It needs to be noted that the most important element of a suit is in the construction of the jacket. Between the wool on the outside and the lining on the inside there is, or should be, a piece of canvass. This piece of material should be made from either horse hair, linen, or a combination of the two. The canvas should run the full length of the front of the jacket. Most importantly, the canvas should be sewn in, and definitely not glued. Gluing the canvas to the wool makes the wool stiffer, less breathable, and can cause puckering when dry cleaned. The only reason to do this is to save money on construction (or to make a suit look unnaturally stiff). The canvas serves a real purpose, it absorbs moisture, thereby saving the wool from you. Every time it does this it expands with the moisture and contracts while it dries in the air. This means that over numerous wears, it is naturally shaping to your body and provides a bit of "memory" as to how a jacket should drape over your body. While the canvas is remembering how to hug your lines, the wool worries about having a clean and beautiful drape.
This is an image of the underside of a well made lapel. There are three things to be noted here. First, the suit fabric folded over the felt (located under the collar). This is a method of re-enforcing the construction of the collar. Next, I apologize for the poor picture quality, but if you look closely at the button hole you will notice that it is hand sewn. Hand sewn button hole, are a representation of the quality and care of craftsmanship that went into the garment. Similarly, buttons that have been sewn on by hand are more likely not to fall off (not easy to photograph). Lastly, you will notice the small stitch under the button hole. This is because the button hole on a lapel is intended to be used with a boutonniere (flower). The small stitch is there to hold the flower's stem in place. I never wear a boutonniere, but it's nice to know if I did, my suit has my back.
Functional button cuffs. My biggest pet peeve with most suits. The reason there are buttons on the cuff, is in case you ever need to pull up your suit sleeve. They are also called surgeon's cuffs, a reference to a day where in an emergency a doctor would not take off his jacket before starting surgery, merely roll up his sleeves. If you will never use them, that's fine, but why would a manufacturer put buttons on a sleeve if they serve no purpose. Make them work, or don't put them them in the first place.
This is an image a secure waistband. These pants are made with two buttons on the waist band itself, and one button level to the top of the zipper. The flap you see, just past the zipper, on the section with the black buttons has a button hole. That hole works with the white button. This allows the pant fabric to be securely fitted over the hips. It also takes the stress off of the waistband when your hips are moving. The two buttons on the actual waistband re-enforce each other. NB: hook and eye clasps work just as well replacing the two black buttons.
This image illustrates three features. First, the black strip on the inside of the waistband. That strip has little pieces of rubber sewn to it. This does not at all affect the fit. It simply serves to hold your shirt, securely tucked in to the pants. Next, you will notice just under the black strip there is an inch of fabric that is "scalloped" That is to say, it is pleated (most recognizable below the left-most button pictured). The reason for this is to allow the trouser material to transition from the rather tick waistband to the rather thin lining with an extra layer of padding. It allows for a smother drape of the trouser wool just below the waistband. The reason for the scalloping is for premium ventilation on hot days. Finally, note the pocket sewn into the actual waistband. Commonly refereed to as the "Napoli" pocket, it is a secret stash zone in your pants. The reason it is called the Napoli pocket, is it originated in Naples, Italy. Naples in the home to some of the best Italian tailoring houses. It is also home to the best gypsy pickpockets outside of Tijuana. Necessity is the mother of all invention.
This image also shows three things. Quickly, the name sewn into the fabric shows that the suit is more about you than the tailor. Second, the fact that the wool is wrapped around the interior pocket is a key element. To wrap the wool like this is costly to the tailor. He need an extra 6" of fabric, latterly. There are plenty of fabrics that are $1000 a yard. This shows that the tailor is more concerned with the garment looking proper than the extra fabric he has to cut. The last item to be noted here is the piece of fabric to the right of the pocket. This is actually located right at the pit of the arm. It is a sweat guard. It stops you from staining the lining, or worse yet seeping through to the wool. It is replaceable and a nice feature.
This is a picture of pick stitching. Most people will show you pick stitching on the lapel. Here we see it around the breast pocket and, if you look closely, don the seam of the stomach dart. You can also see it below on the side seam of the pants. It is rather easy to incorporate pick stitching on the lapel, it is much more time consuming to incorporate it on every seam. It shows the love that the garment was tailored with, it also shows that the garment was well tailored.
Lastly, a nice addition to a pair of slacks. This is the inside of the pant leg bottom. Look at the piece of vertical fabric. This is called a "kick guard". The kick guard is meant to take any abrasion, abuse, or discoloration inflicted by the heel of your shoes. When you are shining your shoes and run that black sponge around the sole of your shoe, that can get on the inside of your pants. Also, the fact that the heel is constantly rubbing against the inside of the cuff puts wear on the wool. This little piece of fabric takes all of that abuse and is easily replaceable.
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