When we cut the most beautiful suit that fits impeccably; to bring it to life it is essential that the suit is romanced with accessories and styling details, and a tasteful balance of colour, pattern and ornamentation. This interplay can easily become a minefield – so tread carefully. Too much romance is gaudy, but a faint heart never won a fair lady.

Edward believes Military stripe ties are always elegant and stylish with a suit or a blazer; fashion should determine the width of stripe; the season the colour. Only wear a striped tie with a striped shirt if it has a white collar and cuffs.

Fashion may dictate the collar style of your choice, but not the knot of your tie; the width of your collar, weight of the silk and width of the tie decide this. With spread collars tie a Windsor knot. With a closed collar tie a four in hand so that the knot fills the space between your collar points nicely. Pin and tab collars, always ensure that once tied the tie stays in place all day; resulting in the smartest of looks with the collar hugging the tie and accentuating the art deco geometry of the tie. Always make sure that there is a dimple just below the knot of the tie. This is done by creating a small pleat in the middle of the broad end of the tie, as you pull through to finish the knot.

Pocket squares should complement your tie but never match; they should be made of silk or fine quality cotton. Neatly folded pocket squares look smart; for more debonair romance, pocket hankies should be nonchalantly flowing from the out-breast pocket.

Double cuffs are a must for formal wear and look great under a suit, but are bulky under knitwear; opt for barrel cuff under a pullover. To achieve a well- balanced look one should show the same amount of shirt collar above the collar of the jacket as one shows shirt cuff bellow the jacket sleeve.

Lapels should be long low and leafy focusing at the narrowest part of the body, making the waist appear narrower and the shoulders stronger – for a classical masculine elegance. A fresh cut flower in the lapel adds a real element of style for the most special occasion – but be sure to take it out before it starts to wilt.

Black shoes can often look too harsh unless worn with very dark suits. A brown shoe is often a more stylish option.

Single-breasted jackets

Button-one jackets with a peek lapel evoke a strong sense of 1930s style.

Button-two notch lapel jackets carry a much more understated elegance, but remember never to fasten the bottom button.

Button-three jackets offer a more sporty look and work well with a centre vent and slanted pockets.

Double-breasted jackets

Double-breasted jackets add a sense of gravitas, and have a formal look.

A double-breasted jacket with two fastening buttons and three ‘show’ buttons is quintessentially classic formal British elegance.

A double-breasted jacket with one fastening button and two ‘show’ buttons helps a shorter man gain height and is always advised for the full formal wear look; allowing for a much larger span of the white of the shirt to be seen.

Trousers should always fit well in the fork, to allow plenty of daylight through the legs, therefore creating the illusion of height.

Plain fronted trousers look clean and modern, but are not practical if you plan to use your pockets.

Forward pleat trousers look formal with strong architectural lines.

Reverse pleat trousers with a belt are more subtle and casual.

Belts can look stylish, but may busy the clean lines of the suit. An elegant solution to this is the Edward Sexton pistol-shaped side strap, which adds a modern classical style into the tops of trousers.