With any form of aesthetics the overall appearance must fit together; things must be coherent. This is less a rule than a meta-rule. We know our mind expects things to fit together, but the rules about how things actually do fit together are never stable. In the end we judge things intuitively, though we might find some experience helps us notice the patterns.
- Belts should be reasonably thin and the same colour as the shoes. Wide belts only worked on some 1970s fashions and even then it wasn’t on formal suits.
- Ties should be darker than the shirt, but not necessarily than the suit itself. Tie bars should be reasonably narrow.
- With a three piece suit the vest should be unbuttoned at the base.
- Never use the pockets, except for contents that are completely flat. Never let the pockets get stretched.
- Remove the basting that is on some suits. This is the temporary stitching that holds the vent/flaps in place.
- The width of the tie should match the width of the lapel.
- The tie should reach down so that it just barely touches the trouser waistband.
- The shirt cuffs should extend about ½ an inch form the suit.
- The suit jacket should just barely cover the fly of the trousers when standing.