I’m asked quite often, “How many suits should a man have in his closet?” Well that depends on what he does for a living. If his job requires him to wear a suit, he should have at least 10; if not, he should have three to four. Why so many you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.
If you work in a suit, you should have at least 10 suits because a suit needs time to recover. Regardless what you paid for the suit, it should not be worn every other day. It should be worn no more than once a week, but ideally once every other week. This gives the suit time to air out and breathe. Also, a suit should not be cleaned more than 2-3 times per year. Excessive cleaning will deteriorate the wool eventually and wear out the suit faster. You should have enough suits to wear them once every couple of weeks. There’s nothing wrong with having multiple suits the same color, if you wear them every day.
If you don’t wear a suit every day, you should have at least three to four suits. I’m sorry, it’s just wrong to take your significant other out to dinner in the same suit you buried a loved one in. It just is. You should have a suit to interview or conduct business in, a suit for special occasions, and one or two to go out in. You know, take your lady to dinner, check out a theater, things like that.
If you want to know what suits you should have, here’s a good start. You should have a navy, charcoal, and brown/tan suit, and of course, a black one. And if possible, ALWAYS get wool. When you get your suits, also get yourself some colorful shirts, not just boring white ones. You should have at least two white, one pink, one lavender, and one light blue shirt.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
William Wilson is a nationally respected men’s clothier and image consultant. His clients include professional athletes, CEOs, and corporations. His homepage is www.WilliamtheClothier.com. Follow William on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/theclothier.
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