Plenty of modern bands know their way around a pair of skinny jeans, but rarely do they appreciate the value of a really great suit. Tindersticks are an exception.

Formed in the early '90s, Stuart Staples and his cohorts slumped at the bar, sipping cocktails and looking elegantly wasted in Savile Row's finest while their Britpop peers were swilling pints and swaggering around the dance floor in their retro Adidas. The sleeve of their eponymous second album -- and mournful, string-laden masterpiece -- even shows the group mid-fitting at the shop of their favorite London tailor (Timothy Everest).

With Tindersticks, sartorial sophistication isn't just a style choice, it's a way of being -- an essential component to an all-compassing mood of suave, gin-soaked melancholy. They are the band Don Draper would be in, if he were a indie musician from Nottingham, England. It's no surprise that the group's soulful murmurings have soundtracked numerous cool cultural creations, including a couple of "Sopranos" episodes, a quartet of films by amazing French film director Claire Denis and the Louis Vuitton summer '09 fashion show in Paris.

Seventeen years after their debut, Tindersticks are still dapper and still sound as heartbroken as ever on new album "Falling Down a Mountain", with Staples' 3 a.m. croon in particularly fine fettle on the gorgeous "Factory Girls" and atmospheric single "Black Smoke."

Check out our guide to emulating a classic suited-and-booted look from the band's early days.

Fitzgerald Herringbone 1818 Suit
You don't need your own tailor to look truly dapper in a suit (regardless of how cool it is to thank him in your album's liner notes). With a bit of dedication and imagination, you can still pick up something pretty interesting in the mall. Like this quirky, vintage-feeling Brooks Brothers number for 50 percent off. Perfect for wearing while sipping expertly mixed drinks in dimly lit, late-night bars. ($499 from BrooksBrothers.com)

White Freddie Stretch Super-Slim Fit Men's Shirt -- Button Cuff
With a suave suit should come a classic, perfectly cut white shirt. This Thomas Pink piece fits the bill. ($185 from ThomasPink.com)

Paul Smith Contrast Socks
The Tindersticks look is all about spending a little bit extra for classic menswear. Sure, no can really see your socks, but how much more sophisticated are you going to feel knowing that your feet are encased in Paul Smith's finest cotton? ($30 from SaksFifthAvenue.com)

Bed Stu "Capricorn" Boot
From the Beatles to the Horrors, the classic black ankle boot has long been a rock n' roll staple. Even offstage, matching a relatively understated pair (no super-pointy toes or Cuban heels, please) with a suit gives a subtle edge of cool to an otherwise conventional outfit. ($185 from Nordstrom.com)