had no idea Men''s clothing could be so complicated...

[FrekeChild]

So this is the suit that my parents bought FF for Christmas. I've never worn a suit before (well I have, but it didn't look anything like this one!) and I have no idea what to pair with these things. The pic is of the jacket, only in the color is charcoal grey with subtle pinstripe.

This is probably going to be what FF wears to get married in (when that time comes) and I really have no clue what color shirts would go with it. Ties are a whole other issue that will someday have to be dealt with, but for now I'm thinking sticking with shirts is a good idea.

So does anyone have any ideas? I feel so lost.

BTW, he's got dark brown hair (almost black), dark brown eyes and medium tanned looking skin. He'd say, "I'm brown"...

ETA: There is supposed to be an "I" at the beginning of the title of the thread...

 

[iheartscience]

Will he wear pink? I LOVE when guys where pink dress shirts, and I think pink looks great with grey. Not sure what tie, though...I''m really bad at that!

When my fiance and I were shopping for him we just went to Hugo Boss and I had the salesperson pick us out a few options-she was really good! Maybe try doing that? If you don''t have a Hugo Boss there I would just try any type of higher end men''s clothing store. Or maybe you can look online?

Okay, I just went to hugoboss.com and the first outfit under Collections was a charcoal striped suit! The model was wearing it with a white shirt and a solid grey tie. Super cute.

 

[JulieN]

generally, your goal is that the outfit should not wash him out, but his clothes should still make a statement.

So he has dark brown hair and eyes, and medium-tanned skin, so he''s got kind of a medium level of contrast. Someone like a light-skinned Asian with black hair/eyes would have high level of contrast. Woody Allen has a low level of contrast.

Thus, the difference in color intensities (sorry, I''m not good with art, maybe this term is saturation) between the shirt and the suit should roughly match the difference in color intensities in his face.

The color you choose is more like...hold two shirts of different colors up to his face. The one that makes him look better is the color to buy. Most people know what colors look good on them...

 

[FrekeChild]

Hmmm....I was thinking perhaps a blue, maybe a light gray? Maybe even a black shirt? He won''t wear pink (he''s too "manly" for that, and probably purple too) and I think the color that suits him best is green. So that could be another possibility. I think he''d probably like to stay away from white because he''s pretty accident prone with food and stuff...

I never realized how intimidating buying just a dang suit could be. Holy moly, I''ve spent my time in stores shopping for dresses and other stuff (shoes...) but never even glanced in the direction of the suits. And I kind of wish I had! Then I would have known what we were up against! I seriously think I was lucky to come out of there with one.

I think ties will have to come later. Odds are he''ll just go for a solid one, or depend on me to pick one out.

Thanks ladies! If you come across any pictures of gray suits with different colored shirts, I''d love to see them, because I have no idea what I''m doing! (Why couldn''t he want a pair of women''s shoes?!

)

 

[JulieN]

I love men's wear more than women's wear. le sigh

black sounds good.
medium blue with white stripes
green, of course.
light gray would wash his outfit out unless he had some eye-catching tie/pocket square/vest

and accessories...men accessorize, too!

I suggest the book Dressing the Man by Alan Flusser if you like the way Tim Gunn dresses. Also I LOVE JT's choice in clothing...like, REALLY LOVE...that boy is sharp.

 

[JulieN]

Here's a sweet pic: http://jtimb.blogspot.com/2008/05/happy-mothers-day.html
Light silver suit with medium greyish-teal shirt, dark blackened teal tie with white and burgundy stripes.
-Pretty good example of the contrast method I mentioned above: suit is light, like his skin, and the shirt is medium, like his hair. If one's clothes are too highly contrasted, people tend to look at the clothes rather than at the person wearing them (exceptions, of course.)

http://mybuddieslive.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/timberlake-justin.jpg
Charcoal grey suit with pinkish-copper shirt, ivory tie.

 

[sammyj]

Hey Freke,

I just quickly google imaged ''dark grey suit'' and the majority of pics that came up were light coloured shirts (light grey, light blue, white) and a bright coloured tie (red, orange, silver, blue, etc.). You could also do a black shirt with a silver/blue tie.

