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Suit style to make young guy look more mature/respectable

Svenn

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I'll be a new lawyer next year and am 23 yrs old, and I want to choose a suit that makes me look older and more respectable so I'm taken more seriously in court, etc. I'll be self-employed, so I can look as CEO-like as I want. I have an thin but athletic, broad shoulder-narrow waist build, 5'10'', but sort of a babyface. I'm thinking a trim, traditional, 4-button British style cut suit with tapering pant legs (think of a 1980's English lawyer), and a vest and a high collar like Woodrow Wilson... maybe brown tweed -all of this to make me look old fashioned, but I don't want to look armani stylish or anything like that. Don't wanna grow a beard...

So many young american professionals look really ridiculous with jet black suits, boxy shoulders, baggy cut suits... I definitley don't wanna have that radioshack-boardroom-meeting or sports award dinner look...
 

vitaminc

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Try 3-rolled-2 or 2 button, instead of 4 buttons. Oh, and skip the tweed; it's informal. stick with shades of gray and perhaps navy.
 

Flambeur

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Originally Posted by Svenn
I'll be a new lawyer next year and am 23 yrs old, and I want to choose a suit that makes me look older and more respectable so I'm taken more seriously in court, etc. I'll be self-employed, so I can look as CEO-like as I want. I have an thin but athletic, broad shoulder-narrow waist build, 5'10'', but sort of a babyface. I'm thinking a trim, traditional, 4-button British style cut suit with tapering pant legs (think of a 1980's English lawyer), and a vest and a high collar like Woodrow Wilson... maybe brown tweed -all of this to make me look old fashioned, but I don't want to look armani stylish or anything like that. Don't wanna grow a beard...

So many young american professionals look really ridiculous with jet black suits, boxy shoulders, baggy cut suits... I definitley don't wanna have that radioshack-boardroom-meeting or sports award dinner look...



Please don't. Stick to 2 or roll 3 button.

And I would advise against trying too hard to look older and more respectable, you will just come off as trying too hard. Stick to basics that are well-tailored, crisp simple shirts and ties, etc.
 

Sander

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4 buttons classic in 1980s? Hardly.
With the outfit you described, I'm afraid there's a great chance you'll look ridicolous. Do you have a picture of what you have in mind?
 

Mauby

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Originally Posted by Svenn

So many young american professionals look really ridiculous with jet black suits, boxy shoulders, baggy cut suits... I definitley don't wanna have that radioshack-boardroom-meeting or sports award dinner look...



Originally Posted by vitaminc
Try 3-rolled-2 or 2 button, instead of 4 buttons. Oh, and skip the tweed; it's informal. stick with shades of gray and perhaps navy.

^^ is correct. A 4-button suit would definitely put you in the sports award dinner category. I thought only NBA players wear them.
 

kdaust

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As a fellow 23yr old lawyer... Here's my view for what its worth.

Go for a fitted suit but nothing too flashy. Grey and/or Navy with conservative pinstripes or windowpane. Nice shoes, but again nothing OTT. Maybe a beaten up leather briefcase if you want to look older... ;-)

Making yourself look 'older' is not going to impress judges or opposing counsel (assuming you do court work - which if you are self employed we can assume you will be doing at least some).

Looking too flashy is not going to impress clients who will just lump you in with all the other 'overpaid' lawyers.

Your best asset will be referrals by word of mouth, not a brown tweed suit. And what will get you taken more seriously will be your professionalism in the way you deal with clients, the courts, and other lawyers.
 

GBR

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You are verging on costume here.

Four button is a fashion forward statement from the 1970s and doubtless other times. It is not going t achieve your aim so stay at 2 or 3.

Tweeds are reserved for the country and certainly not city or court room even in these liberated days.

Vest could also be considered OTT and costume in a workaday environment. The senior partner might get away with it but exercise care otherwise: Just because you think it adds gravitas those with long experience may even say it is cheeky.

Midnight blue, charcoal grey even black (wait for the moans here) bespoke or MTM if you can afford will readily meet your needs although your professional skills will speak much louder than your wardrobe, however much care you take of it.
 

Svenn

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Thanks for the replies. i suspect i described it poorly and overexaggerated, so here are some pics of what I was imagining. I basically want to look like I inherited the suit from my grandpa or something, which is why I was thinking brown (like the small tweed pic). very traditional and formal but frank/humble at the same time- narrow waist with slight flare below (which I undertand to be the 'british' style), and generally no baggyness.

hard to find pics, is there a good place on the net u know of?

tweed.jpg

878_AHF-S.jpg

Woodrow-Wilson-008.jpg
 

OxxfordSJLINY

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Originally Posted by GBR
You are verging on costume here.

Four button is a fashion forward statement from the 1970s and doubtless other times. It is not going t achieve your aim so stay at 2 or 3.

Tweeds are reserved for the country and certainly not city or court room even in these liberated days.

Vest could also be considered OTT and costume in a workaday environment. The senior partner might get away with it but exercise care otherwise: Just because you think it adds gravitas those with long experience may even say it is cheeky.

Midnight blue, charcoal grey even black (wait for the moans here) bespoke or MTM if you can afford will readily meet your needs although your professional skills will speak much louder than your wardrobe, however much care you take of it.


I agree with all of the above statements about two and three button (including three-roll-two button) SB jackets and never those awful, goofy, costume like looking four button SB jackets. Charcoal and other shades of dark or medium gray as well as navy and other dark shades of blue (excluding midnight blue) are the best way to go for suits (lately, I am really digging solids enormously; stripes I am digging much less lately but am still digging those as long as they are not bold). Other classic patterns (like glen plaids, windowpanes, herringbones and a few others are good too as long as they, too are not bold. However, midnight blue and black suits are to be avoided for business but are fine for events.

However, you are dead wrong about vested suits being considered OTT and costume like, GBR. In fact, vested suits are immensely elegant, classic, and conservative and stuff like that. Vested suits are definitely just as elegant, classic and conservative and stuff like that as DB suits are.

Of course, the only vested suits that I speak positively about are vested suits w/ SB jackets and (where SB vests are the only way to go for business with SB and DB vests equally excellent for events). And, the only DB suits that I speak positively about are non-vested DB suits.

IMO, vested suits w/ DB jackets (regardless of whether the vests are DB or SB) are absolutely horrible, regardless of the situation or anything else. OTT (which I assume is over the top) and costume like SB suits w/vested suits definitely are not!

Vested suits with SB jackets are actually much better looking (and, much more elegant, classic, conservative, etcetera) than SB suits w/o vests. However, non-vested SB suits are still very nice looking and still immensely elegant, classic, conservative, etcetera.
 

Zenny

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I always thought brown was more of a country colour for a suit (Saville Row mentality)
 

HEWSINATOR

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You are going to be a first year lawyer and self-employed? Curious what you are up to?
 

Flambeur

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Originally Posted by Svenn
Thanks for the replies. i suspect i described it poorly and overexaggerated, so here are some pics of what I was imagining. I basically want to look like I inherited the suit from my grandpa or something, which is why I was thinking brown (like the small tweed pic). very traditional and formal but frank/humble at the same time- narrow waist with slight flare below (which I undertand to be the 'british' style), and generally no baggyness.

hard to find pics, is there a good place on the net u know of?

tweed.jpg

878_AHF-S.jpg

Woodrow-Wilson-008.jpg


Seriously, no, please don't do it.

Silly at best, but really quite.. well, lets leave it at silly. You will look ridiculous.
 

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