Mens Suits and Dressing - Common Terms

For Mens wear, particularly in Mens suit there are various words used by tailor or shoppers. These common terms are essential to know for Mens wear. Knowing terms for Mens wear give perfect guidelines in selecting or tailoring Mens dress.

Mens Suit: Jackets

• Full dress: Tails or Tailcoat
• Cutaway:  Morning coat. They are short in the front and long in the back. Tapers from the front to a wide back tail. Usually reserved for "Morning or Daytime" weddings.
• Mandarin: standup style coat with no lapels.
• Tuxedo:  "regular" coat
• Stroller: semi-formal suit jacket
• Single-breasted: Single-breasted coats button down the center. in regards to jacket; symmetrical front; buttons at the center; option of leaving coat buttoned or unbuttoned
• Double-breasted: Double-breasted coats cross-over the center to button. In regards to jacket; one side of coat overlaps the center and buttons across to the other side; usually gives a fuller look in the chest area; suggested that these coats be buttoned at all times while standing.

Mens Suit: Lapels

There are different types of Lapel (commonly known as collar) for Man Suit’s Coat as follows:

• Notch Lapel: Triangular Indentation in lapel (It is considered as most common and popular lapel style for man’s suit)
• Peak Lapel: V-shaped Lapel that points upward
• Shawl Collar: Rounded lapels

Mens Suit: Coat and Trouser Material

For Mens suit, terms used for various types of fabric such as super wool of 100, 110, 120 count

• Worsted Wool: 100% Wool fabric (standard); thread count is generally 60 to 75 threads per inch in worsted wool.
• Super 100s: Finer and softer wool that Super 100s for Mens suit. In super 100’s material thread count is 100 threads per inch.
• Super 110s: even softer than the Super 100s; thread count is 110 threads per inch.
• Super 120s: Mens suit with Wool Super 120’s is considered as the soft material. In super 120’s the softer thread count is 120 threads per inch.

Super 100 Mens suit, Super 110 Mens Suit and Super 120 Mens suit are considered as high quality suits. The ranges of Italian Suits such as Super Wool 120 Italian Suit, Super 110 Italian Suit and Super 100 Italian Suit are also considered as quality suits for man.

Mens Suit: Shirts

• Wingtip: Standup collar with downward points. Most popular and most formal choice.
• Mandarin: Standup collar without the points.
• Down collar: Similar to your standard dress shirt
• Crosswick: Crosses in front and is fastened with a button cover
• Material options: 100% cotton, poly/cotton blend, micro fiber
• French cuffs: Folded over and closed with cufflinks
• Convertible cuffs: not folded over; closed with cufflinks

Mens Suit: Vests / Cummerbunds

• Full back: In full back vest, material is on back of vest; covers back of shirt
• Open back: No material on back; back of shirt is visible in open back style of vest in man suit.
• Cummerbunds: Pleated swatches worn around the waist; the pleats should be facing upward.

Mens Suit: Neckwear

Neckwear or Tie either with suit coat or shirts increases personality of man. In Mens suit, types of ties are used as follows:

• Bow Tie: The most traditional tie option; self-tie or pre-tied
• Euro Tie: This tie is square bottomed tie and knotted at the neck; pre-tied
• 4-in-hand Tie: It is similar to ties were with a casual suit.
• Sharpe: Wider tie with wrinkled knot
• Ascot: It is wide tie which is folded over; pre-tied.
• Bolo: A kind of Western tie

Mens Suit: Jewelry

For any occasion jewelry is must to enhance the outlook of Mens suit. Even with formal shirts and pants jewelry makes different looks to man’s personality.

• Studs: Set of 4 button-like pieces that are used in lieu of the button down the shirt. Studs should always be used with formal shirts.
• Cufflinks: set of 2 pieces which fasten a formal shirts cuffs. Cufflinks should always be used with formal shirts.
• Button Cover: It is a larger piece which is used in lieu of a bow tie. It is used with a mandarin or cross wick style.