Black

["Doc" Devereux]

On that note, what about dark colored shirts with darks suits? Realife or just the movies?

*raises hand*

Jet black suit, gunmetal grey shirt and a blood-red raw silk tie: one of my favourite looks.

I think a point needs to be made about fabric: generic black suits are often bought purely for funerals and so on, and as such people don't necessarily spend enough on them. A slight sheen on a black suit can work, but I like mine to look like they absorb the light, and for that you need to be willing to invest.

 

[Briscoeteque]

I have a 1940's black double-breasted suit that's definately one of my favorites. It's also unusal because all three buttons are functional. I unfortuneately have no good pictures of the suit, though I am wearing it in my avatar. It does look like a funeral suit, so I wear it a with a white pointed collar shirt, black silk brocade tie, black hat, white handkerchief, white silk scarf, black overcoat, and black satin eyepatch. Needless to say I think the overcall effect is definately my most imposing. It also weighs more than my overcoat and fit like a glove after no alterations. It almost feels like a tuxedo, only without the grosgrain details and the different button configuration.

http://photos-536.ak.facebook.com/ip006/v36/103/109/21502004/n21502004_30167536_2409.jpg

Edit: Here's the best picture I have of it, wear I guess I'm showing someone how to make smores. I think the heavy black suit makes me look even more thin and pale, so that's aways a plus.

 

[scotrace]

.

i live near a high schoool. Every time there is a formal dance of some sort, I see the same lockstep uniform worn by the young men: Some sort of "dressy-ish" pants, probably from Abercrombe or Aeropostale. The cuffs are generally pooling on their shoes. Then a black shirt at least partially untucked, sometimes a loosened (a lot loosened) necktie, no jacket. And they behave as though they were being tortured to wear such a thing. I know it would be torture for me!
Their dates, meanwhile, are over the other edge. Strapless ball gowns, glittery fabric, and an all-day-to-create hairdo.

With the major exception of Senator Jack, who does indeed own the look, when I see a black shirt I think of those doofus kids. When I see black pants, I think waiter. I have a nice heavy black sportcoat, but I know my style limitations and wouldn't attempt to pull off a black suit.

 

[Senator Jack]

Yeah, yeah. I know. But I like the black/purple/red combo and that's why you see me in it in every other picture.



Certainly, black suit requires a black hat, and I know a lot of Loungers shun the black fedora, so there goes that. I hate that pocket square, though. Never found the right color/shade to go with this rigout.

I'm going to post another pic of the same suit with a different look.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Tomasso]

Certainly, black suit requires a black hat, and I know a lot of Loungers shun the black fedora, so there goes that.

I often wear a charcoal grey hat with a black suit (and vice versa). In fact, I mix black and grey quite liberally in many ensembles.[huh]

 

[Fletch]

I've got a 50s Royal Stetson in really dark char grey. Goes beautifully with black but is a lot more versatile.

 

[Senator Jack]

What a change of hat and accessories can do

This is Pierre Cardin's Montparnasse look of 1950. Notice the completely buttoned up jackets.

Here's my mimicry of it using the same rigout. You need the stingy to make it work.

Funny thing about this suit, is that I've had it for three years now, had the trousers hemmed when I got it, and I just today noticed that they need to be hemmed again. I think I was wearing them higher when I first got them because I was about fifteen pounds heavier at that time (my girl knew her way around the kitchen). My gut must have been holding them up.

Actually, this is a terrible picture. My tie's crooked and the jacket is bunched.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Matt Deckard]

Shorter hems were in back then.

Good pics Jack.

I need a black suit.

 

[Senator Jack]

Originally Posted by Tomasso:
I often wear a charcoal grey hat with a black suit (and vice versa). In fact, I mix black and grey quite liberally in many ensembles.

Funny, I'll do black trousers, black shirt, grey jacket, grey hat (with black ribbon) and it looks balanced, but I could never get the grey hat/black jacket to look right on me. My short stature? My head (short chin)? My hair? Perhaps this needs to be explored again. I have a pearl fedora to pick up on Friday and maybe that'll work.

Regards,
Senator Jack

 

[MrBern]

Actually I just bought another black suit yesterday.

If people cant distinguish between you slipping off to a funeral or dashing to a party, then either they're dense or youre doing something wrong.

I tend to wear chocolate brown more than black in day to day wear. Black gets a littl overdone here in NYC. And dark blue is jsut too corporate for my tastes.

 

[Tomasso]

I tend to wear chocolate brown

Since you mentioned chocolate brown, I often wear chocolate brown suede shoes (approximate shade below) with a black flannel suit. [huh]

 

[Lady Day]

If I may...

Dark at the top (hat) and bottom (shoes) frame you, so the viewer's eyes dont trail right off the top of your head and into the neither-world. I have always thought it was a tuff look to pull off light/dark/dark/light (hat, jacket, slacks, shoes) than dark/light/light/dark (as in the pic above ) no matter your stature.


