Shopping for Church Suits [Men’s Church Suit Guide]

Our bread and butter here at Divinity Clergy Wear is in the vestments we sell. Our customers come to us looking for robes and stole sets, cassocks and cinctures, surplices, and other clerical vestments.

We also sell a wide range of accessories including clergy shirts and rabats, preaching dresses for ladies, chimeres, albs, and many other specialty vestments that you simply can’t find at any old department store.

You know what else we sell that our customers keep coming back for time and time again? Men’s church suits and preaching jackets, and we sell plenty of them.

Sometimes, a guest lector or a speaker as a part of a service should, by right, be apparelled in formal vestments. There are some prescriptions regarding who could and should wear these garments, after all, and some speakers are not ordained into the church.

Therefore, when shopping for church suits such as those that you can find here in our online store, keep some of these considerations right at the forefront of your mind. We account for all of them and more!

1.Sizing is an imperative

First, and most importantly, remember that it doesn’t really matter very much if you can find a preaching jacket or a church suit if it doesn’t even fit you. Not only are our suits made to exacting specifications and available in a number of standard common sizes, but you can also get them in a range of extended sizes. In fact, in some cases, you can even pick up some of our church suits in sizes all the way up through a size 5XL.

That’s one aspect of our customer service that leaves nothing on the table. We know our customers don’t all have the same needs so we are sure to account for them.

In addition to offering some of our preaching jackets in extended sizes, we offer the same for some of our church suits as well. By the way, a perfect fit in a suit matters, so if you have any questions about sizing or special accommodations we can make, make sure you call us up. We’re glad to help our valued customers in any way that we can.

2.Color symbolism matters, even in suits

We’ve published a few blogs on the matter of color symbolism in church garments and vestments here at Divinity Clergy Wear, and while there are is some license you can take in the affair, here are some of the big takeaways

●The color red symbolized blood, fire and passion, and is typically reserved for days observing the feasts of martyrs.

●Purple is a color of penitence and sacrifice, which is why purple is appropriate for services during Lent and those observing other times of penitence and mourning. However, some bishops also wear purple.

●Blue is a kingly color; hence the appellation “royal blue.”

●Black is a somber color that reminds priests that their duties are not only holy but also secular.

●White is the color of purity and symbolizes the perfection of Christ’s love as well as the hope of salvation.

These are the main tenets to observe insomuch as it relates to color symbolism in church garments. Now, it is true that vestments are not the same as church suits, but for a participant in a service who would be arrayed in a suit instead of in a set of vestments, it might be nice to observe some of these trends.

If you want to learn more about the types of colors in church vestments and what some of these mean, as well as how to apply them to other clothing, check out some of the blogs we published recently on the topic. Consult our blogs on Color Symbolism in Choir Robes, Clergy Robes and OtherVestments as well as our blog on “What Do Different Colored Clergy Shirts Mean?”

3.Don’t compromise on quality

Quality is another area on which you should never compromise, whether you are shopping for men’s church suits, other clerical vestments, or just about anything else in your life. Quality matters in all arenas, and we communicate respect for the Lord and for our valued customers when we take a few extra steps to ensure quality in the products we sell.

Quality can also be subjective, but there are some objective traits that we can make sure we include with each garment that we sell. That’s not limited to our church suits. Features like durable, reliable stitching and the use of nothing but only premium quality materials are some of the ways we ensure quality.

In addition, you’ll find rhinestone accents and jacquard fabric paired with some of our dresses and other garments. These add a little bit of extra character to the garments with which they are paired.

In our suits, look for a good fit and finish using only high quality materials and proven techniques. These are the types of garments that you can invest in once for a lifetime. Take care of them and they will just keep on taking care of you, year over year.

4.Style should never take a backseat

In addition to quality, it’s important never to make compromises on style, especially if you feel that you can only get one or the other. For one thing, you should never have to feel that way, and when you do (if you do) it means you are shopping with the wrong provider!

Divinity Clergy Wear offers a wide range of styles in clerical garments, vestments and church suits along with so much more, in order to appeal to the largest number of tastes. Just like one physical size of suit does not fit all, neither does one prevailing theme or style. Tastes vary, as do the requirements that are appropriate for any given setting. In order to provide for a high level of customer service, we need to provide a large range of style, and so we do.

