Best Way to Carry Things in Your Suit

Leather Briefcase from Von Baer (link)

Suits are tailored to hang in a certain way; a lot of work goes into the draping of the material.

Anything you put in your pockets, risks ruining that line.

The silhouette, too, is a big part of what makes a suit special. Chunky items in pockets creates points poking through the fabric, odd bumps and bends that ruin the overall look.

When you need to carry your necessaries, think minimalism, and spacing. Carry as little as possible. Carry the lightest options possible. Space them out over your suit – not everything in one inside breast pocket, for example – and the result should be good (see below for details).

But take a look before you assume the lines and draping are unaffected. If they are, make the necessary changes until they are better.

If you can’t carry everything you need in your suit, then it’s time to add the briefcase.

Where to put things while wearing your suit:

To carry things while wearing a suit, you want to avoid bulky items, and try to keep any bulk even on both sides of the suit. Here are the common swaps you can make:

• A slim wallet or card holder will fit well in an inside breast pocket – put your cash in a money clip in the pants pocket to keep the wallet thin. You can shop Von Baer premium leather wallets here.
• Balance that out with a phone on the other side.
• A pocket square in the outer breast pocket will look great and will cover any distortion from the wallet or phone.
• You can carry a pen while wearing a suit. The best place is in the breast pocket or pen pocket. It may seem old fashioned to carry a pen, but when someone needs a writing instrument and you smoothly pull out a fine pen… well, James Bond would nod with approval. If your pen falls our of your pocket a lot, then you can line the inside of the pocket with cloth adhesive tape to secure it.
• A functional hanky can be added in the other pants pocket. It might be old fashioned, but a crying damsel will appreciate it, and a little ‘old fashioned’ once in a while can be a good thing.
• Your keys should go in one of your suit trouser pockets. Try to keep the number of keys you bring to a minimum.

Here are a few additional tips:

• Don’t put anything in your back pockets.
• The right side and left side should balance.
• There are special devices to keep keys together and as small as possible.
• If you have larger things to carry, consider bringing along a briefcase instead.

Read more about the best bags to wear with a suit here.

Exquisite Tan Leather Briefcase from Von Baer

Keep these guidelines in mind as you dress and you should not only have everything you might need, but you’ll also look as you should, with the suit’s lines and draping right.