Oooh Suits You, Sir

This month, Olly Mann braves the menswear section to find a suit that fits

- Olly Mann

TIME FOR A new suit. I'd foolishly believed I was well-equipped on this front already, because, somewhere in my closet, I'd retained a shiny Brooks Brothers jobbie (weddings), a morning suit and top hat (Ascot), a Prince of Wales checked affair (job interviews), and a sober M&S two-piece (funerals). There's even a dinner jacket, for accompanying Dad to Black Tie events at his car club. Yet my father died in 2016. Which tells you all you need to know about the frequency of my suit-wearing.

Look, I like to be comfortable. Left to my own devices, I'd strut about year-round in slouchy shorts, XXL graphic tees, and Birkenstocks, looking for all the world like a Texan tourist at a beach buffet. Even in the "smart-casual" world of media work, this style is unwise-nobody turns up in athleisure to review the papers on breakfast television (mind you, the majority of the audience are presumably wearing pyjamas, so who knows, perhaps they'd prefer it).

I mostly work in audio, which allows for some informality, but even so, involves meeting people and building respect and rapport; easier to do when you're, at least, wearing a shirt and big-boy trousers. So, my daily attire could mostly be described as breathable yet presentable-middle management at the golf club stuff-and my suits hardly ever see the light of day.