What suit would suit me?

I'd say your first GOOD suit should run you about ~£500 / $700 ish, depending on where you shop and can find sales. I assume by using the GBP denomination you are not in the states, so that makes it not as easy to recommend brands. But I would say look for something 2 button (or 3 with a nice lapel roll, depending on your preference), solid navy or solid dark (or mid) charcoal to be the most versatile. Half-canvassing at a minimum would be a great start, full canvasing is probably a bit expensive for a first suit, but I don't know your budget! Simply try to avoid cheaper "fused" suits (fabric is "glued"/fused together without canvas/fabric in between) as they aren't as quality. Make sure you nail down the shoulder width with the right suit size. Many things can be fixed by a tailor, but shoulder width extending past your shoulder is not a road you want to go down to correct. Your suit styling will come down to preference (ie: full cut vs. slim cut, heavier shoulder padding vs unstructured/light padding [Italian-styling]).. There's tons of other things to consider and I'm sure this thread will get you going, but hopefully this should help get you started.

Look for a long ... at 6' 1" you will need a long, esp. since suits these days are shorter in the body ... and a suit that is "drop 7" ... that is, cut for a chest that is 7 inches larger than the waist. This is an athletic or a young man's cut. European tag might say 52 L 7. In American you would probably be a 42L in a drop-7 cut like Brooks Brothers Regent.

A cheaper suit could look good on you (with that body) but do not buy a cheap suit with plans to alter it. Taking in the sides on a side-vented suit is a tough job for an alteration tailor, esp. the kind who does the work for the cheap suit stores. Don't bite if a salesman puts something on that does not look right (is likely with you needing a long and a drop 7) and tells you they can fix it.

Sure,

I think 2 button vs 3 button is self explanatory.

A lapel is the fabric that runs from the collar to the button-point. In the picture you posted, you are wearing a notch lapel, which is basically the go-to standard on suits. There are also peak lapels (Often used on formal wear/tuxedos or more fashion-oriented suits/less business-oriented), as well as the shawl collar lapel (Which is almost exclusively reserved for tuxedos/dinner-jackets/etc.)

Canvassing:
-Google this for more info. Its a layer of fabric/canvas in between suit fabrics that helps for better suit construction/draping/lapel roll, etc. Half canvassing is essentially an additional lining in between fabric layers that runs to about mid-way / half of the suit jacket. Full canvassing is the top-echelon and extends throughout the full suit jacket. Fused would be a lack of any liner. See http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?86160-Canvas-half-canvas-etc.-explained for more information.

You're correct in that the shoulder width is too much in the photo you posted. Try sizing down one jacket size to correct this. If the suit pants are too small for that size, usually there is always room for a tailor to let the pants out for a better fit.

As Dewey mentioned, at 6'1" you MAY be better off with a L length jacket. Suit sizing usually runs in S, R, and L (Short, Regular, Long.. respectively). Again its pretty self explanatory, and it is a bit hard to tell from your photo since your hands are in your pockets, but the jacket length seems OK to my eye. The ideal jacket length should fall just long enough to cover your butt in the rear, and if you have your arms down straight, you should be able to curl your hands and have the overall suit jacket length fall somewhere right around your knuckles. Now-a-days the fashion seems to be on the shorter end, and that is OK if that is your preference, but its not timeless and may be dated quickly. Just make sure you dont buy something ridiculously fashion-forward that is extremely short and looks like a women's jacket (Although from your picture you seem fine in that department).

Lastly, in regards to your photo and pants-fitment. I think you are perfectly fine here. You may want to shorten them JUST a hair (although it is not necessary) so you have slightly less break (Break = how much fabric falls/bunches up on top of your shoes at the cuff). This is really just a personal preference. You can have a tailor taper the cuff ever-so-slightly (if that is your preference) for a few bucks, but I wouldn't say its necessary. I prefer a slimmer fit, but I'm also a much slimmer guy.

If you need help with anything else, just post. It's a Sunday and I'm bored on a business trip with absolutely nothing to do. Good luck with your search!

I think that suit looks very good, actually. If the shoulders are too wide, this is probably a stylistic issue particular to that suit and not a sizing issue -- it does not look to me like sizing down would be a smart idea.

^ Hard to tell from the picture ... but it looks like the jacket is too big for you. The lapels of the jacket should hug the shirt collar.

This jacket is too big on this man:



Your jacket looks a little like that in the picture. Unless you are wearing a button-down collar, the suit jacket should cover all the outer edge of the shirt collar, down to the points, when the shirt is buttoned up.

Also you want more like a head's width of shoulder on either side. In the picture it looks like the shoulders extend too far. Could be the jut of the jacket or it could be that hte jacket is too big.

^ Agreed. The shoulder is slightly out there but overall it looks good to my eye. Part of it is that the wearer seems to be comfortable in it, and that always makes a difference.

EDIT: I was agreeing with HalfCanvas, not Dewey. The Dewey post came in when I was composing. I don't see any Ron Paul type gap in the OP's photo.
Edited by Steve Smith - 1/15/12 at 8:54am

^ Another part of it is the man is young, generally fit, and has a buxom blonde on his hip. Doesn't much matter what he wears

The OP's picture looks nothing like the Ron Paul picture.

Looks to me like the shirt collar is nearly sitting on top of the suit lapel. Too much of the collar is left uncovered, esp. on the left side. But whatever. The Ron Paul picture illustrates what to avoid

While I dont agree his suit looks like the Ron Paul picture, I do believe the shoulders are far too large / extending past where they should be. Also Dewey does have a point on how the jacket sits on the collar. I still stand by my original statement that if the OP sized down one size, the jacket might fit perfect.

Agree that the fit is pretty good, but than the jacket is probably a size too big, which is very common. If you wanted a slimmer pant, a tailor can also adjust for you, although these pants look fine.

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