Hat/suit color

[John Boyer]

I always appreciate the hat and suit color dialogue as I seem to "stress" over these same issues. Currently, I have two of Art's fedora's: a chocolate and a blue mist. Both of these are nuetral colors that, in my opinion, go with a wide variety of my existing suit colors: blacks, grey's, brown's, navy blues, penstripes, solids, herringbone, clem plad (sp), &/c. It seems to me that nuetral colored hats will go with about any nuetral colored or non-nuetral colored suit.

I would ultimately like to add a midnight blue fedora and a straw Optimo. These would also be interchangeable with a wide variety of suit colors. After that, I would like to add a Cabaret (wine) fedora. I don't know if this is technically a nuetral color or not. Regardless, I think the cabaret fedora would go with about anything except a rust, green (I don't own a green suit) or light blue suit. It would also go, easily, with virtually all dark colored suits. All-in-all, perhaps, there is very little for me to worry about. John

 

[Paisley]

A thread on brown with black:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=21963

 

[reetpleat]

I have to disagree. Now, no offense to the tastes of many of the fine gentlemen who have weighed in, but I think there is a reason for most rules about color combining, and they can be broken, but only by someone who has mastered them.

Blues, blacks, and grays should be worn with a black or gray hat, and even then, the right shade of gray should be found as some grays will not work, such as a dark gray with a light gray suit but the hat has certain tones that might make it not go quite right.

Now, for the person with a good eye, certain rusts or dark browns, or a dusky orangish tan maybe could be worn, but only if you are lucky or have a great eye and can decide that it works.

the duke of windsor was known for wearing chocolate suede shoes with gray flannel. I will do that and pair it with a matching chocolate hat with a dark orangish rustish band, and a tie that picks up on the rustish color. But personally, I would not wear dark brown leather shoes with it. why, because I do not think they work. There is something about the tone of chocolate suede that works with the gray flannel, as the good duke discovered.

In the thirties, there was also atrend to wear a black hat with a brown suit, but the right shade of brown. Did it go, maybe maybe not. It was a trend to demonstrate how devil may care you were. But it also seemed to work. If you look at some esquire illustrations of 37-38 you will see a lot of it.

But this was for the experts who were combining just the right shades. There is nothing more spectacular than a sharp dresser who can put things together that shouldn't go, but do.

so, in other words, do not follow a rule blindly, but do not break it blindly. if you trust your eye, and think something goes, then go for it. In the mean time, stick with the combinations considered to go together, and experiment at home as you develop your eye.

 

[pplepic]

I mentioned some of this on another post, but I'll amplify here: Being a real old-timer, I was raised believing you had to have black shoes and a dark blue or gray hat with blue or black suits. Brown shoes and hat with brown suits, etc. I stuck slavishly to this rule until one day—many years ago—when I read that charactor actor Adolph Menjou had been voted Hollywood's best dressed man—again for about the umpteenth time. And he habitually (as far as I can gather) wore dark blue pinstripe double-breasted suits with brown shoes and accessories. Experience tells me that brown shoes and a gray or brown hat look good with my midnight blue pinstripe suit, worn for serious occasions only. And from that time on, I said to hell with the rules and presently have a few hats, one brown, two black, one very dark gray and I'm waiting for my Stetson Saxon in cordova expected at any moment from Delmonico's. I wear them pretty much indiscriminately with whatever, that often being jeans and no tie. I only have two ties these days, one a dark blue fto go with the suit for weddings and funerals, and the other is a Three Stooges tie that I never wear, but admire every day when I go into my closet.

On another note, I feel that I'm seeing more and more hats on the street these days. Maybe we're at the forefront of a new hat fashion wave. :eusa_clap