"What a strange power there is in clothing."

That statement by Jewish American author Isaac Bashevis Singer best describes the theory behind Metro Society's yearly habit of coming up with its "Men in Suits" list.

Editor-in-chief Raul Manzano asserts that a "man always looks good in a suit" and that "it shows his style and taste, not just merely in the fashion sense."

Coming up with the final list goes beyond style and good looks. Much attention is given to the character and success of the 16 male subjects in their respective fields and industries.

This year's well-suited roster is made up of food and restaurant consultant Dwight Ashton, marble supplier and antique dealer David Kaufman, food writer and entrepreneur Marco Rodriguez, television host David Celdran, country manager Geoffroy Morgan De Rivery, architect Conrad Onglao, CEO Mikee Romero, hotelier Goran Aleks, company president Jonathan Crespi, personal trainer Jonas Dizon, banker Felix Barrientos, business executive Chris Feist, bar owner Jed Lim, actor TJ Trinidad, entrepreneur Armand Del Rosario, and aspiring "perfumista" Hayden Kho Jr.

"It was hard trimming it down also and it's just that I wanted some new faces this time instead of the usual faces you have from the other magazines. We have a lot of foreigners and what-not here now in the Men in Suits," Manzano told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal).

And just like in the previous installments of the annual list, a photo exhibit was staged last March 29 at the E's Bar of the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

The exhibit featured neatly blown up portraits, as seen on the pages of the magazine's March issue, of the men handsomely wearing their "own" suits from designer brands D&G, Bespoke, Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, and Lanvin.

Men are naturally not as meticulous as women when it comes to fashion. But things have changed over the years and men nowadays appreciate looking and feeling good from what they see in the mirror.

"It's very difficult for guys to put things together and these guys are all very stylish. They put all these things together very well," smiled Manzano.