2 Suit Questions

[Agent8426]

Gents, I have two questions regarding suits

1) How many suits should a person who wears suits five days a week own? I currently own 4 suits (black, charcoal, navy, and dark grey stripe). My primary concern is not fashion, but looking presentable and keeping the suits in good repair.

2) Is it propper to wear brown shoes/belt with a dark navy suit? (so dark that one can't tell it isn't black unless it's next to something black)


Thank you

 

[Dripp]

I own 12 and feel that it feels about right. I like to let them rest in between wearings and the rotation certainly aids their longevity.

As for wearing brown with Navy, it absolutely is ok - preferable even according to my wife. I have a pair of medium tan shoes that I wear regularly with my blue suits, but with dark navy I tend to stick with burgundy.

 

[Rossmeister]

If it's blue it will show in daylight even if it's hard in indoor lighting. Of course you can wear brown with it!

Does anyone else follow the no brown shoes after six PM rule?

EDIT
Brown with black is okay also, but I read that it's only "ok" when you follow the rule above. And brown with navy is basically a style rule anyway

 

[Cuttingboard]

If it's blue it will show in daylight even if it's hard in indoor lighting. Of course you can wear brown with it!

Does anyone else follow the no brown shoes after six PM rule?

EDIT
Brown with black is okay also, but I read that it's only "ok" when you follow the rule above. And brown with navy is basically a style rule anyway

If I'm going to an event directly from work, I'm flexible on the brown after 6PM rule. If I'm dressing for an event that begins after 6PM, I follow the rule.

 

[Rossmeister]

If I'm going to an event directly from work, I'm flexible on the brown after 6PM rule. If I'm dressing for an event that begins after 6PM, I follow the rule.

Cool, so it's not only me. My problem is that my black shoes I use for events are very casual in style, but "modern" people don't give a hoot. Though I do, but sometimes when I'm going to an even I use my brown ones just because they look so much better.

I need help.. getting some nice black shoes.

 

[texquill]

Cool, so it's not only me. My problem is that my black shoes I use for events are very casual in style, but "modern" people don't give a hoot. Though I do, but sometimes when I'm going to an even I use my brown ones just because they look so much better.

I need help.. getting some nice black shoes.

Go to Nordstrom's - they've got great shoes.

If you don't go to Nordstrom's, find a shoe store that sells Allen Edmonds and/or Alden shoes. Both brands are hand made in the U.S., and both have excellent shoes.

 

[Doc4]

Gents, I have two questions regarding suits

1) How many suits should a person who wears suits five days a week own? I currently own 4 suits (black, charcoal, navy, and dark grey stripe). My primary concern is not fashion, but looking presentable and keeping the suits in good repair.

2) Is it propper to wear brown shoes/belt with a dark navy suit? (so dark that one can't tell it isn't black unless it's next to something black)


Thank you

Some guys will have a whole whack of suits so they can wear a different one each day of the week. Some guys can even go a month of suit wearing without repetition ... but that's "fashion" rather than being presentable and keeping the suits in good repair.

You will need "summer" suits and "winter" suits ... both the weight of the fabric and the colour at at issue here ... lighter for summer, and darker/heavier for winter.

Beyond that, I'd say two for summer and two for winter is a good minimum so you can rotate the suits & give them a day to rest (they need that to bounce back from creases and wrinkles, and to cast off your personal stink.) Three of each is better, so the suits will get two days of rest between wearings, but beyond that you get diminishing returns. (Two is a minimum, so if you need to dryclean a suit in the middle of the season ... clumsy waiter drumps soup on you in July ... do you want to wear a heavy flannel winter suit for a week until you can get your only summer suit to the cleaners and back??? ... NO!!)



Brown shoes/belt looks great with navy suit, according to just about everyone except the English. The Italians love this look. If your work takes you to London, bring the black shoes. Otherwise, it's fine.

 

[scottish steve]

If it's blue it will show in daylight even if it's hard in indoor lighting. Of course you can wear brown with it!

Does anyone else follow the no brown shoes after six PM rule?

EDIT
Brown with black is okay also, but I read that it's only "ok" when you follow the rule above. And brown with navy is basically a style rule anyway

Maybe things are different in The States, but I've always been told that navy does NOT go with brown at all- its a sign of ignorance to those in "The Row". And true navy doesn't look blue, it looks black. And brown with black is really wrong- I don't think I'd buy a car from someone wearing black suit and brown shoes. There is no flexibility on this where I come from. As to no brown shoes after 6? Never heard of that one. Brown shoes can be worn with grey, green and brown suits, many tweeds (light grey herringbone with butterscotch brogues is a great combo, especially in a bistro/ country-house setting), Barbour jackets and tan leather. And the belt must be the same colour as the shoes.