In regards to pink/purple, my BF is the same. He wouldn''t wear a solid pink or purple shirt if I paid him to. I have managed to convince him to buy a dress shirt with think pink stripes, a pink tie with grey/black polka dots, and a pink/purple/grey/black striped tie. Ease him into it...and then buy him matching pink or purple flip flops!

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol JulieN! I''m seeing a lot of Justin Timberlake over here! I love the idea of the teal. Maybe I should start looking in stores to see what I can find...

sammyj I''m off to google....I don''t even know if I could somehow get him in any pink. I think it''d take a LOT of work...

 

[JulieN]

um, I had a Justin dream last night, my first ever celebrity dream, I think...

I attribute it to late-night googling.

I wasn't even one of those girls that liked him ever since I was 10 years old... he's just remade himself into such a great businessman, has good taste in clothes, and actually seems to have an interesting character.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

1. With a gray pinstripe suit, the most common pairing is a basic, crisp white shirt. Since both of those pieces are neutrals, most any color of tie would work (except tan/brown hues); to select ties without his input, grab the shirts that he already owns that make you swoon when he wears them (indicating that the color/tone works with his complexion) and buy him ties in those colors.

2. The second pairing that comes to mind with your images is a crisp light blue shirt. Once again, look to his existing wardrobe to see the tones that work (and to use the "Crayola 64" vernacular that all americans know as shorthand, whether the tone that works best on him is more "Sky Blue", "Blue-Green", "Cornflower Blue", or "Periwinkle") and go from there.

Hope this helps, Freke!

f-d-l

 

[Elmorton]

On a younger guy, I think a colored shirt under the suit looks very sharp - plus, if he gets to the location and feels too dressed up, he can yank off the jacket and still have a good put-together look.

DH wore a charcoal suit (which I think is the best choice for a guy who doesn't wear suits often - it can be dressed up and down) to our 2nd wedding, and he did lavender with a white on white striped tie (since I was wearing white). My church gets very fancy at Christmas, so last year he wore the same suit with a mossy green shirt and a tie that had a deep green, rust, and gray stripe.

My DH has dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin. What works best on him are jewel tones - reds, purples, deep blues and greens - so these are the colors I usually find in a tie and then coordinate with the shirt. He's not a really trendy type personality, so he doesn't do really bold shirt colors, but some of the pastels (pink in particular, light blue) really wash him out.

Menswear IS complicated! I used to hate shopping with him because I was so confused by the numbers and what looked good and what looked awful - but I started paying attention to what DH's trendier friends wear (that's how I got him in the purple) and now it's a lot more fun to suggest that he "take a risk" with his wardrobe every now and then.

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok. I put together a collage. I was hoping for a suit he could wear a bright blue with for the wedding.

He's not afraid of any colors really, he just would rather stay away from white and won't do purple or pink. His favorite shirts are black. And his all time favorite shirt is black with bright blue and white pinstripes. He tends to look better with cooler colors, but my favorite color on him is "olive drab" (I learned this from my google searching--and it's the gray green color in the bottom right hand corner to the left a little).

Help! Which colors do you guys think go best or would at least work? I tried to pick colors that he has shirts in, and blues that I really liked...his favorite color is blue too, so that would be easy to get him into.

ETA: I just realized that the lighter blues on either side of the collage look like they are the same, but I swear they aren't. I guess they're just closer than I thought...

 

[JulieN]

is he ok with having a picture of him up, too? Or maybe someone famous who kind of has his same coloring as reference?

 

[Deelight]

Whenever we have looked for FI for shirts and ties what we have done is take his jacket with us into the store and ask the SA''s to help us pick stuff, at one stage we even had the whole mens suit department running around for us till they found the right thing.

It is great they tend to pick things you never ever in a million years would think would work and they look fantastic together.

 

[sunnyd]

This may not be sooo helpful, but all 2 times I''ve needed to pick out a shirt and tie for a man I just go to a department store and they usually have some good matches together on a table. It''s really nice to have things matched for you!

FF only wears black though so you''re lucky to have an assortment of colors to choose from...