LD

 

[carebear]

I have two "good" suits, the bespoke ones I had made in Thailand. One black, one sage. I need to shorten the arms (for some reason I had the jackets cut to shirt length) but I wear the black all the time.

I almost always wear a fairly brightly colored shirt for contrast, as I do get the "mobbed up" look with a white shirt, black tie (black fedora and black overcoat - straight outta Road to Perdition, it gets intimidating).

I'm a decent sized guy and the black suit gets noticed when I walk in the room, I definitely don't "blend in". Like Sen. Jack and others say, that's all in the attitude though.

The charcoal fedora lightens it up some.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I don't know about having to wear a black hat with a black suit, I usually wear grey with mine.

 

[Mr. Rover]

Funny, I'll do black trousers, black shirt, grey jacket, grey hat (with black ribbon) and it looks balanced, but I could never get the grey hat/black jacket to look right on me. My short stature? My head (short chin)? My hair? Perhaps this needs to be explored again. I have a pearl fedora to pick up on Friday and maybe that'll work.

Regards,
Senator Jack

I just wore a pearl gray fedora with my tuxedo last night. Of course, I had a topcoat on, too, but even with the coat off, it looked alright/

 

[reetpleat]

I have a 1940's black double-breasted suit that's definately one of my favorites. It's also unusal because all three buttons are functional. I unfortuneately have no good pictures of the suit, though I am wearing it in my avatar.

What you may have is a vintage naval officers uniform. I have seen a lot of these and when I dealt vintage in SF we used to sell a lot of them. The beauty is if you find a jacket, and pants you can match them up. They have three button holes and are a nice quality medium weight wool. They are a very very dark blue or black and a great cut and fit.

I also remember what my friend Roberto called graduation cloth. It is kind of a black with a little bit of grey fuzz in it. His explanation was that it was common inexpensive cloth that was used for graduation suits for boys who didn't really have a lot of money for a suit. It would be their one good suit.

This seems to be the case as most I found were small sizes and often something like a 36 long. They were usually a well cut 30s double breasted style with plain front. SOmetimes with belted backs. I always wanted one as they are very sharp. The beauty again was the cloth always matched so you could pick up jackets or pants and pair them up. I rember Ray, who used to hang out with Ben McGinty, owned one that fit him perfectly. He was a size 44 long, very tall good looking guy who used to model. I am in awe that he found a fit. He loved vintage but did not go for a vintage look so much as just stylish . He wore the hell out of it with an expensive white shirt and simple silk tie. Fantastic.

Anyone else know about this type of fabric?

One more thought, I was reminded by the pic of rewervoir dogs, tha black suits in wool or mohair were very popular in the sixties. But not so much in the forties or fifties of course which may be why many on the board lean away from them.

I do love a fine black gaberdine, but if the fabric is cheap, forget it.

 

[reetpleat]

[
With the major exception of Senator Jack, who does indeed own the look, when I see a black shirt I think of those doofus kids.




I sometimes wear a black shirt with a suit when I want to look hip at a party or club. Kind of plays up the gangster steriotype maybe, but it works. I also sometimes wear black shirt with my white 30s gaberdine belted back suit. I am not sur about color, but I see very dark shirts with white suits sometimes in old hollywood photos. A very cool look.

 

[reetpleat]

I tend to wear chocolate brown more than black in day to day wear. Black gets a littl overdone here in NYC. And dark blue is jsut too corporate for my tastes.[/QUOTE]


On that note, wonder how the loungers feel about browns for evening wear. I tend to go with blues and greys for evening and stay away from browns, but that is just my thing. For that reason I rarely wear my brown suits as I now usualy only dress up for evening stuff.

I guess I should branch out.

I have heard the old maxim, "Never brown in town." WOnder what era that was the standard in? I can see how browns make me think of woods, and country and work and sport, while blue and grey makes me think of more elegant pursuits.

 

[reetpleat]

Since you mentioned chocolate brown, I often wear chocolate brown suede shoes (approximate shade below) with a black flannel suit. [huh]

I have a vintage pair of brown suede shoies I alwasy love to wear with greys and the right blues. It really goes. Prince Edward popularized the look of grey flannel suit with brown suede. Looks fantastic together. I have also noticed the trend from the late thirties in esquire for example, of wearing brown hat with blue or grey suits. I think the look was a fad to imply that thye were too active and sporty to worry about matching as they ran out of the house.

 

[Fletch]

I keep hearing that brown suede shoes, at some time and place, were supposedly a code for, how shall I put this, teh ghey (NTTAWWT!)

Any truth to that, and what time, and what place? *

* not a proposition. poster is teh streight. owns brown suedes. hey, they're waterproof!