 

[Bertilak]

1) How many suits should a person who wears suits five days a week own?

I own 12 and feel that it feels about right.

Some guys will have a whole whack of suits so they can wear a different one each day of the week

I had a professor in college, a great guy we all respected. He wore a different three piece suit every day for a full semester! I did not know this until he gave a humorous lecture ("Chemistry 101") to our alumni reunion. Always being seen in a three piece suit, and never the same one, was part of the image he consciously developed to gain the respect of the freshman classes he focused on.

This professor immigrated from Eastern Europe in (I think) the 1950's. He was appalled at the lack of respect students had for their professors, especially in comparison to his home country, so made it a goal to reverse that trend with his students. I can tell you it worked.

He has been teaching at the same college for over 50 years! http://www.clarkson.edu/biosci_chemistry/faculty_pages/matijevic.html

It also worked for me. At one point in my career I wanted to get into management. Unfortunately, my upper management team told me I wasn't on their list of potential managers. I went out and bought several three piece suits and wore one daily to work. Within a year I was a brand new manager.

 

[Sam]

Good question. I am 50, so I think I am on the cusp of the lore that my father told me as far as acceptable dress, and then what is now fashionable and proper. I think Playboy and GQ have influenced men for many years to push what the rules may be to broader edges.

I live in Memphis and it seldom gets really below 32 degrees. Most men have year-round weight suits and maybe a few seersucker or poplin for when it gets over 95 degrees. I have 14 suits but I wear one 6 days a week during most weeks. By the time you count blue, grey and black, and then pinstripes of each, there is 6 right there. I could get by on less, sure, since you can marry many ties and shirts with a solid blue suit and no one really would notice but you. Id say wearing one 5 days a week, assuming you have blue and grey solids in there, 5 or 6 suits is a good minimum. But you need not break the bank to hurry to get there.

Also, some pants and cloth weaves do not allow for wrinkles to totally work their way out. I have some 110's weave and have to get my steamer to do that.

Yes, back in the 40s even, brown shoes went with navy suits. Some who are more up on it can pair lighter browns, but I think you will see that most bankers and lawyers will pair a black pair of shoes with navy suits, and those that do not, the majority will wear the burgundy color. However, you see tassel loafers with suits by bankers and attorneys so even that is not a hard and fast rule.

Heck, I see men wear black socks with everything, and I see guys wear garish sock patterns and colors with everything. Do what you like as most people will not notice, not care, or see you as stylish.

 

[avsmusic1]

I personally have 12 suits but really only wear 6 of them. The other half dont fit the right way b/c I have been various sizes over the years. I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I would say 6 is a good number as I never feel like I am over-wearing any of them.

I too will give you the green light on brown shoes w/ navy suits. I have a nice burgundy pair that I typically wear but brown is fine. That being said, if you suit is as dark as it sounds and you have light brown shoes then you may want to wear black shoes.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I have at least ten (10) 3-peice suits (people are impressed and make great remarks / comments because I wear my pocket watch on my vest as a conversation piece and a link to my past), at least fifteen (15) Sport Coats & 15 various colored dress pants at least 40 Silk Ties and at 40 various Dress Shirts.

Also, I too think is very important to be well dressed because it projects a professional, respectful, elegant and "GQ-ish" image

Christopher

PS “You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.” Zig Ziglar...American motivational Speaker and Author.o

 

[Fbones24]

Maybe things are different in The States, but I've always been told that navy does NOT go with brown at all- its a sign of ignorance to those in "The Row". And true navy doesn't look blue, it looks black. And brown with black is really wrong- I don't think I'd buy a car from someone wearing black suit and brown shoes.

I have to say that I disagree 100%. In fact, I wear brown shoes with all of my suits. Black, Grey, Blue, Etc.

To say brown does not go with navy blue is just wrong. I can understand some thinking brown and black do not go, but I assure you that they do.

 

[Doc4]

Let's not get too hard on Scottish Steve ... he's coming from that British perspective which has some longstanding rules about not wearing brown in town and such.

Other nations tend to take a much more 'pro-brown' approach, and if the OP is not living in Britain I'd encourage him to do the same from my own personal standpoint, but I 'understand' where Steve is coming from, and welcome that alternate viewpoint to our polite discussion.

 

[Fbones24]

Let's not get too hard on Scottish Steve ... he's coming from that British perspective which has some longstanding rules about not wearing brown in town and such.

My apologies to Scottish Steve if I came off as condescending. I was really just being slightly sarcastic. Black....Brown.........it's all good!

 

[The Knize]

This is one of the better threads I have seen on the issue of brown shoes versus black shoes with navy suits.