 

[moremoremore]

I really think you're making it too complicated Freke...they really aren't unless you're dealing with a brown suit or a more pronounced stripe (the tie gets tricky imo)...with a classic suit like that, any and every color under the sun would work...except a beige or black shirt (beige won't match, I don't like black)....

My personal favorite is light purple when hubby wears grey....but it can literally be anything.

Ignore the pinstripe, it's so subtle it doesn't impact the choice of shirt...

 

[Elmorton]

The "olive drab" will look gorgeous with the gray...

DH is wearing his suit tomorrow, and he''s wearing a bright blue, with a deep blue (but not navy) tie. I really agree with Moremoremore on this one - in menswear, you can pair a gray with darned near anything, except beige, black, and maybe a dark chestnut brown (I think with the right tie, you could get away with kindof a soft hazelnut).

Ditto to the suggestion about seeing what they have paired together on mannequins/tables. I really think it has more to do with the tie you pair with it than the shirt color.

 

[Elmorton]

I just raided my husband''s closet...

Ok, so my DH is a guy who doesn''t wear a lot of suits and this collection is also influenced quite heavily in my mom''s taste in ties (most of these are Xmas gifts frm her). She did an excellent job I think of finding ties that have several colors to coordinate with DH''s shirts. He has bright blue, green, purple, and white.

The pic below has a green (close to olive drab) shirt, next to a muted gold tie, then a striped one, another striped (here''s the blacks and browns - could go in a lot of directions there), then the white tie he wore for our wedding, and then a random blue one that doesn''t go with the green. The sleeve you see is from his suit - which is a tad darker than your FF''s, I think.

What I think I''m showing here is some younger options but also how the tie really pulls out the color. I love how versatile this green is, too. I know you said your FF doesn''t really mind color, but I think you''ll find that most menswear shirts may be a little less bold than your photos - but you can still incorporate bolder colors with the ties. If he doesn''t really wear suits often, a subtle color like green or blue might be great (and I reallllly think he''s going to have a suit and a shirt, he needs the tie! Besides, if he doesn''t have dress shoes (my DH didn''t before he got the suit), that''s going to be a blast of a shopping trip that you''ll get to take as well...be forewarned, they all make men look like they have clown feet.

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok, one pic of a celeb with FF's coloring coming right up!

See, the only exposure to men's dress clothes I've had is my father. Who got his fashion sense in the 50s/60s/70s (although he doesn't really look that dated) but that means he's a staunch believer in the white shirt. Or pale blue. Or white with a pale blue stripe. And varieties along the same vein.

Ties...I'm guessing unless it's a subtle pattern, it's going to be a hard sell. So I'm guessing a textured color is the most I'll get away with.

FF already has dress shoes (OMG, it took us 45 minutes to find a pair that we both agreed on. It takes maybe 10 for us to walk into a women's shoe store and buy something) THANK GOODNESS! They are black.

For the wedding I'm hoping for a bright blue shirt, no tie, and flip flops. Don't ask about the flip flops.

For everything else....I need suggestions. His job interviews will be for academia, so I'm clueless there. And conferences, I'm guessing a more subdued color would be good (I love my vibrant colors though--and he looks good in them).

Here is....Benjamin Bratt! He and FF have almost the exact same coloring, except I think FF is a little bit darker in the summer.

And thanks El, for raiding Hubby's closet and taking pics! I love his ties!

 

[JulieN]

I think you can wear whatever you want to conferences.

I'll throw in taupe as a possibility. Some of the greens on your collage (the left 3) look too dark for me, but for winter colors could work. Vibrant and jewel tones would be good.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 11/24/2008 1:49:22 AM
Author: thing2of2
Will he wear pink? I LOVE when guys where pink dress shirts, and I think pink looks great with grey.

Dittoditto! I WISH my hubby would wear pink shirts.

Sorry if this post was not helpful Freke. I just love a man in a pink shirt!

For your man''s coloring, I think icy light blue would look great.

 

[JulieN]

Yup, I''ll 2nd light blue.

 

[pennquaker09]

In other countries, a pink Oxford is considered a basic item. In the US on guys that care/know anything about clothing will wear a pink button down.