From flamboyantly decorated preaching dresses to a number of different colored and styles church suits for men, we offer a huge collection of different styles that want nothing for scope.

As it has been said, a picture says a thousand words, so don’t waste too much time reading about it. Visit our collection of vestments and garments via the links above and see if you can find something that appeals to you. We’re ready to help if you need it, but we’re sure you’ll be just fine!

5.Somber vs. Uplifted: Why it matters

There is a prevalent, overarching dichotomy in the design of church garments and vestments, according to which you can classify most if not all of them. It’s not possible to lump all of them into one of these categories, but most of the time you’ll be able to. So that’s just the point - is a vestment, or a church suit, for that matter, somber or uplifted, for lack of a better, more concrete term?

Somber vestments are humble and understated. They strike awe and even dread into the hearts of observers, similarly to how the Word can strike awe and dread while at other times it encourages and promotes. Plain black and sometimes white unornamented vestments do this better than most, as well as others that lack elaborate decoration.

On the other end of the spectrum you have vestments that wake the heart and soul and lift the spirit up. These are often brightly colored, ornately decorated and embroidered and serve to complement the natural force and presence of a speaker or a priest when the movement is one of joy and hope rather than one of severity.

You might be wondering what the reason is for such a stark difference between similar items in one single collection of vestments, and there’s a good one for it.

While you shouldn’t make a habit of judging a book by its cover, it’s something that everyone does, even when they’re trying their best not to do so. In this particular case, it’s impossible not to be swayed by the import of the character of the celebrant presiding over a service. Whether that means you will be swayed towards sobriety or towards glee is sometimes a matter of presentation. That’s where our grand variety helps!

6.What else comes with it?

Now is another time to consider value-adds like what else comes along with a church suit. The time to do so is certainly not after you make a purchase. Plus, it should help your decision along for the better. Some suits are better “suited” to some tastes and preferences than others!

For example, many of our men’s church suits come with a jacket and pants, but it’s important to pay attention to the fact that some of our offerings are just jackets that do not come with matching pants.

This is not the only thing to consider, however. Take a look at one of our products that you’ll find in the collection and you’ll also notice that we give our customers the option of shipping their selections with a garment bag to protect it. It comes at a small upcharge, but it’s a lot of value for just a little cost. Especially when you consider that you’ll only be using these garments for special occasions, it might make it all the more worth it.

At any rate, if you have any questions about what comes with any of our church suits or other clerical garments, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to fill you in.

7.Customer service should impress you

Without sugar coating it or making a statement that does not deliver on its own promise, customer service should impress you.

Do you have questions about the products that a seller is offering? Maybe you don’t have questions about the products, necessarily, but you do want to get the benefit of their experience and expertise for a recommendation. Maybe you happen to be looking for some feedback associated with what customers offered when they had made the same or similar purchases.

This is really nothing more than a snapshot of what you could be seeking in such a situation. Whether you want professional advice or just want to soak up the benefit of social proof, a seller should never leave you out on your own to do it.

We welcome you to call us up with any questions, comments or concerns that you have. Whether you want to learn more about a product, you want to know about the history of a class of particular vestments - or anything else you can think of, really - give us a call and we would be more than happy to help you out.

8.Your supplier should also provide for your other needs (besides men’s church suits)

So you came into our online shop today looking for men’s church suits. That doesn’t mean you’ll be looking for the same thing tomorrow. Specialization is good, but let’s not take it too far.

That’s the very reason that we provide so much diversity in style and in the vestments themselves. In addition to our suits and clergy jackets, we also offer clergy robes and stoles, colored clergy shirts (both banded and tab collared) preaching dresses and so much more. Just check out our menu to get a quick glimpse into what we offer.

9.Don’t give up on retail

Finally, remember that though shopping online is great, sometimes you may find yourself wanting a little more.

Vestments and other clerical garments may constitute a specialty segment of the market, but they are still clothing. Clothing, like some other consumer goods, is best shopped for on an intimate basis; that means, in person.

You can’t tell just how something will fit or feel by a picture alone. That’s why a lot of people still prefer to shop in person. Now, we’re happy to extend the online shopping experience to you via our website, but you can always come visit us in our showroom in Hamilton, New Jersey!

Give us a call at 877-453-3535 anytime you want to learn more or to schedule a time to come in and we’d love to assist!