# The Vested Suit Sans Tie



## vintage68 (Oct 19, 2006)

What is the general opinion about wearing a three piece, or vested suit, without a tie?

One of my favorite TV characters, Patrick Jane of The Mentalist, wears one and I like the look, at least on TV. What about reality, too metrosexual? Or just a bad idea?


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## C. Sharp (Dec 18, 2008)

Please do not do it. The vest will just draw attention to the fact you do not have a tie. Just my humble opinion.



vintage68 said:


> What is the general opinion about wearing a three piece, or vested suit, without a tie?
> 
> One of my favorite TV characters, Patrick Jane of The Mentalist, wears one and I like the look, at least on TV. What about reality, too metrosexual? Or just a bad idea?


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I don't get it.

If one has a properly fitted shirt, wearing a tie is not uncomfortable!!


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## theCardiffGiant (Sep 16, 2007)

I say go for it. I'm also a fan, and think Simon Baker pulls it off well. It's the sort of thing that, if done with quiet confidence, actually works well. I suspect most objections would come from the misapprehension that a three-piece suit is formal, and a lack of a tie is inappropriate, but the point of the look is that the character, Patrick Jane, always wears a three piece suit, and this is his casual attire. He's not dressed for an occasion, and he doesn't fuss about his appearance.He doesn't adjust his cuffs or fix his pocket square. He treats his pockets like pockets, and wears suits the way others wear jeans and sweatshirts.

Ties are nice, and I wear them most days, but there's no good reason why you should always wear one. The best reason not to? Because you like the look.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

I would wear a day cravat/ascot with a 3-piece country suit. Otherwise, no. I would not care to emulate much of what I see on TV.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

theCardiffGiant said:


> I say go for it. I'm also a fan, and think Simon Baker pulls it off well. It's the sort of thing that, if done with quiet confidence, actually works well. I suspect most objections would come from the misapprehension that a three-piece suit is formal, and a lack of a tie is inappropriate, but the point of the look is that the character, Patrick Jane, always wears a three piece suit, and this is his casual attire. He's not dressed for an occasion, and he doesn't fuss about his appearance.He doesn't adjust his cuffs or fix his pocket square. He treats his pockets like pockets, and wears suits the way others wear jeans and sweatshirts.
> 
> Ties are nice, and I wear them most days, but there's no good reason why you should always wear one. The best reason not to? Because you like the look.


That's very well put. Haven't seen the television show, but don't really have to since I wear a three-piecer without tie for much the same reasons Cardiff has cited above.
​


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## gtsecc (Mar 25, 2008)

I think pictures are helpful:


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## dukekook (Sep 5, 2008)

gtsecc said:


> I think pictures are helpful:


+1 Very funny.


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

Dreadful but probably fashionable somewhere in this tortured world of dress.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Not "dreadful." It doesn't look right to me, though.


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## theCardiffGiant (Sep 16, 2007)




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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Still not convinced. Especially with how high his waistcoats ride above the actual trouser waist, exposing shirt and... belt?! Yikes.

We all know _The Mentalist_ is a less funny rip-off of _Psych_ anyways.


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## efdll (Sep 11, 2008)

I must agree with the nay-sayers. Perhaps an odd vest or a sleeveless cardigan with a sports coat and odd trousers. But a 3-piece suit just begs for a tie. And trousers on the waist and suspenders so no belt shows. These may sound like arbitrary rules, but another way of thinking of it is what looks pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, most men have dispensed with wearing a vest -- time was when all Brooks Brothers suits came vested. A 2-piece suit with no tie is a look, albeit one preferred by Middle Eastern politicos and, decades ago, Europeans of the radical left, who also wore a cap instead of a hat to signify their sartorial solidarity with the working classes of the era.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Jovan said:


> We all know _The Mentalist_ is a less funny rip-off of _Psych_ anyways.


...and besides, if one wants to convince people of their supernatural abilities, they should dress and act more like Amazing Jonathan!!


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## theCardiffGiant (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm a big fan of Psych, and was dubious about the Mentalist, but it's a good show with a good premise that's actually quite different from Psych. I especially like the way the writers of Psych poke fun at the similarity.

I understand having preferences (e.g., braces over belts), but I can't agree that certain things can't be done simply because they're not traditionally done.

For a long time I had a strong aversion to asymmetrical tie knots. I was critical of them on other men, and wouldn't wear one myself. Somewhere along the way I got over it, and I'm glad I did. Too much strictness in these matters devolves into costume and caricature, and a man has bigger things to worry about than wearing clothes his neighbor's way.


