Suit vs. Street: Which is more difficult

[Studio27]

As the title suggests, which is more difficult to do well. Pictures of "great" and "terrible" for both categories are always good...

 

[Bam!ChairDance]

Well, I'd say it definitely costs more to rack up a decent wardrobe of tailored clothes, while with streetwear you can get away with integrating cheapo pieces and not looking like shite.

 

[whacked]

If you want a definitive answer, this is not the right venue.

 

[Studio27]

Originally Posted by whacked

If you want a definitive answer, this is not the right venue.

more just an interesting topic I think will bring up some good discussion. I xposted in MC

 

[Bam!ChairDance]

It's also a super vague question that needs some clarification. Like, does "pull off" mean the ability to avoid negative attention from other folks? Or the ability to make everything work in some absolute aesthetic sense that exists separately from the subjective opinion of friends/associates?

Also, with both streetwear and tailored stuff, there is always some base level or "default" style that one can wear as opposed to branching out, experimenting, etc. So is the question about the base level, or are we talking about the ability to experiment?

 

[chang]

Maybe suit costs more, but there seems to be more rules in place so most people with some basic advice can probably at least look decent without making too much effort. I can't easily figure out what I want to wear casually, so it's a lot more difficult for me to figure out street style.

 

[wmmk]

I think it's mostly based on build and attitude. A skinny hipster is going to look at ease in Flat Heads and BoO, while an executive who works out a lot might look better in Brioni.

 

[PolePosition]

I think that it is easier to look good in suits because there are sets of "rules" that apply when wearing suits. People don't need to necessarily have personal style, just need to know how to match colors, get suits that are tailored correctly, tie ties, get good shoes, etc.... I mean there are alot of places to learn how to dress well in business clothing and is a bit less subjective.

Whereas streetwear. Well here there is basically free reign in what looks good. What looks good to one person may not look good to others. Granted there is still a sense of fitment that is very important, but some people may think the hipster looks good, but I think its ugly. Too many different tastes to really define how to look good and also the environment, circumstances, etc. also would be necessary in dictating what is looking good.... so I'd say it is harder to do well in street clothes. The majority of the public, even if they have a style they are going for, may not necessarily pull it off well. Contrast this with how many people can look good in a suit with relative ease.

 

[intelintel37]

Originally Posted by PolePosition

I think that it is easier to look good in suits because there are sets of "rules" that apply when wearing suits. People don't need to necessarily have personal style, just need to know how to match colors, get suits that are tailored correctly, tie ties, get good shoes, etc.... I mean there are alot of places to learn how to dress well in business clothing and is a bit less subjective.

Whereas streetwear. Well here there is basically free reign in what looks good. What looks good to one person may not look good to others. Granted there is still a sense of fitment that is very important, but some people may think the hipster looks good, but I think its ugly. Too many different tastes to really define how to look good and also the environment, circumstances, etc. also would be necessary in dictating what is looking good.... so I'd say it is harder to do well in street clothes. The majority of the public, even if they have a style they are going for, may not necessarily pull it off well. Contrast this with how many people can look good in a suit with relative ease.
second that

 

[Ritchee]

I think it's harder to pull off Suit style because of some rules; which I admit can be flexible and open to interpretation.

Just this week I bought a Rag & Bone tweed sport coat. Usually I take a Large in their shirts and coats even though I'm a medium in most other brands. So I had to choose between a size 40 and 42 (note: I live far from a city so I had to web order - making sure I could return it if it couldn't fit).

I chose the 40 size since that is roughly my chest size. I got it today and it fit fine except that the sleeves were around an inch too long. Now if this were a street style jacket, I might just leave it as is or roll up the sleeves from time to time. But I plan on wearing it with a dress shirt and I'd like to show some of the shirt sleeve.

Now I have to take the tweed sport coat to a tailor so the sleeves can be brought up. I hope my tailor can do this without ruining my tweed sport coat since the sleeves have a working button with a hole.

 

[Listi]

The fact that street style needs to be able to function in a (generally, I suppose some people wear suits all the time) wider range of situations, has no rules, and changes greatly with the weather/season, I voted that it is harder. Albeit, only slightly.

 

[underwearer]

street by far...One could wear a suit from the 1800's and look sharp today. Try wearing an 1800's swimsuit for example.