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Formal wear

Five Great Suit Colors

Any man needs to have in his wardrobe at least one suit. Because we dress casual 99% of the time, we tend to care less about formal outfits.

And when we DO need one, we hurry up to the nearest store (probably an expensive one) and buy one for a huge price.

Needless to say, that suit might not even fit us. Since we’re in a hurry, we just get the first one we try and… end up paying a small fortune on it too!

Price is important, fabric is important, but there’s one more aspect you should consider… and we’re going to talk a little bit about that today: color.

If you don’t want to have too many suit and would like a color that works well on occasions, I will give you a few color ideas for your first suit.

It’s important to remember that the color needs to work well with your skin complexity. if you want to know which colors flatter your skin type, I’ve talked about this in detail in the Be Stylish! ™ Package. In fact, I talk about the suit from every point of view imaginable, so you can find the right one for you.

But, as a general rule, you want the suit to match your skin to and the shirt to contrast with it. If you have darker complexion, go for darker suit colors. If you have a lighter complexion, go for the lighter ones.

OK, let’s see some basic suit colors that you may want to try.

  1. Gray. If this is your first suit, this would be option number one. It’s considered a staple in men’s style and it will definitely not go out of fashion.
  2. Navy. Navy is the best choice for businessmen who don’t want to stand out too much. It’s overused but will never go out of style. If you wear this at a formal event during the evening, it will look AWESOME at sunset. Highly recommended.
  3. photo: gearpatrol.com

  4. Charcoal gray. This is a great color, more formal than regular gray, perfect for more formal events. Don’t worry if it’s too dark, this is actually an opportunity to make some contrast with a nice white shirt (or some other light color).
  5. Dark brown. I own one and I’m very happy with it. If you’re afraid you’ll go unnoticed in the sea of black and gray suits, here’s a very subtle way to stand out.
  6. Black. I left this last because, at some occasions, such as weddings, it’s not the best choice. Still, black always looks good, it shows class and it will never go out of style.

Final advice

The color you eventually choose depends on how many suits you already have and of what color. If this is your first, one of the five colors above is perfect. If you want to get a second one, you can go for colors that make you stand out more, such as white, beige or green.

Just remember that the color should complement your skin complexion. This a golden nugget that almost always separates the guys who look good in a suit from the guys that don’t.

If you have a dark skin tone, go for charcoal gray, navy or brown. If your skin is lighter, go for lighter shades and add a darker shirt to the mix. Easy as pie.

One more thing: the way you choose your other clothing items is just as important as choosing a suit color. I’m talking about the shirt, the tie, the pocket square etc.

I really hope you get these aspects down because formal events are crucial times to look stylish, and avoid making a fashion blunder. If you’re hesitant, please do it. ASAP. You need the style basics down.

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George Lavas

George is dedicated to fashion and style for men. Based in the UK, George enjoys writing about lifestyle and fashion from both sides of the pond. George created BeStylish.org to help readers create a strong sense of style with minimum effort believing that everyone can look and feel good, all day, every day.

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