Timeless/old money Three Piece suit

[Frog in Suit]

A SB waistcoat, higher cut would be appropriate. And the slanted pockets are a bit of an affectation unless you can make it part of your permanent look. I remain dubious.

I agree re: slanted pockets. They used to be very rare, except on hacking jackets (for practical reasons). Then RTW firms started putting them on all their coats, probably because they thought their products would be thought "bespoke" by the uninitiated. In most cases, they don't look bespoke; they only look like RTW trying too hard.
I also agree about the SB waistcoat.

 

[breakaway01]

IMO
don't think too hard about "timeless" and "old money"

There have been very noticeable changes in tailored clothing just over the past 25 years, never mind the past 50, 100, or 200 years. There is no such thing as a "timeless" suit. Develop your own style.

"old money" - I do not come from old money but definitely spent some time around those who did when I was in college and when interacting with my wife's business school classmates. Trust me, they can tell who is old money and who is an impostor. Don't try to come off as old money.

 

[ysc2]

If you want a "timeless" suit get a two piece, single breasted, notch lapel in navy or charcoal wool in as neutral a cut as possible (i.e. not slim, not too wide or drapey).

Ideally with flat, flapped, pockets although I doubt that many people will notice the jetted slanted/hacking pockets on that jacket.

You probably want flat fronted or single pleated trousers. It will be timeless in the sense that you will fit in at occasionas that you need a suit for today, and will probably do so in 10 years time.

I have suits like this from 10+ years ago and a few of the small details are not in step with current trends, but they are fine.

If you want to wear a double breasted wasitcoat go for it, but be aware the Gentlemens Gazette guys, while I am sure lovely and knowledgeable, are basically wearing costumes.

In an outfit like that you will look costumey in most situations today, and you probably will in 10 years time. You'll fit in perfectly at a 20s party.

Clothing can be for fun, so buy it and wear it for that reason if you like. Do be cautious if you are wearing it in a professional environment as a young/more junior employee. It will stand out, and not in a good way.

 

[acconrad]

just look at the what are you wearing thread or someone like voxsartoria on IG. a good portion of those folks are old money (actually) and fun fact: they just look like everyone else who is sartorially inclined. difference is they get their suits from Steed instead of Suit Supply. and it shows - the fit is impeccable. the materials are exquisite. you can't fake that. certainly not with a waistcoat

 

[henrydotson]

I love the timeless elegance of a three-piece suit! It's a classic look that never goes out of style. A well-tailored suit like that exudes confidence and sophistication.

 

[ysc2]

just look at the what are you wearing thread or someone like voxsartoria on IG. a good portion of those folks are old money (actually) and fun fact: they just look like everyone else who is sartorially inclined. difference is they get their suits from Steed instead of Suit Supply. and it shows - the fit is impeccable. the materials are exquisite. you can't fake that. certainly not with a waistcoat

To add to this. There is no real old money look. The individuals you have highlighted have money and a certain taste, which I think is the point you are making but a lot of people miss.

There is still some social capital/codes around clothing passed down in traditional wealthy families and through the educational institutes they go to, but it's shrinking.

People seem to think fathers in these families take their son to their tailors one day and say "this is how we dress my boy".

That might have happened at one time, but it's vanishingly rare today. And would be more driven by personal eccentricity than any inherent class ideology or taste.

Through education and work I have come/come into a lot of contact with people with multi-generational wealth - the traditional upper middle and upper class of the UK and to an extent the US and EU. Some like tailoring, some don't care. Some dress well, some dress like ****.

Most of the 20-40 year olds from this background I meet wear expensive streetwear or more obscure fashion brands rather than traditional menswear brands. Some of them are very stylish, some of them look like fashion victims - with streetwear as with tailoring (old) money is no garuntee of taste.

 

[William Kazak]

If you want a "timeless" suit get a two piece, single breasted, notch lapel in navy or charcoal wool in as neutral a cut as possible (i.e. not slim, not too wide or drapey).

Ideally with flat, flapped, pockets although I doubt that many people will notice the jetted slanted/hacking pockets on that jacket.

You probably want flat fronted or single pleated trousers. It will be timeless in the sense that you will fit in at occasionas that you need a suit for today, and will probably do so in 10 years time.

I have suits like this from 10+ years ago and a few of the small details are not in step with current trends, but they are fine.

If you want to wear a double breasted wasitcoat go for it, but be aware the Gentlemens Gazette guys, while I am sure lovely and knowledgeable, are basically wearing costumes.

In an outfit like that you will look costumey in most situations today, and you probably will in 10 years time. You'll fit in perfectly at a 20s party.

Clothing can be for fun, so buy it and wear it for that reason if you like. Do be cautious if you are wearing it in a professional environment as a young/more junior employee. It will stand out, and not in a good way.