 

[Rhea]

My husband wore a medium grey suit with a pale blue pin stripe for our wedding. It looks similar to the one that you posted in the second photo except the pin stripe is more noticeable. He wore a light purple shirt and a patterned purple tie with it.

If you''re going shirt shopping in stores, take the suit and hold it all up. My husband has red-blonde hair and pale skin and purple just worked for him, his photos looked great! With your partner''s brown skin and eyes a green, teal, or medium blue might work for him and the suit.

 

[Rhea]

I'm searching and searching, but can't quite find a colour I like. In your photo I like the second one up from the bottom, on the right hand side. I don't like a couple of the blues as much, not because they would look bad, but because blue and grey seems like a very typical combination and it would be nice to seen a bit of a spin on things since your partner's colouring sounds like he could pull it off!

I tried to attach a lighter teal colour I like. It's a bit too light, but I can't find the colour I'm looking for.

 

[ksinger]

Hmm....I''m a white shirt girl, with that suit at least. That and a tie with either red (darker rather than cherry) or purple in it. I did in fact, see a tie with red AND purple in it. (I know: most people would say..."What??) Paisley. The most gorgeous tie I''ve ever seen. And with the equally gorgeous price tag of $150.

I''ve been making it a serious pastime lately, buying men''s dress clothes. It''s sooo much fun!! The guy just sits home and enjoys the surprises. With only a few guidelines of what he doesn''t like/can''t wear, he trusts my judgement completely. Good policy, since I am not colorblind like him, AND have impeccable taste.

Of course it doesn''t hurt that he''s a hottie and can pull off just about anything...

 

[Dancing Fire]

i would only wear white shirt with a suit.

btw; i love charcoal grey with subtle pinstripe suit.

 

[FrekeChild]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the replies!

coati I wish he''d wear pink! Pink and gray look great together IMO!

JulieN I think he looks best in a brighter jewel tone, but unfortunately those will have to be sapphire or emerald, because I think he''d be a bit negative towards most other colors.

Penn So, if you were going to wear it, what would you wear with it? Pink?

Addy I''m thinking that taking the suit around to stores is a really good idea. I''m considering taking the suit and putting my clothing next to it just for color reference (I have a lot of bright jewel tones and he has a lot of black) and to see what looks best. Unfortunately I think that dragging the man along with the suit to the stores might be a bit of a PITA. Hmmm... I''m really liking the idea of the teal. I liked Justin Timberlake in that dark teal and thought that was pretty spiffy looking. I''d just have to get FF close to the suit and the teal at the same time. Which could be tricky.

Karen Yowza! Where was this amazing Paisley tie? I want to see it! I buy almost all of FF''s clothes. He bought 2 pairs of pants and 2 button down shirts for his conference 2 weeks ago, and I''d bet that was the first time he''s bought his own clothes in almost 2 years. Lol. Got any pics of the outfits you''ve picked out for him?

DF I''m thinking the white shirt is going to be a sure thing with this suit. And I loved it too! All I cared about was the pinstripe. Hahahaha!!! The first suit we picked out was black with a royal blue pinstripe, but the stripes were too close together, and I didn''t like that at all. I think this one is pretty classic and will resist looking dated for a long time.


So this is what I''m thinking:
1 white shirt
1 light gray/silvery shirt (if I can find one I like)
1 light icy blue shirt
1 light to medium teal shirt
1 darker teal shirt
1 bright/French blue shirt (to get married in, unless I find something I like more)
1 "olive drab" shirt
1 forest green shirt

And maybe once I''ve eased him into it, a light pink shirt.

Am I missing anything?


And 1 large variety of ties (I don''t even think he owns any!) that are mostly solid, have a geometric print, have a stripe of some kind or a very small pattern.

Will black shoes go with this suit?

 

[ksinger]

Date: 11/30/2008 12:13:30 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Wow! Thanks everyone for the replies!

coati I wish he''d wear pink! Pink and gray look great together IMO!

JulieN I think he looks best in a brighter jewel tone, but unfortunately those will have to be sapphire or emerald, because I think he''d be a bit negative towards most other colors.

Penn So, if you were going to wear it, what would you wear with it? Pink?

