There’s nothing like a good rain to disrupt your morning or evening commute. In today’s fast-paced society, we cannot stop our lives because of inclement weather. Here in New York, the streets were still packed during the now notorious Polar Vortex in 2013. Rain or shine, the show must go on. Unfortunately for us, suits can be the a difficult option for an outfit when you’re on the move. With a few precautions and a well-made suit, you can stay comfortable, warm, and dry, while still protecting your suit.

The last thing that you want is to show up to work or a meeting looking wet and disheveled. Here are a few tips to make sure that you and your suit look your best, rain or shine:

• This step may get an eye roll, but it’s the most important step. Take a moment to check the weather while you’re laying out your outfit the night before, or before you get dressed in the morning. This might seem like overkill, but if you live anywhere but LA or San Diego, the weather in the morning may not look like the weather later in the day, so you will always want to be prepared.
   
• If rain is in the forecast, you need to take more of a precaution than an umbrella. Umbrellas only protect you from the shoulders up. Any amount of wind or strong rain will soak the rest of you and your suit. You should wear a weatherproof coat whenever it is raining. Gone are the days of the bright yellow pancho or raincoat. Keep a black, navy, and if possible, a tan trench coat in your closet to make sure that you’re dressed cohesively in the rain. Make sure that you buy a quality overcoat with a fine silk or sleek fabric lining. Lower quality coats will have a cotton or synthetic wool lining which will tug and stick to your suit jacket and cause it to wrinkle.
   
• If you work in a pedestrian town, you may have no choice but to walk a bit to get from point A to point Z. Appropriate shoes or galoshes are an important factor in protecting your suit. In the colder months, salt is often spread on sidewalks to prevent snow from sticking on concrete. This salt can severely damage shoes and the bottom of your pants during a rain. Although they may not be the most fashionable things on earth, waterproof shoes with a higher top are often the best option. Make sure that if you are tucking your pants into a boot, that it is not too tight to where you can take the seam out of the bottom of your pant leg, or even wrinkle it. Just be sure to bring your work shoes with you to swap once you get indoors, or just keep a few pairs at the office for the duration of the season.
   
• Lastly, if you do get some rain on your suit, make sure to try to dry it as soon as possible. Being in a heated office should do the trick, but make sure that you remove your jacket and carefully hang it up, allowing it to completely dry. If you come home with some water on your suit, use the same method and place your jacket and pants on separate hangers, and hang them out to dry somewhere safe. Do not immediately place your suit in the closet after wearing them, after a rain or ever – always wait a day.