Style Icon: Don Draper

It's not often that we turn to a fictional character for our style tips, but we have to make an exception for Don Draper

They say the suit makes the man, but in the case of Don Draper, it might just be the other way around. We're not sure which is more famous, the character or his impeccable suits, but we decided to take a look at the latter, and see what makes them so special. Obviously, if you're looking to get yourself a new suit, it's not exactly rocket science when you set out to buy one, but it is important to know a few things.

The Slim Look

In order to get that Don Draper look, you're going to have accept that only in a very rare instance will you be able to pick up a suit off the rack and walk out the door looking like a highly-paid 1960s advertising executive. If your budget allows, go full on tailor-made, you'll look and feel a million quid, and you won't need to replace that suit for a long while. The lads at Louis Copeland have been doing this for generations, and most recently they outfitted Cathal Pendred and Conor McGregor for the Late Late Show, and they looked pretty good. If not, get as close as you can from the rack, and go to have it altered. All of this is within reason of course. If you buy trousers with a 38 inch waist and you're really a 32, there's not a whole lot they're going to be able to do for you. A lot of the time, suits off the rack are designed to be altered, so keep that in mind. Here, Don rocks a pretty sleek look, the skinny tie and pocket square providing some detail, but keep in mind that a slim look should be kept throughout, with the tie matching the jacket's lapels. Stick to plain and classic colours on the tie, like here where Don rocks a navy tie with grey, but black is also a good option. If you go for a navy suit, red works really well. You don't want the tie to grab too much attention from the overall simple look that you're going for, although stripes is an option, keeping in mind what colours the stripes are. When it comes to the pocket square, you can wear it very rigid and square (as the name suggests), like Don does here, as it sits with the rest of the look of the suit.

Casual

Even when staying casual, Don looks pretty impeccable, so much so that the guys at Banana Republic were inspired to launch a clothing range that captured his classic look. It's simple, but the piping on this navy polo will be enough detail to make it stand out as something different, while the simple grey slacks off set it well. One thing we really must emphasise is the importance of a good belt. It does the job of holding up your trousers, clearly, but it is also a natural visual focal point at your waist where the two parts of your outfit meet. If it looks tatty and ragged (and that's not the look you're going for) the whole look is tarnished, and people will be ragging on your chord. Brown will look best on an outfit with navy and grey in it.

Staying Fit

It takes more than a quick suit to land yourself a January Jones though, you've got to do the work in the gym and eating healthily that means the suit will fit nicely all over. Somehow, Don manages to get away with just smoking and drinking heavily, but we obviously can't advise that you do that. A diet of coffee and panadol is not a good way to stay in shape. Anyway, here's a picture of January Jones to close out the article, because we think she's lovely, and sure, why not?