How And When Can You Wear A Three Piece Suit?
A three-piece suit is a very straightforward look. It is merely a suit jacket and trousers, with the addition of a waistcoat. There aren’t very many rules about it, and if you wanted to, you could wear a three-piece all the time. However, there are times when the three-piece suit is less or more acceptable.
Therefore, as per usual Mainline Menswear is here to help you figure out when to wear a three-piece suit, and when to leave the waistcoat at home. 
How To Wear A Three-Piece Suit?
Despite the simplicity of it all, there are still a couple of guidelines you should follow:
- The bottom button on your waistcoat should always be left undone, as this stops everything from looking too squashed together.
- Always try to match your waistcoat to the rest of your suit; this gives the whole look a smarter, more uniform appearance.
- There’s no need to wear a belt when wearing a waistcoat, as this breaks up the visual line that the waistcoat is trying to create. Plus, the waistcoat should always cover your trouser belt line by a couple of inches, so the belt wouldn’t be visible anyway.
When To Wear A Three-Piece Suit?
Three-piece suits are generally smarter than the regular two-piece, but you can still wear one to almost any occasion. They’re perfect for weddings, a job interview or a formal summer garden party. Choosing your colour is the most complicated thing. Can you wear a different colour waistcoat with a suit? The short answer is, yes! Keep darker colours like black and navy for the office, but you can experiment with grey, white or even coloured three-piece suits like light blue.
If you want to wear a three-piece suit to work, make sure you keep it neutral. Tone down the accessories and avoid wearing any fancy pocket squares or cufflinks, but other than that you can easily get away with it. It’s probably best not to wear a three-piece every day. However, if you’ve got a very important meeting, or are going out for a lunch conference that day, you can.
Choosing your shirt and shoes for a three-piece suit is another important point. For a grey three-piece, pair it with a light blue shirt as this will contrast well. With a black suit, you can’t go wrong with a simple white shirt. Shoes, as usual, are best in either black or brown, and when possible it’s best to match them to the colour of your suit.
As a final note, don’t worry too much about what you look like when wearing a three-piece suit. You simply look a little smarter than usual. There’s no such thing as being overdressed in a suit, and especially as we’re approaching the winter months, a three-piece will keep you much warmer.
Mainline Menswear stocks hundreds of suit items, from jackets and trousers to shirts and cufflinks to accessorise your look. Visit our website here to browse all our stock and find yourself a new sophisticated look.
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