I think what it breaks down to is that British dress requires black shoes (and belt, of course) with navy. But British dress really requires black shoes in the city period. Brown shoe, suits, etc. are for the country. I suspect the no brown after 6:00 pm may relate to most formal activities are going to be in the city anyway.

By the way, the traditional rule has been no wingtipped shoes after 6:00 pm. Not many folks seem to know this rule here in the States.

And as I understand it, the Italians, and maybe all continental Europeans loathe black shoes with Navy suits, perhaps with all suits of all colors.

In the States I think you can go either way with some folks arguing that black with Navy looks ridiculous and others arguing that brown with navy is gauche. (Burgundy or what is sometimes referred to as cordovan (color not type of leather) or oxblood is completely proper with navy or virtually any other suit color, I think it is well agreed.

I actually agree that regardless of whether brown shoes with navy is okay in the States, I really do not think I see it very often in law or banking, although I suppose I know law better. I actually just bought a pair of dark brown dress shoes. I have to say they just do not look right to me with navy or more formal suits to me. I think I am more comfortable with the British rules of dress overall.

I have a pair of tan dress shoes that I have had for awhile. I actually think they look pretty good with most of my suits, but I think wearing them is a pretty fashion forward statement. I would not wear them to court, that is for sure.

I remember a thread somewhere on line by the way that made a good case with drawings from back in the day that brown and tan shoes with navy suits were acceptable in the US going way back. Again, as I understand it, is no way is that acceptable in Britian, as I understand it.

 

[binowatch]

It is being made very clear here how many of the "rules" are regional/national and to a lesser degree professional. My own feeling is that brown and cordovan shoes go with everything but a black suit. In the US black suits (not chalkstriped etc) are felt the realm of funeral directors and servants. This is said to derive from Lincoln wearing a black Brooks Brothers suit when he was shot. You can wear cordovan with black slacks and sport coat. On the other hand black shoes are probably best avoided with brown suit/slacks. The after six rule is rarely followed in the US. The wingtip/gunboat issue is very regional. In the NE USA many feel they are not appropriate for business suits, are fine with sport coats and other country wear. In most of the rest of the county wingtips are standard with suits-esp. amongst attorneys, physicians etc. In the UK black shoes have much the same role as brown here-felt to be more universally usable. I personally wear shell cordovan shoes predominately and with everything (in black, browns, tans, cordovan color) while some feel they are a more casual leather and prefer cowhide or calf skin. I'd guess that 99% of the population don't know the difference. My own feeling is that if you like it, those you interact with are OK with it ,then wear it. Many of the best dressed men in recent history (Duke of Windsor, Fred Astaire, etc.) consistently broke the "rules" to their advantage.

 

[GFlanagan3]

Gents, I have two questions regarding suits

1) How many suits should a person who wears suits five days a week own? I currently own 4 suits (black, charcoal, navy, and dark grey stripe). My primary concern is not fashion, but looking presentable and keeping the suits in good repair.

2) Is it propper to wear brown shoes/belt with a dark navy suit? (so dark that one can't tell it isn't black unless it's next to something black)


Thank you

1) if you can mix and match ..climate being a factor as others have said maybe 3 suits also find a good dry cleaners

2) I never have and never would- it is a matter of personal taste I suppose

 

[scottish steve]

No offence taken guys, I can assure you.
As to burgundy shoes? They're outre for The UK professional scene and only really acceptable with light grey...and only if you want to come across as the Bohemian/ Bolshy/ Eccentric Genius in the office.
Brown as a colour is really not respected in the UK and as far as I know its a bit marginal even on the continent. James May off Top Gear even described one boring car as "the brown trouser option". It just has the wrong connotations, very much associated with The '70s, bad dress-sense and middle-age. You do see a modern take on brown which works occasionally - I had a jacket from Debenhams which was a dark brown with subtle orange pinstripe and lime green lining, which shimmered purple. The felt under the colour was lime green too. It was very sharply cut and it looked great, but I gave it to a friend after getting a lot of new stuff in. He looks very snappy in it.

 

[Montecristo #2]

I actually agree that regardless of whether brown shoes with navy is okay in the States, I really do not think I see it very often in law or banking, although I suppose I know law better. I actually just bought a pair of dark brown dress shoes. I have to say they just do not look right to me with navy or more formal suits to me. I think I am more comfortable with the British rules of dress overall.

Here's my guide

Suit Color = Shoe Color
Gray = Cordovan
Black = Black
Navy = Cordovan or Dark Brown
Tan = Medium Brown or Cordovan
Brown = Dark Brown


I would never wear black shoes with a brown or navy suit, but the most important rule (no matter what color you choose) is to keep them polished.