In the name of ease I’m going to break this post up into two parts right off the hop – the first will focus on the daily suit wearer who works in a more traditional professional environment such as law or finance. The second will be aimed at those sectors that are a touch more relaxed in nature such as advertising, marketing and technology.
Fall Prep: the two suits you need.
Part I – The Daily Suit Wearer
No doubt if you’re in this category you see and wear a steady stream of navy and grey on a daily basis. For this fall the focus is to maintain that color scheme but to do so with a greater sense of panache. The easiest way to do this is through the use of pattern – subtle but quietly powerful pattern that is clearly designed for the colder months that lie ahead.
1. The Blue-based Suit.
Unquestionably the suit of the summer was the electric blue – and for good reason due to the wide variety of shades. It enabled the more fashion forward in the crowd to venture closer to the purple side of things while providing the more conservative side of the spectrum a refreshing new take on navy.
For fall we’re going to keep this going – the only difference being we’re going to tame the brightness by adding some darker tones to create the pattern. If the base is venturing towards the purple tones then we add some mid navy to ground it; if it’s a brighter version of navy then we get the same effect by adding some midnight navy or black to create the contrast. Here are few examples:
In the images above on the left is a Super 120’s Houndstooth from the British Woolens Company for $1175; on the right is a Prince of Wales Super 150’s from Vitale Barberis Canonico for $1475.
2. The Grey-based Suit.
We’re going to again take our direction from the electric blue we just spoke about. In this case though it becomes what we use as the contrast color. The two options below are my must-have’s for season.
There is nothing that says winter for me quite like a rich, Prince of Wales check. These are absolutely striking as the pop of color that comes from the electric blue adds a level of depth while keeping the contrast relatively muted. On the left is the British Woolens Company Super 120’s for $1175; on the right is a 17 micron Super 130’s from Tallia di Delfino for $1375.
Part II – The Casual Suit Wearer.
The key for the casual suit wearer is versatility; to balance out the need for a formal suit, with a suit that can be equally dressed down as well something that can be broken up and worn as separate pieces. It’s a lot to ask for but there are a lot of stunning cloths out there that help exactly with this pursuit.
For the sake of this section I’ve taken three different styles of cloth and show them in their navy and grey versions. I’ll start with the most bold and get more subtle from there – in the end choosing one of each color should take care of all your sartorial needs.
1. The Bold – super 130’s by Tallia di Delfino ($1375)
These two cloths are my run-away favorites of the season. On the one hand it is so subtle but on the other is it absolutely loud – the ultimate contradiction. Essentially you’re seeing two overlayed windowpane patterns. One of them is quite traditional and faint while the second looks like spray-paint. If anything come by to just see them in person – they’re quite something.
2. The Quietly Different – super 150’s by Vitale Barberis Canonico ($1375)
From distance this cloth looks relatively plain but as you get within 10 feet or so it becomes clear that there is something going on. What’s going on is what I can only describe as a very vertical #7 being repeated – the negative space behind the shape being black on the grey cloth and dark navy on the blue. The result is is quite striking but also totally versatile in terms of the three uses.
3. The Classic – a range of different level available from $975-$1375.
Herringbone has a long history in the menswear game as we’ve all seen it done as a tweed sportscoat or as a hefty overcoat. That said it’s now gaining momentum as a suit cloth which makes it perfect for this category as that dual history enables it to perfectly walk the line between formal and more casual. Furthermore it can be just as easily done in a soft, lightweight cloth as it can be done as a more hefty flannel. Either way works for me.
As always I’d love to hear your opinions on this or any sartorial subject for that matter. Better yet book a free appointment and we can banter in person and see if we might be a good fit to work together.
Take care – Michael
info@martinfishertailors.com
