Semi-solid gray suit, shirt with turnback cuffs and a respectable pair of cufflinks, foulard necktie tied in a four in hand and a white linen square in the breast pocket are all a man needs to be well dressed during the day, as the late Noël Coward demonstrates. The boutonniere is optional, being better suited for social occasions than business.
Contrast the blended ease of this ensemble with a high contrast black suit and red necktie combination, or even the standard politico's navy suit and red tie. Mr. Coward is more comfortable looking in his clothes, and that is as it should be.
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4 comments:
Will,
Can you give some examples of what you mean by semi-solid? Are you referring to something such as sharkskin? For a first gray suit, would you recommend a semi-solid over a solid? Finally, do these semi-solid's work with shirting such as end-on-end, which I view as a semi-solid shirt. Thanks.
Pick and pick, birdseye, etc. work fine with an end on end or linen and cotton, for example, shirt.
A long time ago, I felt that loud ties, extreme pinstripes and highly polished shoes were the way a well dressed man presented himself. Boy have I changed! it's a revelation to move towards this simple and classic manner of dress. My wardrobe is more flexible, with fewer but higher quality pieces. Texture and mixing soft and shine add diversity without standing out.
I thought the only people who wore black suits were pop stars or guys with wires in their ears outside nightclubs. One could spend a lot of time talking about the power tie but I've noticed a distinct switch among the more successful politicians from red to blue! Surely the key here is to make life interesting by varying the pace. No one disputes the effectiveness of the grey monotone (Cary Grant, N by NW) but sometimes a switch to contrasts is good for you. Surely there's not better example of this than you Will!
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