Reader Question: Full-Court Fashion

A reader from Richardson, TX writes:

My husband, whose 34,just became an attorney. He needs suits, and we can't seem to agree on what works best for his career and age. Can you suggest any suit choices that are appropriate for him. Thanks!

When at all in doubt, pick a conservative suit. If the workload or office requires a less risk-averse look, you can always liven up a suit with a younger-feeling shirt and/or tie.

Conservative suits: You can't go wrong with navy, charcoal or gray.


Charcoal suit by Charles Tyrwitt

Note that three buttons is generally considered "hipper" than two-button suits. But Tyrwitt's cut is lean and English, and entirely old-school. Stay away from double-breasted at present.

Another, darker charcoal suit by C.T.



Here's an example of a conservative navy suit with a decidedly funky shirt-and-tie combo.



You'd want to save this particular shirt and tie for a night on the town, say, after your first big courtroom win.

Now, on pinstripes. The below pinstriped, conservative look has always said "boardroom chic."



A very arch-conservative, power-broker sort of look; more corporate law than, say, defense. You also see mob lawyers and "power attorneys" wearing pinstriped suits; they've always been able to get away with this.

But really, there aren't many rules governing suits. The suit is actually all about framing the shirt and tie. Here is where sound fashion decisions are made or fumbled.

From the IHT: "At the end of the day, it's all about the shirt," observes Raman Bet-Mansour, a Paris-based partner in the New York law firm Debevoise & Plimpton. "Suits, you have single or double-breasted, two or three buttons — that's it. Not much news in ties either."

So, your answer is this: Stay relatively conservative with suits. Experiment a bit with shirts. See Thomas Pink, for instance. A solid Pink shirt (I'm talking about the brand here) can be as conservative or as lax as you wish -- just pick a conservative or more youthful tie.