It’s happened to all of us: you buy a suit and after a while, the pants fade, stretch or (Gods forbid!) rip. All you’re left with now is a suit jacket that’s missing its other half. Buying two pairs of trousers for one suit jacket might seem like just an added expense at the time, but when it comes to suiting it’ll ensure the life of the entire suit will last much longer and look better.
We tend to forget that pants can get pretty beaten up—the waist stretches or the knees wear out—but they’re typically the first part of a suit to go. Going out after the fact and attempting to buy another pair of trousers that match your jacket can be tricky, or sometimes downright impossible. Fading from the sun and just general wear has now changed the color of your jacket to an almost one-of-a-kind shade. If you didn’t buy a second pair of pants to begin with, that suit is now just a blazer.
That being said, if you purchase two pairs of trousers and only take the second out of the closet when the first pair kicks the bucket, you’re still going to have a little bit of fabric mismatch. This is why it’s best to alternate between each pair of pants, making sure the suit combination always looks congruent and natural.
Of course, the minute you rip or tear your pants does not mean you need to toss them away. Having he number of a good tailor on hand will make sure that the life of your suit will be extended even more. If it’s a rip down the seam, a fallen hem or hole in the pocket, these minor details can be taken care of so that you really can wear your pants as much as possible. The single most important thing you can do to make that suit have a long and prosperous life is simple: double the pants, double the life of your investment. Long live the suit.
