If you’re anything like me, you probably found ClausNet early on in your Santa Claus career and you are trying to learn as much as you can about what it takes to build a world-class Santa portrayal. That of course includes creating an excellent Santa appearance. In this blog post I hope to give a “Santa Suit 101” for new Santa’s to help them better understand the types and styles of suit available, and help them be better informed when purchasing their first Santa suit.

Before I begin it is important that I say this: you can not spend your way into becoming an amazing Santa. You can have a $3,000 suit but if your performance stinks you’re just not going to be very good. Meanwhile, the best Santa I have ever seen in person wore a cheap $99 suit.

Off the Rack
A common term you will hear is “off the rack” - this refers to a suit that is mass produced by a costume company. They are meant to be purchased, taken out of the box, and (in theory) worn as-is.

Many (dear I say, most) Santa’s start with an off the rack suit. I’d highly recommend taking your suit to your local seamstress or tailor for them to tailor the suit to your body. Having a properly fitting suit will make you stand out and will also increase your confidence.

Off the rack suits vary in price and materials. The cheapest suits will cost approximately $100 and typically are made in plush. All Santa suits are hot, but plush suits will be especially so. That said, if it is all your budget allows it is a fine place to start. Other off the rack suits are frequently made from velvet and will vary in price from $150 - $399.

Styles of Suits
There are many types of Santa suits available to purchase and I would never be able to list them all here, but I will focus on what I consider to be the three main styles.

Traditional Suit
This is what we are most used to seeing and for many of us is possibly the only style of suit we’ve ever seen. The suit comprises red pants, red jacket with white fur along the bottom/ on the end of the sleeves/ and a strip of fur up the centre (concealing the zipper), and the red hat with white fur and a pom.

Cola Suit
Based on the paintings of Santa Claus by artist Haddon Sundblom for Coca Cola from the 1930’s through the 1960’s the Cola Suit is very similar to the Traditional Suit with the main difference being the buttons in place of the white strip of fur on the front of the suit.

Continental Coat/Parade Coat
Both the Continental Coat and Parade Coat are very regal suit options. They are large coats that are typically worn open. You could wear a vest underneath the coat or wear the coat over a full suit (either Traditional or Cola). The main benefit of wearing the suit with a vest is that it can be much more comfortable to wear indoors as they do not get as warm. Likewise they can add warmth when worn over a Traditional or Cola Suit.

Custom Suits
We’ve touched on the different styles of suits and explained the definition of “off the rack” suits, but I wanted to touch on the topic of having a Custom Suit or wardrobe made.

A custom suit is just as it sounds - a suit that is made with your measurements in mind. Obviously this will come at a higher cost, but it also means you will likely not need to pay to have your suit tailored when it arrives. There are many different manufacturers of custom suits with prices ranging from $600 - $2,500+ per suit.

While I have not done so yet, I do plan to one day replace my whole wardrobe with a Traditional Suit, Cola Suit, and Continental Coat - all purchased from the same custom suit manufacturer with instructions that all suits be made from the same roll of fabric. This way all my hats match all my coats, all my pants match all my hats, etc.

Colors
This was something I never thought about before I became one of Santa’s Assistants - there is more than one color of Santa Suit! There are many different colors, but most can be categorized as either a bright red or a dark burgundy.

Most of the cheaper plush suits seem to be bright red, but that doesn’t mean that a bright red suit is cheap! That said, I tend to have noticed far more burgundy red suits than bright red suits.

At the end of the day I believe that the suit color is little more than a personal preference. I’ve never had a client question my choice in the color of my suit.

Santa Accessories
We’ve talked about suits, but let's touch on some of the other fun accessories that we can use to improve our appearance. I’ll start with the things I consider a “must have” and then move on to other items.

Leather Boots
Off the rack suits typically come with a naugahyde belt and boot “covers” with fur on them. Lots of Santa’s use them, but if you want to stand out you should consider replacing them with real leather.

There are lots of options for Leather Boots. Many folks will start out with a simple pair of leather motorcycle boots that you can either find locally, or somewhere like Amazon. One thing you can do to help with these types of boots is take them to a cobbler who can add a zipper up the side of your boot. This makes it easier to tuck in your pants to your boots and get them on and off.

To add fur to your boots, most people will purchase a pair of fur boot cuffs which is simply a loop of fur that is held in place with elastic. Slip the fur cuffs over your pants, put on your boots, then slide the fur cuffs down until it looks natural. You also have the choice to not have fur and simply tuck your pants into your boots.

Leather Belt
Replacing the naugahyde belt that comes with your off the rack suit will also greatly improve your image. Most of us wear belts that are made of real leather and are either 3.5” or 4” wide. I wear a belt that is 3.5” wide and that looks very proportional on my 5’ 8” frame. But if I was 6’+ I’d likely want a 4” belt.

There are lots of choices when it comes to belts. You can have a belt that is plain black or brown leather, or you can go for a belt that is painted or has a design embossed on it. I’d suggest starting simple and adding more ornate belts as you build your wardrobe.