Addy I''m thinking that taking the suit around to stores is a really good idea. I''m considering taking the suit and putting my clothing next to it just for color reference (I have a lot of bright jewel tones and he has a lot of black) and to see what looks best. Unfortunately I think that dragging the man along with the suit to the stores might be a bit of a PITA. Hmmm... I''m really liking the idea of the teal. I liked Justin Timberlake in that dark teal and thought that was pretty spiffy looking. I''d just have to get FF close to the suit and the teal at the same time. Which could be tricky.

Karen Yowza! Where was this amazing Paisley tie? I want to see it! I buy almost all of FF''s clothes. He bought 2 pairs of pants and 2 button down shirts for his conference 2 weeks ago, and I''d bet that was the first time he''s bought his own clothes in almost 2 years. Lol. Got any pics of the outfits you''ve picked out for him?

DF I''m thinking the white shirt is going to be a sure thing with this suit. And I loved it too! All I cared about was the pinstripe. Hahahaha!!! The first suit we picked out was black with a royal blue pinstripe, but the stripes were too close together, and I didn''t like that at all. I think this one is pretty classic and will resist looking dated for a long time.


So this is what I''m thinking:
1 white shirt
1 light gray/silvery shirt (if I can find one I like)
1 light icy blue shirt
1 light to medium teal shirt
1 darker teal shirt
1 bright/French blue shirt (to get married in, unless I find something I like more)
1 ''olive drab'' shirt
1 forest green shirt

And maybe once I''ve eased him into it, a light pink shirt.

Am I missing anything?


And 1 large variety of ties (I don''t even think he owns any!) that are mostly solid, have a geometric print, have a stripe of some kind or a very small pattern.

Will black shoes go with this suit?

Freke -

Yes, black shoes will work.

OK...I saw that tie at a local shop by the name of Mr. Ooleys. They are one of the very few high HIGH end clothing stores here. They not only carry some of the best, but I do believe they do bespoke suits ("bespoke" = handmade to your measure). This tie - which I never found a picture of online at the time, and I DID try - was by Ermenigildo Zegna and was probably one of the most beautiful and striking ties I''ve ever seen. Yes, by this you may assume I''m quite the connoisseur of men''s ties. That and their shoes. Hmm....I''m quite the little freak aren''t I? Oh well, who cares??

I buy most of my man''s clothes at Jos. A. Banks. They are good solid quality, without breaking the bank. They have really good sales and I pretty much catch most of them. They are mostly classic clothes, not trendy at all. But then, my guy is 46, and we can really only afford stuff that will last, style-wise. Neither of us has the money to be "trendy". Thankfully he has pretty classic taste so it works out well.

I just recently got him a pair of these - http://www.josbank.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=1300&pcount=&Product_Id=501676 in the BRN/OLIVE HUNT CHECK, along with a muted light mustard colored shirt with a tiny tone-on-tone pattern woven in (I can''t find a pic of that one). He wears it with a brown tie with a tiny pattern of squares with a tiny baby blue spot in the middle of each square. May sound a bit strange, with the blue, but I promise it works. Just yummy.

I buy him mostly spread collar shirts, (the wrinkle free quality - they still like to be pressed, but they press beautifully in about 3 minutes - they don''t have to go to the cleaners, and they don''t come out of the dryer as rags), although lately I''m starting to get him some point collars. I don''t personally care for button downs, so he doesn''t get too many of those. What can I say? I''m dressing him, so I get some say in the matter.

I also recently picked him up a truly gorgeous new sport jacket - 2 actually - one a classic navy blazer, and the other a 1/2 silk 1/2 wool with a tiny black and white houndstooth and subtle threads of blue and brown running through the pattern. Yes, he IS spoiled rotten.

A bit of advice? Make sure and pick up Esquire''s "Big Black Book" issue each year. It has great men''s style info in it. You''ll learn bunches reading it, about how men''s clothes are tailored, the different sorts of suits (all the shoulder construction methods) and what to look for in fabric quality.

 

[ksinger]

Hey cool! I just found the houndstooth jacket.

http://www.josbank.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=&pcount=&Product_Id=85486

Sigh....he may wrestle transmissions and steering racks apart for fun, but DANG, he cleans up sooooo nice!