three-piece suits

Formal business attire

A three-piece suit consists of a jacket, trousers, and matching vest, all cut from the same fabric.

The style is more formal than the standard two-piece suit and carries associations of traditional business dress, old-money elegance, or deliberate formality: He wore a three-piece suit to the interview.

The vest adds a layer of polish—or stuffiness, depending on context.

Related
  • trousersBifurcated lower-body garment
  • blazerSemiformal tailored jacket
  • vestSleeveless upper-body garment
  • slacksInformal leg garments
  • pantsTwo-legged garment

cutaway · waistcoat · morning coat · wedding attire · buttonhole · breast pocket · dress code · lapel · Edwardian era · old money · tailoring · Victorian era · formalwear · pocket square · cufflinks · tie clip · jackets · dandyism

Opposites
formality of attire

three-piece suitscasual wear

Informal, comfortable clothing

sweatpants · athleisure · loungewear · pajamas · beachwear

garment construction/coordination

three-piece suitsseparates

Divides into portions

thrift store finds

cultural/aesthetic sensibility

three-piece suitsbohemian dress

Loose artistic flowing garment

torn clothing · DIY aesthetic · thrift store chic · distressed denim

Family

three, piece, suit, suits, thrice, thirds, pieced, pieces, piecemeal

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G