We’ve all heard that the clothes make the man, but it’s wearing the clothes in the right way that will really set you apart from the crowd.

The right suit will, more than anything else, give the impression that you know what you want and you know how to get it. But not every old suit can be a power suit, and making a mistake can leave you looking less powerful than if you walked into the room wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

The most important aspect of suits is the fit. Unlike clothes designed for women, menswear stays far away from the frills and adornment and is all about the tailoring.

Your suit should fit snug. It shouldn’t look like it’s hanging off you, but you shouldn’t look uncomfortably stuffed into it either. A good suit will be slimming and won’t make you look boxy, so make sure the shoulder pads don’t protrude past your actual shoulders.

The next step after purchasing a suit is to get it altered by a tailor. While ready-to-wear garments are constructed in a variety of sizes, chances are low that you’re going to find a perfect fit.

There’s no use in spending a bunch of money on an expensive suit if it’s not going to look just right.

You should never button every button on any suit jacket, sport coat or blazer. It leaves you looking bulky and causes bunching whenever you aren’t standing perfectly erect and still.

If you’re wearing a three-button jacket, button the middle button. For a two-button jacket, always button only the top button. Some jackets are made with only one button, so just button that one. This is the only exception to the never button every button rule.

Don’t be nervous about incorporating patterns into your business wear. While a solid suit in gray, black or blue tends to be the easiest to pull off, a plaid suit will always stand out. You can also add some variation by finding a suit with a different texture, such as a herringbone twill design, which is a woolen fabric with a pattern forming a V or an inverted V.

When you’re wearing a suit in a social setting, you don’t want to come across as too intimidating. A black and white combo, while classic, can be too formal in some situations. Pair your suit with a colored shirt and a patterned tie to throw some personality into your outfit.