The Black Tie

1 - The Shoulders

A good suit starts at the shoulders. It should fit your posture and flatter your frame. If your suit jacket doesn’t make you look better when you put it on, you’re wearing the wrong one.

2 - The Lapel

Avoid narrow and extra wide and keep it somewhere in the middle. Also consider whether you prefer a notched lapel-which is customary-or a more dramatic peaked version.

3 - The Buttons

Suit snobs pay close attention to the buttons on the sleeve of a suit jacket. Most suits, even those from top European designers, have sleeve buttons that don’t actually unbutton but are strictly for show. The best suits have working button holes on the sleeves. And while you’re not likely to ever see anyone rolling up the sleeve of the suit jacket unless his name is Michael Jackson, some flashier types like undoing these buttons in order to show off the superior hand tailoring of their garment.

4 - The Pattern

Stripes and checks are the most popular patterns for suits-though these are often so subtle they are not noticeable from even a short distance. A better suit carefully matches where the patterns meet and overlap, with stripes continuing across the seams perfectly.

5 - The Pockets

Most suits are delivered with the pockets sewn shut. Pull them open but don’t load them with your phone, keys, or iPod as this will ruin the silhouette.

6 - The Lining

Subtle or shocking, a good lining, like functional button holes on the sleeve, allows suit junkies another opportunity to demonstrate their sartorial flair

7 - The Stitching

Superior suits are hand-stitched by a tailor. Although fusing-a fancy word for the suit being glued together-is commonplace for off-the-rack suits, a truly handmade suit will be sewn by artisans. This will be reflected in the price.

“We see guys wearing their tie bar too high or too low all the time. The rule is simple: It goes between the third and fourth buttons of your dress shirt.“

“It may sound obvious, but a tie bar doesn’t just clip the front end of your tie to the back end. It fastens both ends to the placket of your shirt.”

“Finally, never wear a tie bar that’s wider than your tie. That’s the worst! Keep things narrow.”