When distressed denim is acceptable; how to wear a black suit without looking like you’re going to a funeral; and what is the best jacket for this month’s flighty weather .

Ripped jeans polarise opinion. This week we pick holes in the arguments for and against. If all those rips and holes are causing a draft as we segue between seasons, you might appreciate a lightweight layer to see you through the transition in weather. We run through the options below. And finally, we ask how to wear a black suit without looking like you’re an undertaker.

Send your style-related questions via our social media channels or email them directly to dan.rookwood@mrporter.com and check back in each Friday for the answers to three of the best.

**How can I get away with ripped jeans?

**From Mr Callum McDonald, via email

Distressed denim is not exactly new – I can well remember customising Levi’s 511s for friends with various grades of sandpaper and blunt scissors when I was a student – but it is true to say that it’s back in a bigger way than perhaps at any time since the 1980s. It’s a particularly “LA look” right now.

Ripped jeans have been appropriated by various different subcultures down the years – from rockers to punks to skaters and so forth – and it was a signifier of youth and rebellion. But this time around it feels different. It’s less tribal, more about the aesthetic.

The most sought-after ripped jeans are seriously expensive, which makes them a status symbol. And this means that people in their thirties and even older can get away with them without looking like they’re dressing like teenagers with an attitude problem. They have become a luxe-fashion item.

As ever, social media has had a huge influence here. Instagram has diffused this trend and the likes of Messrs Justin Bieber, David Beckham and Kanye West are among its higher profile proponents. The tipping point was probably when Mr West turned up to last year’s Met Gala and flouted the white tie dress code by wearing heavily ripped jeans, a blinged-up bomber and weird contact lenses. The jeans were by Fear of God, an LA brand we recently launched on MR PORTER. [AMIRI](http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designers/amiri? resType=designer&keywords=amiri&keywords=Amiri) take their similarly-priced denim out to Joshua Tree and shoot bullet holes into it. A third LA brand, John Elliott, also merits a mention in the same breath. Outside of LA, this is very much a high-fashion trend with brands channelling the look: Saint Laurent, Balmain and Gucci among them.

How to get away with distressed denim depends on the context. Where there is a prescribed dress code, ripped jeans are unlikely to be welcomed – they are an off-duty item, rarely appropriate for work. There are different levels of distressing, of course. At the gentler, easier-to-wear end of the scale, you have something like this pair from Nonnative, with just a couple of rips. At the more extreme end for confident dressers, you have this pair from Fabric Brand & Co, which are so distressed it’s practically having a nervous breakdown.

The more ripped the denim, the more of a focal point it is in your look. The rest of your outfit should “agree” with your jeans. I would suggest wearing them with a pair of suede boots with a bit of heel such as these from Saint Laurent. Mr Mike Amiri, founder of AMIRI, normally wears his with a vintage T-shirt and check shirt tied around the waist. Mr Jerry Lorenzo, founder of Fear of God, tends to wear his with high-top sneakers and sportswear. But you can get a great many ideas for outfit options by clicking through the array of distressed jeans we have on site here and taking note of how our editors have styled them.

Alternatively you could just for charcoal grey or midnight blue tailoring which, though obviously close to black, open up more options for colour matching.

**I’m interested in dark tailoring for autumn and winter this year. Any advice on how to wear a black suit without looking like an undertaker? **

From @andretheapple123 via Instagram

In much of Europe, especially the UK, a black suit is often frowned upon as everyday wear. There’s an element of snobbery to this attitude – black suits were traditionally worn by the hired help (which is one reason why many Europeans prefer a midnight blue tuxedo, in order to differentiate from those serving drinks). It’s partly superstition – black suits are for funerals. And it’s partly practical – black isn’t as versatile as navy and grey when it comes to colour matching. But in the US black tailoring is considered much more acceptable. The American designer Mr Tom Ford, one of the world’s best dressed and most stylish men, has worn a black suit pretty much every day as a default uniform for the past 10 years.

While I personally would not wear a full black suit during the day – sorry, Mr Ford – I think it makes for an elegant and timeless option in the evening when full black tie would be too formal. The way to avoid looking like you’re attending a funeral (or carrying a tray of champagne) is in the texture. It could be a subtle print or pattern such as a black on black check, herringbone  or puppytooth. Or it could be in the tactility of the fabric such as a basketweave, flannel, corduroy  or velvet. You could also choose to slightly soften the look by wearing a black blazer with black jeans or cords. Such details can be subtle and only discernable at close quarters but will make all the difference.

What are the best lightweight jackets for fickle weather? ** ** From Mr Jackson Irving, via email

Many of us in the northern hemisphere are approaching that awkward in-between time, the crossover between summer and winter, when it’s too cold for your summer wardrobe but not yet cold enough to do the seasonal switcheroo quite yet and bring out the full winter range.

The best answer, as you’ve identified, is a lightweight jacket – ideally one thin enough to be worn as a layer underneath a blazer if need be, or to be stashed easily in a bag if the changeable weather should suddenly improve during the day.

The first rule to remember when layering is: always layer from the finest, through to the thickest, material.

As mentioned in this column last week, track jackets are very on trend this season as part of the 1990s sportswear revival. Check out this week’s Dress Code story in The Journal to see how you could even wear one for work. And we have previously mentioned the layering possibilities of denim jackets. Bomber jackets and blousons never go out of style. I particularly like this J.Crew MA-1 bomber in olive green for an eminently affordable and classic choice. Zip-through hoodies or jackets present another option. For a versatile basic, consider this black half-zip sweatshirt from Ralph Lauren Polo.

And just to put another option out there, provided the weather isn’t too grim, it is always worth considering an overshirt, as discussed on this very site earlier today. See, we’ve got you covered.

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