42 Degrees - Business from a different angle

People form their opinions of you often within the first three seconds. If you want to make an instant old-fashioned power statement, nothing can beat a good suit. The whole point of a suit is to create a good impression. It's an investment in your image, so I believe that scrimping is a false economy. Like putting a one-litre engine into a sports car, it defeats the point.

I've made suits for royal princes, rock stars called Robbie and captains of industry, costing up to £3,000. You don't need to go that far, but generally you get what you pay for and you are not likely to get a suit that looks good and stays looking good for much less than £500.

Mind you, just because you pay more than that doesn't necessarily mean you are getting a better suit.

The key is to be able to identify quality, and quality is an imprecise combination of cut, construction and fabric. There are three basic grades of quality in tailoring – off the peg, made to measure and bespoke. Off the peg (OTP) is your basic shop-bought suit. They are machine made or 'engineered', often put together in minutes and they tend to be cheaper – Asda recently had one for £19. On the other hand, you can pay up to £1,000. The trouble is that they are designed to fit the average person and as very few people are average, fit could be a problem.

The next grade up is made to measure. It sounds good and many people think it is the same as bespoke. In fact these suits use a standard 'block' (style) just like off-the-peg suits, are made by machine, again like OTP, but the patterns are altered by hand at the cutting stage to your precise measurements and fit. They can cost between £700 and £2,000.

Then there are bespoke suits, which are made to your measurements from scratch. This could take several fittings and cost from £2,000 to £4,000 – or more.

Let's assume for a moment that you don't want to spend that much. What should you look for? Most people are surprised to learn that, although the fabric plays a large part in whether a suit looks good, it is in the measurement, fit and construction that quality really lies.

The difference in suits at the bespoke and the better made-to-measure levels is the use of a canvas interlining between the lining and the fabric. It reinforces the fabric, and helps create and retain the shape. In cheap suits, the interlining is fused rather than sewn in. This gives a very clean and flat appearance. That's OK, but could be a problem at dry cleaning when the solvents could delaminate or unstick it, creating an unacceptable bobbled effect.

But it is invariably the fabric you notice first. Whatever you choose, it must be natural, probably wool and probably 'worsted', which means the surface of the fabric has been shaved to make it smooth to the touch. It may even be blended with other natural fibres such as silk, linen or cashmere.

You can judge a fabric by its 'handle' or feel. You get gradings of fabric – 'Super 150', 'Super 180' etc, referring to the fineness of the yarn. The paradox is that the higher the grading, the more expensive it is. But it also creates a finer garment which is therefore not necessarily more sturdy and resilient. It is very difficult for the layman to judge fabric quality. You need to find a shop where you can trust the salesman's advice.

Do not even contemplate colours other than blue, grey and perhaps black for conventional business suits – although I personally think black shows dirt and dandruff and makes you look like a funeral director or head waiter. Maroons, olives, taupes and beige may look good in the circus ring, but never in the boardroom.

Next comes cut. My view is that cut or style is a very personal thing. A lot of it depends on your age and physical shape. For instance, you need to be both young and slim to wear some of the modern, narrower cuts. I generally recommend single breasted, two or three button jackets.

A jacket should sit square on the shoulders, be a good fit at the neck point (the point where the shoulder of the jacket touches your collar) and the chest where the chest line meets the front scye (armhole). If that's too big, it'll sag across the front. If it's too small, it will dig into your scye.

Vents at the bottom rear of the jacket are designed to give it mobility and to cover Sir's posterior. The larger gentleman certainly should have two vents, a slimmer figure can get away with one, but I believe that only gangsters and 80s fashion models should do away with the vent altogether.

Trousers should be lined to the knee but they can be pleated or not, as you like. Just be aware that pleats make a baggier trouser, so one or two pleats are very good at hiding a multitude of sins underneath.

Two common mistakes when trying on trousers are to wear them too tight and too high. The right fit is when you can easily insert a finger between you and the trousers. You won't look slim if you wear the waist tight, you'll just feel uncomfortable. Similarly people often wear them too high in the fitting room. The result is that when you wear them for real they settle a couple of inches further down your torso and the legs look concertinaed.

Beyond that, there are a host of styling details. For instance, turn-ups often look better on men with long legs. Make sure you have four buttons on the sleeve, that jacket pockets have flaps, and that hand stitching around the fronts, lapels and collars of the jackets is close to invisible.

If you mind all these suggestions you should have a reasonable quality suit which fits well and makes you look good. However, the only way to extract maximum return from your sartorial investment is to look after it properly.

A suit should always rest for at least a day after wearing to let it regain its shape and for creases to drop out. So you should probably have three or four if you need to wear a suit every day. Use a good quality hanger and give them room to breathe. Keep them brushed and remove dirt or stains with a damp cloth. Dry-clean them, but not too often – poor pressing, in particular, can ruin a good suit.

Finally, a suit will only look at its best if you dress it up well. Take time with your shirt and tie. Even the best suits sometimes need help.