About You - A Tailoring Guide For Choosing Your Bespoke Suit
Dressing for success is important whatever your profession. Wearing a Fielding and Nicholson Bespoke suit, will boost your confidence and create the right impression with your business associates, colleagues, clients and bosses.
We've put together some ideas on the essentials for your wardrobe based on your position or vocation. This is because we know in our experience what would work well for an entrepreneur may not be appropriate for a solicitor, for example.
It’s a scientific fact that people who don’t know you make up their minds about you on a subliminal basis in 30 seconds or less. Behavioural scientists tell us that we notice the following about another human being, in this order: Skin colour, gender, age, bearing (height, body language, etc.), appearance, direct eye contact, and speech. The first three we can do nothing about, but we can control how to present the best image of ourselves. Since 80 per cent of what others see is our clothes, it is essential that we make the best of ourselves in both a professional and social setting.
The colour of your clothes is also important since it gets an emotional response from people and can really affect how you look.
For this reason we have created some guides on what to wear. They don’t cover all professions, so please click our 'ask a tailor' link to get more specific advice from one of our experts here at Fielding and Nicholson.
I am a…
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Solicitor Barrister Accountant Investment Banker |
Wealth Manager or IFA Entrepreneur Jobseeker None of the above |
Tailored Suits for Solicitors
We recommend:
A range of ten winter and five summer suits. The winter range will give you a two-week wardrobe. This will give you enough suits for every working day of the week for two weeks, allowing each suit two weeks recovery time. The benefit of having what we call a two week wardrobe, is that you will have permanently crisp and clean work clothing that avoids having to go to the dry cleaners. So, your investment in quality suits will last three to four times longer on average, with a two week wardrobe.
Avoid:
Wearing short sleeves with a tie, as short sleeve shirts are perceived as lower class apparel. This is fine for some professions, but not if you want to project a professional image in the legal industry. Also avoid brown coloured suits as brown says informal and earthy - not the qualities you want to project if you are a solicitor. Avoid double breasted suits if you are carrying a bit of weight, as double breasted suits add weight. Don’t wear socks that don’t match your suit.
Tailored Suits for Barristers
We recommend:
A range of ten winter and five summer suits. Barristers wear formal dress code for court and the colours required are blue, black and grey. Blue signifies high regard, knowledge, authority, trust and seriousness. While grey suggests intelligence, class, efficiency, sophistication and confidence. We recommend chalk stripe, double-breasted suits with a waistcoat for court. The winter range will give you a two-week wardrobe. This will give you enough suits for every working day of the week for two weeks, allowing each suit two weeks recovery time. The benefit of having what we call a two week wardrobe is that you will have permanently crisp and clean work clothing that avoids having to go to the dry cleaners. So, your investment in quality suits will last three to four times longer on average, with a two week wardrobe.
Avoid:
Anything too contemporary as tradition is the key for a barrister. Avoid light coloured fabrics for your suit too.
Tailored Suits for Accountants
We recommend:
A range of ten winter and five summer suits. The winter range will give you a two-week wardrobe. Grey works well in this industry as it is a colour you can wear with people you know well. Navy suits work well for first meetings. The two week wardrobe will give you enough suits for every working day of the week for two weeks, allowing each suit two weeks recovery time. The benefit of having what we call a two week wardrobe is that you will have permanently crisp and clean work clothing that avoids having to go to dry cleaners. So, your investment in quality suits will last three to four times longer on average, with a two week wardrobe.
Avoid:
Wearing short sleeves with a tie, as short sleeve shirts are perceived as lower class apparel. This is fine for some professions, but not if you want to project a professional image. Also avoid brown coloured suits as brown says informal, reliable, approachable, relaxed and earthy.
Tailored Suits for Investment Bankers
We recommend:
A range of ten winter and five summer formal suits. We recommend a range of blues and greys, with some suits having pinstripes or chalk stripes. Blue signifies high regard, knowledge, authority, trust and seriousness. While grey suggests intelligence, class, efficiency, sophistication and confidence. The winter range will give you a two-week wardrobe. This will give you enough suits for every working day of the week for two weeks, allowing each suit two weeks recovery time. The benefit of having what we call a two week wardrobe is that you will have permanently crisp and clean work clothing that avoids having to go to the dry cleaners. So, your investment in quality suits will last three to four times longer on average, with a two week wardrobe.
Avoid:
Anything too casual as double-breasted suits are not great if you are carrying some weight. Conversely if you are slim you can create bulk with a double breasted suit. Don’t wear brown as this says informal, reliable, approachable, relaxed and earthy; which are not necessarily the qualities people want in an investment banker.
Tailored Suits for Wealth Managers or IFAs
We recommend:
A range of smart-casual attire together with winter and summer suits. Five smart jackets that are worn with a contrasting coloured trousers work well for meeting clients. Tweed jackets are excellent for the winter and mixing navy jackets with light coloured trousers give a good impression on a first meeting. If you know the client that you are meeting with, then we would recommend grey. We would also recommend at least two suits for more formal occasions. We would devise a two week wardrobe as with any other profession, allowing each outfit two weeks recovery time. The benefit of having what we call a two week wardrobe is that you will have permanently crisp and clean work clothing that avoids having to go to dry cleaners. So, your investment in quality clothing will last three to four times longer on average, with a two week wardrobe.
Avoid:
Blazers with gold buttons as these are a little dated. Pinstripe suits are not necessary for this profession as some clients may find this a little bit over the top.
Tailored Suits for Entrepreneurs
This is the profession where it is considered anything goes! However for many of us this can be quite daunting and if we reflect on the great entrepreneurs we know like Richard Branson and Alan Sugar, they look very well dressed. The key here is to make sure you have your own style and stick to it.
We recommend:
A combination of suits and smart-casual attire, so that you can be dressed for any occasion, be it formal or informal. Dinner suits are a requirement for any entrepreneur to make an impression at evening events. Smart-casual clothes should consist of natural fibres like light-weight wool and cotton. Jackets and sports coats give an outfit more credibility and distinction. You can look stylish by wearing a crewneck sweater, with a woven collared shirt underneath , exposing the collar. We would devise a two week wardrobe as with any other profession, allowing each outfit two weeks recovery time. The benefit of having what we call a two week wardrobe is that you will have permanently crisp and clean work clothing that avoids having to go to the dry cleaners. So, your investment in quality outfits will last three to four times longer on average, with a two week wardrobe.
Avoid:
Browns and double-breasted suits which can look too traditional and dated. Don’t wear a button-down collar dress shirt in the evening as this is not acceptable evening attire.
Tailored Suits for Jobseekers
We recommend:
A three piece suit including a waistcoat, with a single breasted jacket. Navy makes a great impression with pinstripes or you may want to choose grey. Blue signifies high regard, knowledge, authority, trust, seriousness, responsibility, happiness, calm, honesty, loyalty and integrity. This is definitely a great colour to create the right first impression.
Avoid:
Brown and black as these colours don’t give the right impression for an interview. Brown is too earthy or woolly and black is considered by some as a colour only for funerals. Don’t wear a double breasted suit as this is too traditional and can add weight to any larger frame.
None of the above
We recommend:
You contact Fielding & Nicholson directly and ask a tailor for advice.
