Introduction to Suits

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