Hey Everyone,
Seeing as I work for a Men’s Formal Wear Company I wanted my
first fashion post to be about dressing professionally. Many times men not only
don’t understand how to piece together a business professional outfit, but do
not know correct color combinations with their suit ensembles. I would like to
first describe what business professional attire entails: a full 2 or 3 piece
suit with appropriate tie and matching belt and shoes. Business professional is
not a shirt and a tie, but a FULL suit.
There are 3 main types of suits that every man should have
in his arsenal: grey, black, and navy blue pin-stripe. Having a diversified
suit collection which includes the 3 main types of suits ensures you are ready
to handle every situation thrown at you. All of these suit types look great in
either 2 or 3 piece looks depending on the level of professionalism you wish to
emulate. A 2 piece is more casual looking than the 3 piece, but a 2 piece is a
professional look and is preferred for an interview. I want to provide everyone
with a breakdown of each suit, color combinations, and how to bring your
professional look a step further.
I would like to first begin with what every man should
purchase first: a black 2 or 3 piece suit. I would like to preface this by
saying you should steer clear of non-textured black suits such as the one
pictured below.
With this said, every man should move toward the textured
black suit if they can find it. These textured black suits are constructed by
taking a flat black suit and adding subtle same-color stitching throughout the
entire suit. From far away the suit will appear to be a normal black suit, but
upon a conversational distance, the texturing will be easily identifiable. A
great look is below.
A black suit looks great with many different colors of ties;
however, for starters every man should begin wearing the suit with a red,
silver, or black tie. These tie colors offer the most traditional look and you
can ensure yourself of looking great with these colors. In terms of shirt
colors, I prefer the black suit to always be worn with a white dress shirt;
however, for a more edgy look a black shirt can be worn with a black tie to
provide a “blacked out” look. In addition to these tie colors; black suits
should ALWAYS be worn with a black belt, black shoes, and black socks. For
black suits there are NO exceptions to these belt, shoe, and sock combinations.
One of my favorite looks in a black suit is on my buddy Branden below.
The next suit I would like to talk about is the Navy Blue
with White Pin Stripe suit. I like to think of this suit as the definition of
Aristocrat and a timeless look that has been appealing since the induction of
the suit. This suit is a power suit and I always prefer it in the 3 piece look
but the 2 piece look is stunning as well.
In terms of ties and shirt combinations on this Navy suit, I
want to provide a few tried and true looks that will be sure to please. First,
Navy Blue suits should be worn with either Gold or White dress shirts to
provide the most professional and classic look. Tie combinations that provide
the best looks are in the colors of red, gold, and red/navy argyle. The red and
red/navy argyle looks should be worn with a white dress shirt and the gold tie
will look good with a gold on gold shirt/tie combination.
Navy Blue suits also open themselves to flexibility with the
belt/shoe combination. Although navy suits should always be worn with navy
socks, an oxblood shoe and belt combination works just as well as a black belt
and black shoe combination. The black combination displays a higher level of
professionalism whereas the oxblood look is slightly more casual. Here is a
picture of a great Navy Blue with White Pin Stripes look.
The final suit I would like to talk about is the most
versatile suit in a man’s arsenal: the grey suit. It is in my opinion that
every man should own a grey suit and use its versatility to its fullest
potential. The grey suit lends itself to different colored shirt/tie
combinations, different belt/shoe combinations, and a great casual look as
well.
For the most professional look you want to wear a grey suit—either
2 or 3 piece—with a white shirt and a black tie. A great look is on my friend
Casey Anderson pictured below.
This look is a fantastically professional look that looks
great. Aside from the traditional professional look, grey lends itself to a lot
of color as well. My favorite look with a grey suit is a pink shirt. Grey and
pink mesh fantastically and it provides a more fun and casual look. Pictured
below is my grey suit with a pink shirt and tie combination I wore to a formal.
The color combinations with grey suits are utterly endless
and expression can really be displayed when using a grey suit. Use your judgment
when selecting shirt and tie combinations with a grey suit. Color combinations
must look appropriate and consult a third party before experimenting with color
combinations outside of the classic white shirt and black tie ensemble.
Another great thing about the grey suit is the versatility
with shoe and belt combinations. The combinations can be either oxblood belt
and shoes or black belt and shoes just as with the navy suit. Grey sock should
be attempted to be worn to match the color of your pant; however, with black
shoes black sock can be worn to match your shoe. This is an acceptable look and
one I wear often. When wearing brown shoes in the absence of grey socks, be
creative with the color of the socks. Match your socks to the color of your tie
for a look that it really fun and shows your expression.
It is because of this tremendous amount of versatility in
grey suits which I try and sell these to my clients the most. One of my
favorite grey suit looks is pictured below.
I would like to close with how to really take your suit look
to the next level. A simple way to take it to the next level is the addition of
a pocket square. The pocket square should match or accent your tie in some way.
In the case of a black suit and black tie, wear a white pocket square to bring
the look together. If you really want to be bold with a black suit a red tie
and matching pocket square is a daring and amazing look.
With the navy suits, gold pocket squares with a gold shirt
or tie really brings the look together. Also a white pocket square to accent
the white pin striping is also a gorgeous look as well. For a bolder look wear
a red tie and red pocket square with this look as well.
Finally, with grey suits, the combinations are endless. I
can only offer to you the knowledge that your square MUST match or accent your
tie or shirt in some way for a more complete look.
I hope this very general briefing of suits helped those men
in need. I hope to be able to elaborate on these looks in the future. Take this
advice to heart and be sure to try out some of the combinations yourself and
really try and look your best when wearing professional clothing.
Until next time! Cheers!
Rob Grosskopf
