While it’s true that a pinstripe suit is most suited for people working in the banking and financial industry, it has recently evolved into a much more versatile outfit.
In fact, it’s now a perfect formal wear option for many men, regardless of their profession. And, dare I say, it can also be made to look much surprisingly less formal with the right accessories and dressing style.
I’m a big admirer of pinstripes and here are 3 reasons you should be too.
Powerful and Sharp
There are probably few outfits in a man’s wardrobe that can make a better statement than a pinstripe suit. It’s powerful, sharp, and when done right, can make you look the best dressed man in the room.
However, some people may perceive you to be overdressed in a pinstripe suit, but that’s just one of its characteristics and you don’t really need to worry about it. Furthermore, there are certain ways to “dress down” a bit in a pinstripe, something we will get to in a bit.
But overall, a good pinstripe suit that suits your personality will make you appear confident and help you stand out in quite an effortless way.
Surprisingly Good Fit for Almost Everyone!
One of the best things about a pinstripe suit is that it looks great on pretty much everyone. It makes shorter men appear taller, and men struggling with a bit of extra weight, slimmer.
But as I just said, overall, it looks pretty good on almost everyone who puts some thought into choosing the right one based on their style.
There is an important part of rocking a pinstripe suit, though: if you like a more traditional, classic look, then maybe you would want to go for a single breasted option in solid grey or black.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind sporting a modern look, then a double breasted pinstripe suit might be right up your alley.
As for the colors, you could get a bit experimentative and consider a blue pinstripe suit. If that doesn’t make you feel too comfortable, then even something like light charcoal may turn out to be a good bet.
Of course, nothing’s set in stone here. But it’s just that a lot of men don’t like to experiment with a pinstripe suit, as it’s easy to go wrong if you don’t know how to go about styling it up.
Easy to Dress
Despite being such an interesting option, a pinstripe suit is surprisingly easy to dress. While we just said it can make your life difficult if you get too experimentative with it, but if you don’t overdo anything you will find it pretty easy to rock.
A clean, solid shirt and a tie with stripes that contrast the stripes of your pinstripe suit well enough is an easy, safe bet.
Dressing it down or creating a more informal look is easier than you may think as well. Just ditch the tie and more than half the job is done already.
As you can probably tell from what I just said, less is going to be more when trying to achieve a simpler or more informal look with a pinstripe suit. It would also be a big help if your pinstripe suit is of a different color than the usual, classic ones like black, grey or navy.
And again, opting for a double breasted suit is going to be a big step towards dressing down and making it more appropriate for a semi-formal or slightly informal look as well.
Why You Should NOT Get a Pinstripe Suit?
It’s time to play the devil’s advocate now. I just gave you 3 solid reasons to rush and get a pinstripe suit as if they are going to go extinct soon.
However, I also want to tell you why you may not be ready to buy a pinstripe just yet. And I need to tell you this because a pinstripe suit is not a common sight in every man’s wardrobe.
Go through all the things I told you above. The very same reason that makes a pinstripe suit such a worthy candidate for being in your wardrobe is also the reason many men should avoid getting one.
A pinstripe suit is sharp, powerful, and very noticeable. If you don’t have enough other suits to rotate it with, people are quickly going to notice you’re wearing the pinstripe too often.
Needless to say, it would also lose its appeal when that happens. So the whole point of this discussion is that while a pinstripe suit is a very unique and powerful outfit option, it shouldn’t be one of your first few suits.
I’d recommend that you only consider going for a pinstripe if you have at least 4 other suits to rotate it with. The rest of your suits ideally also need to be those classic types and not something loud like a pinstripe.
This would allow you to dress up in a pinstripe for those not-so-ordinary events where you really do need to make a statement and can do with some quality attention.
How to Style a Pinstripe?
Having a pinstripe in your wardrobe is great, but it’s also important to know how to style it well. After all, it’s not your usual suit and you need to have a more unique approach when styling it.
So here are some quick styling tips to keep in mind when sporting a pinstripe suit.
Don’t Overstyle
Pinstripe suit is already quite a powerful outfit in itself. If you try to experiment with too many patterns, chances are you will just get a “loud” look.
Avoid mixing up patterns with a pinstripe and stick with simple and plain accessories. Similarly, go with as few of them as you can.
With a pinstripe, less is usually more. I’m sure you have heard this before.
The Right Shirt
You would probably have far fewer choices when it comes to your shirt to go along with your pinstripe. The first and most important thing to consider is the stripes.
If you’re looking to wear a striped shirt, make sure the stripes of your shirt and that of your suit are very different. If they are too similar, you may end up getting a messed-up look.
Of course, the safest choice would be a plain white shirt. But if you want to make it less formal, then a light blue or light pink shirt would work well too.
What About the Shoes?
With a pinstripe, you need to take care of a lot of things. Your shoes are one of them.
You may be used to wearing a variety of different shoes on your other suits, but you will have to get a little specific when sporting a pinstripe.
One simple rule of thumb is to avoid anything tan. Basically, just don’t go with tan shoes.
Your favorite light brown shoes may be perfect with your classic black suit, but they would look weird with a pinstripe suit.
To get a bit more specific with my recommendations, I think black or even deep burgundy would be perfect with grey or charcoal suits. In fact most colors would be fine as long as they don’t have that “tan” appeal.
That’s all from me on what I believe is a highly underrated suit outfit – the pinstripe suit. Dress it right and it will do wonders to your personality.
About The Author:
Rishi is crazy about suits and the elegance they bring with them. He would wear one every day if given the chance. He works as a content writer and SEO consultant, helping businesses utilize the power of content marketing.
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