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## williamson (Jan 15, 2005)

GBR said:


> Dreadful but probably fashionable somewhere in this tortured world of dress.


I emphatically agree.


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## vintage68 (Oct 19, 2006)

Jovan said:


> Still not convinced. Especially with how high his waistcoats ride above the actual trouser waist, exposing shirt and... belt?! Yikes.


Just to be clear, I wear my trousers with suspenders as the Good Lord intended, and the waist is above the bottom of the vest.

I wore the combo today and wasn't burned at the stake, but it felt weird. Dunno if I'll do it again...

FYI: I like vested suits because I think it offers a cleaner, more "put together" look (no belt, no shirt hanging over the waist), but sometimes I like to go without a tie.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

I don't know how old the OP is, but I think you need to "earn" that third piece whether you wear it with a tie or not. If you're greying and have a few wrinkles, go for it. If not, stick to two pieces. 

And wear a tie.


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## BinomialSpider (Sep 4, 2009)

Keep in mind that Patrick Jane is a character in a TV show, and that wearing a three-piece suit without a tie says something about the character. I'm not sure it would work that well if you tried it on your own, because without the context it may come across as a sort of costume.


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## ChicagoTrad (Feb 19, 2007)

I did this recently. I had a cocktail party/birthday party at a club on a rooftop in Chicago and went with a 3-PC Navy Pal Zileri suit (wool/silk blend) with a blue herringbone, French cuff shirt sans tie. It was a bit over the fashion forward, but it seemed to work well by softening up the overall appearance to make it more of a casual, going-out look rather than formal.

I wouldn't do it to the office or to a formal setting, but I was comfortable in it for a casual setting like that.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I think the success one enjoys in wearing an aberration, such as described in the OP, is or would be largely determined by the degree of self confidence, with which one does so! In other words, if you feel comfortable doing so, go for it...otherwise, add a tie to the mix.


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## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

vintage68 said:


> What is the general opinion about wearing a three piece, or vested suit, without a tie?
> 
> One of my favorite TV characters, Patrick Jane of The Mentalist, wears one and I like the look, at least on TV. What about reality, too metrosexual? Or just a bad idea?


John Travolta in the movie "Saturday Night Fever."

A bad idea for most of the rest of us.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Trip English said:


> I think you need to "earn" that third piece whether you wear it with a tie or not. If you're greying and have a few wrinkles, go for it. If not, stick to two pieces.


Actually back in the 70's the tieless three piece look was the property of the young; perhaps not as flamboyant as Travolta in _Saturday Night Fever, _but only slightly less so. These weren't business suits but trim suits in lighter, or perhaps brighter, colors than traditional business suits.

I owned two such suits in the 70's and I wore them to work with the bright colored shirts with huge collars and shiny finish that were popular then; and I worked for the U.S. Government at the time, not some hip ad agency. While this didn't always mesh with the older 50ish guys, I fit right in with my peers. I'm still not sure how or why, but in retrospect it was no big deal at the time.

For example in this picture I'm wearing one of those three piece suits; however, it was late 70's and I had dropped the vest by that time and substituted a sweater. You will note that I was still wearing one of the aforementioned shirts though. Just picture the suit and shirt with a matching vest. Hey, it was the 70's. :icon_smile_big:










Cruiser


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## AldenPyle (Oct 8, 2006)

Isn't this character supposed to be a slick Vegas entertainer who's gone to seed after his family was murdered? Costume looks like it anyway.


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## vintage68 (Oct 19, 2006)

Trip English said:


> I don't know how old the OP is, but I think you need to "earn" that third piece whether you wear it with a tie or not. If you're greying and have a few wrinkles, go for it. If not, stick to two pieces.
> 
> And wear a tie.


Poppycock! Earning a vest went out with earning long pants.


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## David V (Sep 19, 2005)

Formal wear of the Iranian politician.


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## vintage68 (Oct 19, 2006)

David V said:


> Formal wear of the Iranian politician.


Now _that's_ a low blow. No need for vulgarity...!


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## turban1 (May 29, 2008)

*okay, so look iranian*

my iranian colleagues prefer to wear neckties because their government regards 2x or 3x suits w/o neckties as decadent, western and anti-reform.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Let's not make this thread too political.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Funny, just me but I think a 3 piece sans tie looks better than a two piece likewise. Looks planned as opposed to "I take these things off as soon as I can because I'm _A REAL GUY__" _

But I'd go button down, to keep the disco collar spill under control


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