Three on-trend looks for men who want to look good this Spring Carnival season

This article is sponsored by Alexandar Michaels.

Lads, it’s time to suit up for Spring Racing season. An ill-fitting suit is for schmucks, and besides, it feels damn good to look damn good.

Choosing a suit can feel like staring down a battlefield of potential fashion faux pas waiting to explode beneath you. The wrong size does your body no justice, the wrong pattern and you look more Wonka than Statham, and the wrong tie and shoes can undo everything. 

There are a few simple principles when it comes to a really great suit. Close to the shoulders, slim through body, trousers straight not tight including a tapered edge and a break before the shoe. 

Let’s break it down.

- Shoulder pads should lie flat and finish where our shoulders do.

- The back hem of your jacket should across the curve of your buttocks – no shorter, no longer. Cup the bottom of your jacket – if it’s in line with your knuckles, you’re winning. 

- Your sleeve should not fall any lower than the base of your thumb. Too long in the arm only makes a man look stocky. 

- The middle part of the jacket should fit closely around your stomach, but there should be a fist’s worth of room between your body and the jacket. If your button’s bursting, give it up. 

- The pants should not pull tightly across the buttocks – apart from feeling uncomfortable, it looks strained from behind and causes crease. 

- Your trouser break, where your trousers touch your shoe, should only just rest on your shoe. Trousers that are too long look sloppy. 

Alexandar Michaels is the ideal place to find your suit this Melbourne Cup. Here are three on-trend looks for men when it comes to suiting up. 

The blue suit has made a massive comeback in recent years and it’s not hard to see why. 

A blue suit allows the seamless transition from day to night, taking you from office-cool to evening-slick. Pair a blue suit with either black or brown shoes – the threads used in most blue suits will pull in either colour, leaving you looking smooth and coordinated. 

Dress a blue suit up with a crisp white collared shirt for a crisp finish or have some fun with it by choosing a pair of patterned socks. Cool-coloured patterns like greens, purples, indigos and lighter blues will work best on your ankles – you don’t want to look like you’re working a carnival.

The blue suit is ideal for the man who wants to look casual, put together and worth taking a second glance at. 

A navy jacket over a chino pant is ideal Spring Racing style but not for the faint-of-hand. One slip and chinos show every mistake, so keep your eye on the game to pull off this slick look.

The colour of your chinos is lead by the colour of your skin. As a general rule, lighter skin tones suit the lighter stone colour, while darker skin suits a lighter brown tone. 

For lads who want comfort and style, it’s easy to forgo a tie and instead don a coloured shirt. The navy of the jacket is an ideal colour to pick up pinks and lilacs, which look even better with a similar-coloured handkerchief, though not identical.

The whole look is an off-duty style that’s low maintenance, for the man who wants to look like they haven’t thought too much about how good they look. 

A classic combination with a throwback to yester-century, the suit and bow-tie combination is timeless. It’s ideal for the man who appreciates the otherworldly pursuits of a stiff drink and a bold colour. 

Many men are curious about the bow tie but find it too racy – mind the pun – for formal wear. There are some simple principles to the bow tie. 

If you’re wearing a bow tie, you’re fronting a lot of chest space. That means your shirt you choose must be high quality material and fit to your size – no borrowing from your brother. Invest in the classic staple piece of a crisp white shirt, fitted to your body for sleek finish. 

When choosing the bow-tie, don’t be afraid to experiment with patterns you might not usually touch. Plaid, stripes or even polka-dots can look chic on a man who’s confidently playing down every other aspect of the look. A black suit does this perfectly. 

Get fitted for your racing season at Alexandar Michaels – for more, visit www.alexandarmichaels.com.au 

This article is sponsored by Alexandar Michaels