In Part 1, I described Coming of Age Day (Seijin-shiki, the ceremony held every January in Japan for people turning 20) as your “debut as an adult,” and explained that you look sharp not because of the suit alone, but because of how it works with your shoes and accessories, starting with the rule of matching the colour of your leather.
This time I want to pick up where I left off, and talk about the reality of suits that young men always run into two or three years after the ceremony.
If you’re about to have a suit made for your ceremony, this is for you. And if you’re in your early twenties and already own one, I’d like you to hear this too.
The wall you hit at 22 or 23: the wave of friends’ weddings
“It only happens once in a lifetime, so I want a bold suit that really stands out!” Plenty of young men go all in with a statement suit for their ceremony. That in itself makes a great memory, and once it’s finished, the result looks unquestionably good.
But four or five years after the ceremony, around 24 or 25, things change completely. You start work or finish university, and suddenly there’s a rush of weddings: friends from your hometown and old classmates, one after another.
This is where many people hit a wall they never saw coming.
The guests at the weddings you attend when you’re young are almost exactly the same people who were at your Coming of Age ceremony.
It’s not embarrassing. You get tired of it precisely because it looks good
Don’t get me wrong: wearing a bold suit isn’t something to be embarrassed about. If anything, the suit itself is cut sharply and looks fantastic.
Because it looks so good and makes such a strong impression, it burns itself into everyone’s memory. That’s the unexpected trap.
At the first wedding, people compliment you: “Looking sharp again today!” But when the second and third weddings come around with the same group of friends, something inside you makes you hesitate.
“…Are they all thinking, ‘He’s wearing that suit again’?”
There’s nothing wrong with the suit. But clothes that make too strong an impression turn you into “the guy in that suit,” and you start to dread it yourself: “Am I really wearing this again…?”
Then, at 24 or 25, as you take on more responsibility at work, you look into your wardrobe and stop. “…Is there anywhere a 25-year-old working adult can actually wear this loud suit, whether for work or for weddings and funerals?”
That is exactly when most of the young customers who come to my shop for a “second suit” arrive: between 24 and 26.
A curious “role reversal” between the first and second suit
After many years of watching customers in this job, I’ve noticed a genuinely interesting cycle.
- Those who went bold with their first suit (for the ceremony) ➔ wear it for a few years, feel satisfied, and come back for a second suit in a calm, grown-up navy or grey they can wear confidently anywhere.
- Those who chose a classic, safe, practical suit for the ceremony ➔ have worn it to work and to weddings and funerals, so they’re used to suits. That’s exactly why they come back wanting to take a risk: “This time I want to try a pattern or fabric with a bit more character!”
Neither is better or worse than the other. Going bold first and then climbing the steps to adulthood is one way to enjoy menswear, and getting the classics right before you start playing is just as correct.
What matters is asking yourself: “What will I look like wearing this suit as a 25-year-old working adult?” and “How will I wear it to friends’ weddings three to five years from now?” Stretch your imagination just a little that far ahead, and choosing a suit becomes more fun, and you’ll grow far more attached to it.
In the end: a suit grows with the age and time of the person wearing it
A suit isn’t something you buy once and forget. You wear it at 20 for your ceremony, at 23 to celebrate a friend’s new start, and at 25 as you stand on your own two feet as a working adult. Every time your stage of life changes, so does your relationship with your suits.
Making the best possible memories in a bold suit is a fine choice. So is making a smart start to adulthood with a suit chosen with the years ahead in mind.
“What suit should I choose for my ceremony so I won’t regret it?” “Now that I’m in my early twenties, what should my second suit be?”
If you find yourself asking those questions, you’re always welcome at L’ECRIN in Sasa, Nagasaki. Rather than going with the mood of the moment, I’ll suggest the best way for you to dress with the next few years of your life in mind.
A suit made to your measurements
Sleeves, trouser hem, jacket length, shoulders and arms are all cut to your own body, not a size chart. Fittings are by appointment only. Tell us the dates you are in Japan and we will propose a time.
