New Suit. Ideas for a shirt colors?

[psugrad98]

Just got his new suit this week. My mom said perhaps a dark purple or just plain white shirt would look good with this suit.

What is your opinion. And based on shirt color, what about coordinating pocket squares?

 

[Corky]

A couple of things to keep in mind...

A couple of things to keep in mind: a white or light blue shirt is always correct with a suit and tie like you are wearing.

* * * * * *​

A dark shirt with a contrasting tie, when worn with a fedora, is always going to bring to mind the stereotypical movie costume of the Depression-era gangster.

* * * * * *​

The tie and pocket square should compliment one another, but they should not be identical. And a matched tie, pocket square, and suspenders combo is to be avoided.

* * * * * *​

And most the most important thing: you MUST develop your own eye for how to combine colors.

This is no problem unless you are completely color blind.

Go to an Art Supply store and get a Color Wheel and learn how to use it to determine what colors go together and what colors don't.

* * * * * *​

If you happen to be in the 7 or 8 per cent of the population who are color blind, restrict your shopping to places like Brooks Brothers (which has a knowledgeable sales staff).

The whole philosophy of places like Brooks Brothers (and purveyors of classic clothing in general) is that it is designed to serve the needs of a color blind, executive class of nitwit executives who are unable to make a decision of what suit goes with what shirt and tie. The secret is that all Brooks Brothers clothing more or less goes with everything else in the store and even a completely blind man can make selections at random from a closet full of Brooks Brothers clothes and walk out looking more or less well-dressed.

* * * * * *​

It is also time for you to stop asking your mother for advice on this sort of thing and to develop your own taste and sense of style.

 

[Chainsaw]

Tough Love

It's an art form.

 

[Edward]

Corky has covered a lot of bases up there, all good stuff... I would simply add that you really can't go wrong with a well cut white shirt in a quality cotton. A white pocket square is a good staple to start with. You can always coordinate it with the shirt, though again be careful not to make it too obviously 'costumey' - white and white is one thing, gingham check blue shirt and matching pocket square looks a bit 'fancy dress', IMO. Go on eBay and buy a whole bunch of cheap pocket squares - I've had some great bargains, a dozen cotton one of varying colours and patterns, or a bundle of half a dozen in silk, including all the basic colours (yellow, blue, red, green, brown...) for just a few pounds. You'll find pretty quickly what works and what doesn't. FWIW, I'm a big fan of a traditional cotton hanky with a bit of a print on it with linen and cotton Summer daywear (silk for a night out on the tiles!)....

Think:

 

[Fletch]

The whole philosophy of places like Brooks Brothers (and purveyors of classic clothing in general) is that it is designed to serve the needs of a color blind, executive class of nitwit executives who are unable to make a decision of what suit goes with what shirt and tie.

The secret is that all Brooks Brothers clothing more or less goes with everything else in the store and even a completely blind man can make selections at random from a closet full of Brooks Brothers clothes and walk out looking more or less well-dressed.

This is a very interesting - because very broad and categorical - statement, Corky.

First, you imply that color blindness is not just a trait passed thru the Y chromosome, but is particularly prevalent among men in the executive class. Do you see some connection, via testosterone perhaps, to business competitiveness? Is it possible, OTOH, that a lot of execs are just not socialized to care about choosing outfits?

Second, you posit that BB (and/or all "trad" shops) have a complete system worked out so that everything goes with everything else. Now, I've shopped at BB for over half my life, and I'm pretty good with color matching, but I'll lay you odds that I could put together an outfit with some clash. (I bought a maroon tie there once that turned out to be a kind of magenta, and wouldn't sit right with anything red, maroon, or burgundy. I don't try to match it to anything.)

I would think that any color cohesiveness to trad clothing comes from tradition and conservatism, not from some master color plan. Such plans tend to run afoul anyway: even some conservative colors (say, navy blue suit and black tie) don't work very well together.

Sorry to hijack the thread here, psugrad, but if you can get some higher resolution shots of your suit, I can give you some ideas on shirt/tie combos myself. I seem to see gray, but can't tell the shade, or whether there's a pattern.