Belt Buckle
Chances are that your belt will not come with a belt buckle, meaning you will need to add a buckle. Just like everything else, there are countless types of buckles and designs you can buy. At first I was very excited about this and showed my wife the many different styles of buckles available - pointing out the ones I wanted to buy. To my surprise she said that I should just purchase a simple buckle because that looked more appropriate.

In the end I did just that - I purchased a belt that comes with a simple rectangle brass buckle and I receive compliments every time I wear it.

Ultimately the choice is yours, but you should consider that your buckle will have to fit your belt. If you have a 3.5” belt, buy a buckle that will fit that belt well. Sometimes I’ve seen folks wearing a buckle that is meant for a 4” belt with a 3.5” belt, and while that technically will work and fit, it can look poor when there is a gap between the top and bottom of the belt.

The last thing to consider is your dimensions. Just like how a 3.5” belt looks good on me, I doubt a large 6” wide buckle would look good on me. I’d fear I would look like a child wearing his fathers belt!

Suspenders
These are not just functional, they look great too! Most Santa pants have elastic around the waist, which means you’re going to want to find a way to keep them up. A simple solution is suspenders. You can purchase regular metal clasp suspenders but they can be painful if you’re wearing them all day sitting down. A better option is button suspenders that will require buttons be sewn into your pants. These can be purchased on Amazon.

Santa Key & Key Holder
A common prop many of us wear is Santa’s magical key that is kept on our belt by a leather holder. These can be purchased when you purchase your belt to make sure the leathers match.

Bells
Many of us will wear bells of some sort on our person when making appearances as Santa. There are many different styles, but typically they would either be worn on your boots, your belt, or around your wrist. I like wrist bells, because they can be easily removed if you wish. Stay away from Velcro as Velcro will stick to your suits. My bells had Velcro and I had my cobbler remove the Velcro and add snaps.

Eyeglasses
Santa almost always wears eyeglasses. There are many designs and brands you can wear and my main recommendation is to stay away from cheap costume eyeglasses. I had a pair my first year and they broke before the season was over.

If you wear prescription glasses you could look at purchasing a pair of eyeglasses that look like something Santa would wear and only wear them with your suit. Thanks to the internet it is easier than ever to purchase eyeglasses cheaply. This is the route I went in 2022 when I purchased a second pair strictly for Santa for less than $20.

Shirts & Vests
Now we’re moving into some of the truly optional pieces. With shirts and vest you can allow yourself to take your coat off (or maybe even arrive without the coat in the first place) and be much more comfortable. In addition to being more comfortable, these pieces help set you apart.

These pieces can also reflect your personality. They can be very regal and fancy, or they can be fun and playful. When purchasing a shirt make sure to find one without a collar so it does not stick out of the top of your suit coat. For a vest your suit manufacturer may sell vests in the same color/material as your suit, or you can look at other materials and colors.

Workshop Apron
The addition of an apron is similar to the shirts and vests mentioned above in the sense that they are very comfortable to wear. Depending on what you are doing, they can really compliment your appearance. I have a repeat customer that has me come every year for 3 - 4 appearances where children can “paint with Santa”. I always wear the apron as it really fits in with the event, and their parents always love it (especially their dads).

So, what should I purchase first?
As we can see, the sky's the limit in both the types of clothing you can purchase and how much money you spend! That said, here is what I recommend for a new Santa purchase when starting out. Most importantly, create a budget and stick with it. I know you're going to be tempted to buy all the shiny Santa things, but trust me - start small. I've probably spent $300 - $500 on items I rarely use and in some cases regret purchasing.

Velvet Off the Rack Traditional Santa Suit
I would recommend starting out with a traditional Santa suit as that is likely what most of your potential customers are familiar with seeing, and I would go off the rack to help save some money that can go towards purchasing accessories. You will likely need to have it tailored to fit you properly.

Real Leather Boots & Belt
When your suit shows up you can take the naugahyde belt and boot covers and get rid of them (I got $20 on Facebook Marketplace for mine!), and replace them with real leather boots and belt. As far as a belt buckle I would stick with something simple and solid brass.

What Next?
Once you have the main items of your suit, belt, and boots you can begin adding to your appearance. If you have enough room in your budget you can right away begin adding pieces to your wardrobe.

Otherwise you can do what I do and add pieces every year. At the end of every season I put aside any money that I’ve earned (I’m mostly a volunteer Santa) and begin pondering what I would like to purchase next. Next season I plan to purchase an extra plain white shirt and a new Santa Bag.

Your Most Important Investment
I’ll close this out by sharing what I believe to be the most important investment you can make as a new Santa. In the beginning of this blog post I told you that you can not spend your way into becoming an amazing Santa. Being Santa is so much more than having a great suit and props. There is so much to know as Santa, and children will never cease to amaze you with their questions.

The greatest investment you could make as a new Santa would be to invest your time (and a little money) in learning how to improve your portrayal of Santa Claus. You can start today by lurking and reading past discussions here on Clausnet. Many questions have been asked and even more answers have been given. Research books written by those in the red suit who have come before us and learn from their experiences. Maybe some day you will be able to invest in traveling to a Santa School or attending a Santa Convention.

I hope this has been helpful to new Santa's and that this has helped you navigate this important part of your Santa Claus journey!