Gold love knots are elagant too.

Black patten leather shoes are a must.

Patten leather slip-on pumps are okay but should not have a bow. Pumps with bows or other decoration are worn with white tie and tails.

Therefore, if both characters are dressed appropriately for a black tie event, the only "bad taste" would be if one tux fit badly or if the tie was out of fashion e.g. too wide or too narrow. Perhaps the tie is one of those pre-tied things. My father once said that every man should know how to tie his own a bow tie, or find a woman who can do it for him.

Of course you could have the poorly dressed character arrive in a powder blue suit and brown wing-tips.

If you're looking for a line, you could say something like "On the other hand, Joe's tuxedo resembled unmade bed rather than a suit."

Cm

Greenwolf103 said:

I'm doing NaNo and my character is attending a black tie event. She is VERY fashion-minded and the writing is in her POV. My problem: I don't know how in the world to describe a VERY nice suit the men are wearing. There are two, in particular, who I must describe through my character's eyes. One is in poor taste, the other in good taste. And I also need her describing one other suit she is encouraging her date to buy.

I have an exact idea of what kind of suits they are, but I'm not all too keen on how to describe them to where the reader will get a good idea of what the suits LOOK like. I have photos and links of the suits I have in mind.

I tried checking catalog sites but I only got more confused. LOL I saw "double brested" and "three button" and "side vent" and "no vent." (If there's no vent in a suit, do I even have to say "no vent"?) I also asked a few men I know and none of them had an answer.

Any suggestions and help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

--Dawn

Click to expand...

That works for me, but for a suit that is obviously expensive don't you think they could have included a collar? I mean how much can a collar cost?

He looks like a vampire!