When to wear a blue, black, or grey suit like a gentleman
How to know when to wear a blue, black, or grey suit? We are sure that you have asked this question at least once in your adult life. It might sometimes come across as a hard question to answer to with a simple statement. Rather than a question, it’s an enigma 😉
However, we are happy to let you know that the answer to this question is in fact, an easy one. It all depends on the occasion, the time of the day and obviously, it depends on your personal savoir faire. In this post we will review each color so that you can have a quick guide on how to perfectly wear a suite, by colors and by occasions to use each one of them. Let’s go for it: blue, black or grey suit.
The almighty blue suit
Oddly enough, there is life beyond blue, even when you are looking for a suit to go to the office or to wear in any other situation. We all agree that a blue suit is an absolute staple in every gentleman’s wardrobe. Moreover, it is the perfect resource that ensures success and empowerment, but do you really want to dress like the rest of your colleagues? Also, consider that not all tones of blue are suitable for every occasion.
When you’re deciding which suit to wear every morning, blue is your first option. However, what you may have not noticed until you take a closer look, is that each blue suit has its own shades of blue, ranging from dark blue to deep blue. A beautiful range of colors that will help us make two big divisions: blue suits to be worn throughout the year and to be worn throughout the day.
It is still common to see the darkest tones of blue during winter, while the most vivid and saturated are those that begin to appear during spring. On the other hand, there is an unwritten rule according to which the tones of blue are organized throughout the day, following the hours of light: the “lightest” are reserved for the morning while the darkest tones of blue are to be worn in the darkest hours of the day, hence formal or evening events.
The double B: blue and burgundy
The combination of blue and burgundy is without the slightest doubt, a winning combo.
When it comes to combining your brand new blue suit, we suggest you do so with a pair of burgundy shoes. For formal occasions, go for a burgundy Wholecut Oxford. Besides being also a perfect choice, a pair of burgundy Oxford shoes are more versatile and can be used in other events.
Stone, charcoal and ash: The scale of gray
A gray suit is surely the perfect alternative to a navy blue suit, even if we don’t think about gray as our first choice when it comes to buying a new suit. When going for a gray suit, we can go from charcoal gray to ash gray. However, we need to be careful when going for stone gray tones. Wearing a gray suit in the light shades of gray might be a tricky choice.
A simple rule of thumb is to wear charcoal gray suits throughout the fall, winter, and early spring. You can also wear a gray suit during these times of the year, for either business as well as for more casual evening events. After spring, transition towards the brightest shades of gray as temperatures rise, but remember not to go too much into the stone gray shades 😉
Gray and black: sober elegance
Just like in every other aspect in life, details make the difference.
When it comes to combining your new grey suit, our one and only recommendation is to do so with a pair of black Oxford shoes. For the colder months of the year, a black Oxford is the perfect shoe. When it comes to wearing your gray suit during the warmer months, a Double Monk Strap is our suggestion, to add an extra touch of elegance and uniqueness to your outfit.
The funeral suit: the dreaded black
When we look to add a new suit for our wardrobe, we rarely consider black as an option. We prefer to go for the blues or grays. Sounds familiar, don’t you think? However, we deeply think that once you’ve got a navy suit and a charcoal suit, it’s time to add a black suit to your wardrobe.
In a nutshell, there are some key aspects we need to control when buying and wearing a black suit, such as shine (always go for matte fabrics), lapels (Super skinny and super wide lapels have both been trendy but go for an 8 or 9 cm lapel.), and obviously the complements that accompany it.
If you still don’t feel entirely confident, save your black suit for evening events where dark suits are required by etiquette.
Black suit and black Oxfords: an unbeatable duo
Black over black: unbeatable duo.
Choosing the right shoe for your black suit basically depends on the occasion and your personal style.
We suggest you to combine your black suit with a pair of the unbeatable Oxford. However, if your flamboyance and style goes a step forwards, try a pair of slippers for men in black patent leather. Elegance and flamboyance.
The essentials
Despite you choose to wear a black, blue, or gray suit, there is only one essential tip you need to keep in mind. We are not referring to a type of suit, but to one essential rule that you must consider every time you buy a suit: it must be perfect meaning that it perfectly adapts to your body. There is nothing worse than a suit that looks as if you have borrowed it from someone else’s wardrobe.
