1. A well skilled tailor is more valuable than your best friend, lover or pet. Get recommendations. Ask the best dressed gentleman in the room who he uses and with a little love there may be hope for you too.
2. When buying a suit use the 3 f's rule - form, fit and function: Europeans achieve refined sophistication by buying suits for longevity. They tend to lean towards more classic tailoring, often without pleats and if so they opt for pleats on both sides of the suit jackets. Americans tend to buy multiple poorly tailored suits a year, do yourself a favor and invest the money that would be spent on three suits on one that last for decades.
3. Don't forget to put a pochette (pocket squares) in the suit jackets. It should either be folded neatly or grabbed in the center and then the ends are tucked inside the pocket resembling a small pleated balloon shape peaking out of the pocket. If they are cotton or linen they should be gently ironed.
4. Dress shoes DO NOT have rubber soles, only leather. One simple rule, buy Italian.
5. Dress shirts should always have french cuffs and a killer pair of cufflinks that cheekly peak out a half of an inch beyond the suit jacket.
6. Never spend a single penny on cuffed pants or else you run the risk of looking like a grandpa. Plus they make the wearer look short and wide. Opt for lean, or at least give the illusion of looking ten pounds lighter, by not buying into cuffs. Pants should gently graze the top of the wearer's shoes.
7. Know the difference between Windsor and Prince Albert knots. Implement where appropriate.
8. Ankle socks are for the gym only.
9. Don't get to matchy-matchy. Experiment by mixing and matching patterns. Neckwear and pochettes are not intended to be the same color, material or pattern rather they complement each other.
10. If you are not comfortable and confident in your ensemble selection forget about it.
