Not all of us can afford a bespoke Suit. Fortunately, there are a lot of budget tailoring options available these days that can get you a good enough suit at an affordable price. The quality you could get at a certain price has gone up in recent years, and it’s good news for anyone who wants a budget suit.

But that doesn’t mean you can pick up just about anything. A suit’s construction is the most important thing, and when picked with care, it can make even an ordinary suit look like a million bucks. Here’s how to get a cheap suit to look expensive…

Choose the fabric carefully

The Fabric of a suit is its skeleton. The better the fabric, the lesser work is needed to make it look good. Any good tailor can make a decent suit, but if the fabric is low-quality, even the best tailor cannot make magic. Get the best you can afford when it comes to the fabric. Wool is the sturdiest fabric for suits and comes pretty cheap too. But before buying, do double check if it’s pure wool or has been blended with lower quality fabrics.

Be careful about colour

When you’re aiming for a cheap suit, you have to choose colours that don’t draw the eye. You wouldn’t want people to put your suit under scrutiny because that will give its quality away. Stick to dark colours like charcoal and navy because they are least conspicuous and will hide the flaws of your budget suit.

Get the right fit

The fit is mostly what goes wrong when you’re buying a suit off the rack. And fit is the most important thing in a suit. You get the right fit, and your high street pick can compete with a Brioni.

When you cannot get a bespoke suit, make sure you have a tailor on hand to fix things. Whether it’s the length or the sleeves, a good tailor can often transform a readymade suit. There are some things, though, that cannot be fixed. The shoulders, for instance, have to right from the start.

Stitched vs. glued canvas

The canvas, or the lining underneath the fabric of your suit, is what gives the jacket shape. In bespoke suits, this is hand-stitched. The ones you buy off the rack have a glued canvas, which can come off when wet or with wear and tear. When buying a suit, check if there’s another layer of fabric between the jacket and the canvas. If it’s so, don’t buy it.

Go for a half-canvassed suit, in which the canvas in stitched in the top and glued downwards. This gives shape to your chest and arms and also makes the canvas last longer.

Dress it up

When you’ve not invested enough in the suit, you need to invest in distractions that will make your outfit look better. This includes accessories like a pocket square, a necktie, and a well-made shirt. Dressing up your budget suit often hides its flaws and makes it a better outfit. You also need to make sure that the suit fits you properly, otherwise, all effort will be in waste.