Whether you’re spending $12k on a completely bespoke, US-made suit or are picking up a two-piece from H&M for under a hundred bucks, you should consider wearing appropriate clothing when purchasing a new suit.

Let’s say you’re out shopping with your girl on a Saturday afternoon. Odds are you’re wearing something like jeans, a henley, and a decent pair of casual shoes. You walk into the store and decide to try on a couple of suits. After taking measurements you get the right size for your jacket and pants and throw them on. As you’re standing in front of the mirror you see your bare wrists poking out of your sleeves and decide they’re too short. The pants look a bit long against your chukkas so you ask the salesman to have them hemmed to the proper break.

These are all good things because you’ve developed an eye for style. You know what you’re looking for, what your body type is and what’s going to look good.

But here’s the problem. Your exposed wrists are actually where your dress shirt sleeves fall. By having the sleeves let out a bit you’re no longer going to be showing off any cuff and your jacket is going to look too big.

The opposite is going to happen with the pants. Your chukkas or sneakers are taller than your dress shoes and the ideal break against them leaves you with a lot of exposed ankle in your dress shoes. It’s great for fashion bloggers but this is a work suit and you don’t want to walk in to the office looking like you think you just got back from Fashion Week.

Collar gap, sleeve length, trouser break, jacket length, and a number of other things are all affected by the clothes you wear with your suits or sport coats. So the next time you’re out looking for a suit or getting fitted for something custom, wear the appropriate clothes and accessories. You’ll be dialed in.

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