Your advice on getting a timeless suit got my attention. You seem to be describing Cary Grant's suit in North by Northwest. Being retired now, blazers suit me fine. However, I have heard the arguments that everyman needs at least one suit. My current take would be something different than Cary Grant. Perhaps double breasted, peak lapels. Something like that has more character to my eye. Don't get me wrong, I love your advice on that timeless suit recommendation.

 

[ysc2]

Your advice on getting a timeless suit got my attention. You seem to be describing Cary Grant's suit in North by Northwest. Being retired now, blazers suit me fine. However, I have heard the arguments that everyman needs at least one suit. My current take would be something different than Cary Grant. Perhaps double breasted, peak lapels. Something like that has more character to my eye. Don't get me wrong, I love your advice on that timeless suit recommendation.

I think his suit actually had a check fabric rather than being completely plain, but yes. It seems to me a 2 or 2/3 single breasted suit like that, in a moderage cut (I can't think of another way to phrase it) is most likely to "fit in" on most occasions for longest.

Waistlines go up and down, shoulders are more or less soft/structured/extended and the whole thing gets looser and tighter but those essentials will have you looking fine if not fashionable.

Cary would have looked a bit baggy and old fashioned in the slim fit, low rise era. And his shoulders are probably more padded than the internet menswear crowd favours today, but he wouldn't have stood out in a bad way to most people in either era.

A double breasted suit with peak lapels definetly has more character, and would be fashionable at the moment as well.

But I remember ~15 years ago when I first regularly needed suits for work double breasted suits were seen as very old manish and dated. Not that one couldn't have looked good, but if I had gone off to work in one in my early 20s I would have stood out. And not in a good way.

If timeless means something that would fit in in multiple eras, or you can wear over a decade or two, it probably has to mean not having too much character!

 

[LJ1891]

Cary Grant On Style

Cary Grant’s thoughts on the matter

 

[clee1982]

Don’t worry about timeless, if you need a work non offensive (as in not stand out) suit just get that, if you wear tailoring for fun then embrace that

 

[pasadena man]

I think his suit actually had a check fabric rather than being completely plain, but yes. It seems to me a 2 or 2/3 single breasted suit like that, in a moderage cut (I can't think of another way to phrase it) is most likely to "fit in" on most occasions for longest.

Grant’s suit in this film the most iconic in film history, to my eye.

The suit is, as noted, a very subtle blue/grey plaid that reads as a solid in most of the film. Also, uncommonly, ventless, presumably Grant’s choice.

The Famous North By Northwest Suit – Bond Suits

“He’s a well-tailored one, isn’t he,” says Martin Landau’s character Leonard. Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest set the tone for all spy films to come in the 1960s, and Cary Grant’s famous plaid suit has many similarities to the many plaid suits Sean Connery wore in the Bond films. Much has...

www.bondsuits.com

 

[JohnMRobie]

IMO
don't think too hard about "timeless" and "old money"

There have been very noticeable changes in tailored clothing just over the past 25 years, never mind the past 50, 100, or 200 years. There is no such thing as a "timeless" suit. Develop your own style.

"old money" - I do not come from old money but definitely spent some time around those who did when I was in college and when interacting with my wife's business school classmates. Trust me, they can tell who is old money and who is an impostor. Don't try to come off as old money.

This. ^ The attempts at trying to define "old money" are always so great because they all miss the mark so badly. It's a meaningless marketing term used to trick rubes into buying new clothes.

If someone really wanted to try and dress old money though I guess they could go get some khaki shorts at Costco with some new balances. Just make sure you go get those family paintings back off loan and put them back in your sitting room to complete the look.

 

[clee1982]

white socks, sneaker, ocbd, khaki short, baseball cap, new england dad, mission accomplished!

 

[pasadena man]

On the "one suit" issue, I think at least one suit is desirable for most people. Some of the most common situations which may require a suit include weddings, funerals, and job interviews. There is a case to be made for men's clothing to not stand out in any of those contexts.

For those purposes a SB solid color suit in blue or grey is going to be most versatile. If you google male celebrities on the red carpet the vast majority of them are going to be in that type of suit (with the choice presumably made by stylists).

 

[pasadena man]

I agree on these comments, although I also like SRS. His history/background on most of his topics is excellent and generally thorough, IMO. I also like his providing most of his major topics in both print and video. Different people have different preferred styles of learning.

To the OP, I notice you are new on SF, and perhaps to an interest in CM. There are some writers who have an ideal of classic, timeless, style and have a good eye for it. That is the reason for Simon Compton’s blog’s title Permanent Style. Allen Flusser and Bruce Boyer’s writing focuses on this question fruitfully as well. Those are three of the writers most helpful to me in developing an eye and personal style when I got interested in menswear again a few years ago after a long hiatus.