Black Suit

[Senator Jack]

I like black suits, but not in all fabrics and silhouettes, and not on all men. I reckon that Jack feels the same way.

Exactamundo, Mr. C. When black got popular here in the 90s, I saw a riot of frat boy Wall Street types trying to pull it off and it just didn't work on them. Was it that they didn't have the demeanor for black or that they were wearing those awful Kenneth Cole black suits?

In a similar vein, I read somewhere (most likely at one of those 'old boy' sartorial sites) that a houndstooth suit wasn't acceptable for an office environment either. [huh]

Regards,

Jack

 

[Tomasso]

BTW, JFK in a black suit...

Looks like a blue suit with cordovan shoes in this shot, MrBern.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I dig Ike's suit.

Did you know that Eisenhower was quite the clotheshorse? It's true. He was known to favor 100% vicuña wool overcoats for himself -- a supremely expensive luxury. He very excitedly wrote to Mamie about finding one in Berlin at the end of World War II. In the '50s, Mamie ordered another for him -- from Oviatt's haberdashery in Los Angeles. But that's another story, and quite off topic...

.

 

[Tomasso]

Did you know that Eisenhower was quite the clotheshorse?

Al Haig was too, and Colin Powell ain't no slouch. Maybe it's an ex-general thing.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I actualy ordered the Suit on Friday, its part of a selection for my work "Uniform" they gave me a catalogue to choose from NO im not CIA but im going to wear it with a navy shirt with white stripes and black/white wingtips which I have also ordered fom Melbourne, Australia. (at my own considerable expense)

 

[Diamondback]

...but you know, rather intimidating, and funeraeal? what say you? ( oh its single breasted)

Not necessarily a bad thing, depending on where your life's taken you, wouldn't you agree?

I own two black suits, one from 1933, one from 1961. I find them both very versatile. The tie and shirt you wear with them makes an enormous difference.
And in the end, the cut of a suit makes a much larger difference than the color.

And how you wear it--depending on how you accessorize, you may find yourself occasionally having to fight "the suit talking through you", kinda like the scene with Billy Crystal in pinstripes in Analyze This.

I actualy ordered the Suit on Friday, its part of a selection for my work "Uniform" they gave me a catalogue to choose from NO im not CIA but im going to wear it with a navy shirt with white stripes and black/white wingtips which I have also ordered fom Melbourne, Australia. (at my own considerable expense)

Great, make sure you post pics. Some of us may want to know the brand--if it works I've found myself in the market again and am looking for ideas.

Aren't the "rules" more like "guidelines" anyway? Me, I went for "Secret Service look" as a reflection of who I am and a way of sending unspoken messages to certain people--if you can make black, or pink, or chartreuse work knock yourself out, you won't know unless you try... (but please skip the Day-Glo stuff if you expect to cross paths with me, I have enough problems from my sensitive eyes as it is.lol)

 

[MarcusB]

This is me wearing my new black suit yesterday. i didn't want the tie to disappear with the colour of the shirt, so went for this stripey one instead. Keeps me nice and warm unlike my other suits!.

 

[Diamondback]

Nice! Just need a little shoulder-pad, and... suggestion, a lighter-colored or contrasting darker shirt might make the ensemble's details a little more visible.

(Listen to this, the forum nutjob trying to give sartorial advice, a position he's completely unqualified for...lol)

 

[MarcusB]

I might try wearing my red tie with it and see how it looks , but I want it to look black . Good pointer on the shirt colour and shoulderpads .

People say I look like a totally different person in a suit, than anything else, but in this new black one people don't seem to spot me at first! lol . Love my new suit loads .

I never wear a shirt and tie without a jacket, it makes it look a whole lot more smarter! .

 

[Diamondback]

in this new black one people don't seem to spot me at first!

Well, not 'til you stand in front of a light-colored background anyway... lol Nicely-done "lo-viz" look.

 

[MarcusB]

Well made point I've gotta say!lol lol lol

 

[univibe88]

Looks great Marcus. You could even throw on a white shirt and wear that to work. Black pinstripe is entirely different issue than solid black. I stand by my opion that solid black is no appropriate for conservative office wear, but pinstripes are another matter.

 

[MarcusB]

I've got a pic of me wearing a white shirt with the same tie somewhere . I used to wear that pinstripe with t-shirts, and it was really good wearing different t-shirts to go with it, but then decided to only use it for shirts and ties. I actually got in that suit just for the purpose of the picture!.lol

 

[MarcusB]

Same tie, but a white shirt, I prefer the black better .

 

[Senator Jack]

Yeah, the black shirt works way better with that tie. The red pops while with the white shirt everything gets lost. The tie, I suggest, is a bit long and I'd shorten it by using a windsor. How about a firey pocket silk? If not, try basic white. Just something else to break up the monolithic black. (See, guys? There's a method to my madness.)

Regards,

Jack

 

[Geesie]

I've personally always avoided black suits because I'm afraid of dressing like a Congressman, whose uniform is 'black suit white shirt, red or blue tie.'
I've come to associate black suits with either dull Congressmen or the aforementioned frat boy Wall Street types. In either case, I associate it with someone who is too timid or unimaginative to wear colors and patterns.

 

[Senator Jack]

I've come to associate black suits with either dull Congressmen or the aforementioned frat boy Wall Street types. In either case, I associate it with someone who is too timid or unimaginative to wear colors and patterns.

Then you haven't seen someone who can really make it work. The problems lie in a) the cut of the suit, and b)the choice of tie. Yes, those Armani/Kenneth Cole/Hugo Boss 90s three-buttons are for the young and insipid Wall Streeters, and I'd suggest staying away from them. Vintage is the best way to go - 50s and 60s mohair or wool. Modern ties/Power ties don't go with anything well and as far as I'm concerned will kill any suit/look. Bold color ties, along with a bold shirt (orange, gold, purple, lavender, pink) I think work best. I suppose this isn't a 'boardroom' look, so if you want to wear the rigout to work, you would have to work up the courage. Obviously, in some scenarios it's not for the timid at all.

Regards,

Jack

 

[Tomasso]

Jack, quit hatin' on the Wall Streeters, they got enough heat on 'em.






I ain't sayin' the don't deserve it but......

 

[Senator Jack]

I have a client down there, a law firm, right past the Museum of Finance. There's a sign out front of the museum that reads 'The Money. The Power. The History.' Every time I pass it, I want to take a marker and add 'The Thieves. The Cheats. The Debacle.'

 

[Rhabryn]

I can tell that you do not like the white shirt as much.... look at the difference in your expression and posture!!!
The sadness of looking like "the man" in a white shirt has made you very depressed indeed.

If you havn't gotten used to the contrast of the white-shirt/dark-tie look, you might give it some additional time. I've found it to be one of the most pleasing (to my eye) styles I can put together (even if it seems "easy").

Given the "crispness" of the look you were going for in the first picture, with the shine on the material of the tie and the color of the suit jacket, match it up with a more "crisp" style white shirt. Try to get a look at that suit with a non-button-down white shirt - the angles and hard lines of the collar will match-up with the materials you're using in the suit and tie. (It will never make the red from the tie "pop" like the black shirt did, but perhaps you could use the suggested white shirt with other ties you've got - a white shirt makes a great canvas for all kinds of colors.).