There is a middle ground between a tuxedo and boardroom attire. It is the solid-coloured tie with sheen. When confronted with an evening event, put on a silk one in a warm colour with a white shirt and a shine-free suit. Regular and spread collars are the look you are after; the button behind can work too though the button down does not. The darker the tie, the more formal the look. This will give you the formality that you need without the need to resort to a tuxedo. And unless your office is the VIP table in an old-school Italian restaurant, don’t wear it to work.

This looks much better than those men trying to get away with button down collars with a tuxedo – it’s all a question of choosing where to reduce your formality.

Coming up to three weeks in Shanghai after spending three weeks in London before that, I am even more amazed at the sort of things that people get away with wearing!

While the top fashion labels correctly point out that they do business suits – and very good quality ones at that – they simply won’t fit you! Speaking with my friends at the Dormeuil store in Shanghai just last night, they can make me a suit for RMB43,000 (about AU$7,000, though less than half the price of the RMB100,000 Zegna), and I’m sure that it will be a very nice suit. But I know that our suits can match them in near every regard… and you will too.

Current fashion trends as I see them:

Suits

• Two-button single breasted suits are very much the current style, and probably will be and increasingly for the next two years. These, of course, show more of your tie and shirt front.
• Double-breasted suits are likely to be on their way back in vogue, possibly even with all three buttons working.
• Single-button single breasted suits are likely to be increasingly acceptable. They are available for the very fashionable already, though will become more mainstream in the coming months, especially the notched lapel variant. I expect that the peaked lapel will remain the domain of the very fashionable – well away from the bulk of my lawyer friends.
• Pickstitching and working buttons are becoming standard on the top quality suits; leaving the bottom button undone is particularly popular to ’show’ the world that it does work – like Zegna.
• Angled pockets are great – with or without the ticket pocket. Personally, I like it, but many don’t. Some like to tuck their flap inside their pocket – that works too, though is a little more stylish than standard at the moment.

Shirts

• French cuffs – square, rounded and bevelled – are very much in demand.
• As cuff links remain one of the few pieces of jewellery a gentleman is inclined to wear, these are becoming more desirable and popular.

1. Aim to allow a week between wears of a suit to allow the fibres to rejuvenate. This will tend to prolong the life of the suit.
2. Lift your trousers at the knee to minimise stretching.
3. Leave your pockets largely empty, including of coins, your wallet and keys. Weight will both ruin the line of the suit and pull the fabric out of place.
4. Remove all objects from pockets before hanging to avoid bulging and sagging.
5. Use good quality hangers: Wooden is ideal.
6. Trousers may either be folded at the knee or hung from clips attached to the waistband.
7. Hang in a cool, fresh place with plenty of air space. This will give the fabric a chance to breathe, releasing odors and allowing the creases to drop out.
8. Ensure that there is an anti-moth strip in your cupboard.
9. Brush your suit downwards with a good quality clothes brush to remove dust from time to time.
10. Avoid dry cleaning any more frequently than is necessary; dry cleaning damages the fabric and shortens the life of your suit dramatically.
11. When storing for an extended period, be especially careful to ensure that the suit is clean and devoid of food particles or stains that insects might feed upon.
12. Remove your suit from the dry cleaning bag as soon as you have them home. If a bag is necessary, canvas is vastly superior.

Men, the well dressed gentleman needs to remember but a few basic rules when choosing the right garments to add to his wardrobe, and what to wear on a given day. Firstly, though, he should remember to wear clothes that reflect both how he is feeling, and what he wants to communicate. Before the more detailed comments, some basic stuff:

• Silhouette
  Choose a silhouette that matches your frame. If you are well-built, you can wear just about anything; the double breasted suit that buttons at the second button is very popular in politics today, though the three-button single breasted suit seems to be the most common in general businesswear. Look around and notice what you see most, and, more importantly, what you like.
  If you are heavier, accentuate vertical lines, if you are tall, accentuate horizontal lines. If you are shorter, be careful to keep the jacket short, lest your body seem cut in half, and look for a higher-buttoning jacket.
• Colour
  All of the colours that we offer are suitable for suit wear. That said, the darker colours (especially the black and charcoal, navy and greys) tend to be most suitable for wearing in business, politics or in the law. Striped and checked suits are very popular and can be very stylish, though remember that a classic suit will tend to be more wearable for longer.
• Vents
  Typically, one vent is an American style, two vents is British, while no vents is more commonly thought of as European. If you have a larger rear, vents will tend to reduce its impact. If wearing a double-breasted suit, a single vent is inappropriate.
• Cuffs
  Tend to make the pants hang better through their added weight, though also tend to shorten the appearance of the leg. Men with longer legs should consider using cuffs, while stouter men would typically elect an uncuffed trouser. With pleatless pants, typically cuffs are omitted.
  Make sure that you show some cuff. While short sleeves might be cooler, the well-dressed suit wearer ensures that about 1cm shows beneath the cuff…
• The length
  Trousers should break or fold over the front of the shoe, though this is not mandatory.

After spending a few days in Hong Kong, including their famous Fashion Week, before spending a further week exploring London, I am more proud than ever with what we are able to deliver. And while my time in Saville Row and Jermyn Street, the home of quality British bespoke tailoring was valuable and educational (and helps ensure that we can give you the absolute latest in European fashions), I also know that our quality is second to none.

Don’t get me wrong – with the hallowed halls of Turnbull & Asser (tailors for royalty, powerbrokers, and the otherwise rich and or famous), Hilditch & Key, Charles Tyrwhitt, Thomas Pink and countless others literally all around, it was easy to be intimidated and awed by their impressive doors, sturdy wooden coathangers and well trained staff.

Yet, with just a little exploration and discussion with the staff, it was clear that while these were places of excellence and quality, they are just stores. Their products are of a very high quality, yet they are still made in much the same way with very similar materials to what we are able to deliver at a tiny fraction of the price.

Where our friends on Saville Row are selling their shirts off the rack for £75 (about $185) on special, our bespoke Egyptian Cotton shirts are selling for less than this every day. For example H&K make a big deal about how they can embroider your initials on your shirt – something that I take for granted in all of my shirts today.

They are excellent garments – so, if you’re a diplomat or Head of State, feel free to spend a fortune on a great shirt from Saville Row, though if you just want to look like and feel like a million dollars, and to get people asking you “Where did you get that shirt?”, you can dress smarter when you buy from ShirtsandSuits.com

I enjoyed the trip enormously! Start to order your shirt or suit now… before we raise the prices to better match our quality!

We have finally taken the great leap into expanding our range into custom-made suits as well as shirts. While the processes are much the same, they are far more demanding, and we have spent a long time finding the right fabrics and styles for your visual and comfort pleasure. I know that you will love our custom-made suits, still made 100% for you from the first stitch to the last seam, using the best quality premium fabrics from around the world.

Order your new suit now…