Selecting the colour of your suit is possibly the most basic step in the process, but it is one that men often get wrong. Sometimes this is a case of laziness: they simply assert that black = stylish and pick out a black suit. While it is true that black suits get a lot of love in the media they certainly aren’t the best choice for everyone. Making a good choice can be very rewarding; the ability to pick up your single suit for every occasion can be a big stress reliever. Similarly having the wrong suit can mean that you will end up buying another one very quickly just to correct your mistake.
When picking what colour you need in your suit the best bet is to think carefully about when it will be worn. For guys who don’t often wear suits this can be narrowed down to “weddings” “funerals” and “job interviews”. Occasionally you may need a suit for going to a nice restaurant or party, I once helped a gent working in Marketing who only wore a suit when he was on television.
For people who love tailoring the idea of only having one suit is abhorrent, a rotation of less than 3 is unacceptable and ideally you should have at least 5. This is great as a concept but if you are just starting out, it is definitely not a good idea to go out and buy 5 suits in one go.
An illustration of four cloth types – Tweed, Grey Sharkskin, Cream Linen & Navy Pinstripe
Many people suggest that a navy blue suit is the obvious place to start, however My recommendation for a first suit is always one in charcoal grey. The rationale for this is as follows: dark grey is rarely unsuitable for weddings and job interviews. At funerals it is traditional to wear black, but most people won’t even notice that you are wearing grey as they amount to the same colour. In situations like funerals the focus is never on your clothes, it is on the deceased, so as long as you have a white shirt and black tie you should be fine.
At weddings grey is more than acceptable, it is traditional. Back when morning coats and strollers were the norm for weddings every man could be seen wearing a charcoal coat over striped trousers with a light grey or pastel coloured waistcoat. Many men feel that as weddings are celebratory affairs brighter colours should be used, in which case a lighter grey or blue suit can be worn. If you wish to dress up the charcoal suit in your wardrobe then consider adding a purple tie or handkerchief to a solid coloured shirt.
Charcoal is far and away the most suitable colour for interviews; paired with a white shirt and understated tie you are unlikely to offend your future employer with your dress sense, and you will conform to even the most strict workwear guidelines. The choice of tie an be important; whimsical ties are unlikely to go over well with more serious interviewers. There was a study conducted amongst 100 top executives and it discovered (hopefully along with much more important stuff like economics) that 60% cite their favourite tie colour as yellow.
There is some logic behind the choice of yellow for interviews, if you are the sort to think about that kind of thing. The decision boils down to this- red is aggressive and makes people stand-offish. Blue is placid and calm, but makes people think they can ride roughshod over your ideas. Yellow strikes a balance between grabbing attention through bright colour, and not beating so assertive as to antagonise whoever sits across the table. This is what my father would have described as “wishy washy logic” but I can’t help myself but to pass over the red and blue tie every time I have a meeting in which I need to come out on top.
It would be possible to write an entire book on the subject of suit colour, and the appropriateness of the 1970’s pink satin suits, so I will end by considering just two more: brown and black.
Brown suits are difficult. I don’t mean that they are bad, and I certainly don’t mean that you shouldn’t wear one. What I mean is that brown is a very hard colour to produce correctly. Low cost establishments (in this case anything you would see on a highstreet) struggle to make a brown that doesn’t bring to mind bald men in the 1980s trying to sell you double glazing. There are however instances when brown suits work, and they almost always occur at the junction of Asian heritage and youthful confidence. I have seen young Indian men walk into a shop, grab a brown suit some come out looking immaculate. The fact is that a slightly overweight man with pale skin looks terrible.
If you have a dark complexion – and I mean dark, not olive – then try experimenting with brown suits, but be aware that you are infinitely better off looking for a charcoal for your first suit. Where the chances of finding the right brown are 1/10 the chances of finding a good charcoal are 9/10.
So here we are. Black. Darling of the skinny celebrity and the slightly-past-it security guard. Let me start by saying that black suits are not bad. They have their place and on certain people can look positively amazing. But. The is alway a but. Is there a choice that is more appropriate? A choice that will look just as good for longer?
I don’t hate black suits, but in my humble opinion a black suit should be the fourth or fifth suit in your wardrobe. For sombre occasions such as a funeral they have a place, but anywhere else? Not so much. Grey hides the dust and dirt of the daily commute (especially if you have to use a bus or even worse, The Underground), and dark blue suggests that you are very serious about that business plan, but don’t intend to bury it in front of its closest family. Another issue with black is that the slightest abrasion, or wear, makes it shiny or faded in a way that dark grey simply doesn’t.
Black can look very impressive (I own a couple of black suits) in the right situations; that is going to a night-club or some other evening event. They look great on very toned guys who want to show off the hours they spend in the gym. At a push they even stand in as black tie, though if you do this more than once a year, you should seriously consider a real tux.
Black is often viewed as as easy choice by those looking to look great on a budget because it looks easy, but that isn’t the case. The people who make it look easy in the media would also make blue and grey and brown look easy.
If you do decide to buy a black suit then make sure you also purchase a clothes brush to keep it looking fresh and a lint roller to use before and after every wearing. Black looks good, but it doesn’t last, needs constant upkeep and unless you have considerable style, looks too morbid for day to day use.
Basic Suits 