Blue

Is the colour, sometimes...

Blue flannel chalk stripe, blue and white striped shirt, blue woollen necktie- with a putting golfer - black oxfords and a blue different overcoat.

I like blue, most fellas do. It should be one of the two first suits to buy. The other being grey. Yes, I know others say differently, some might say it to buck the trend, others use it as click-bait, whatever that means.

Once you have a blue suit, or grey for that matter, the temptation is to go elsewhere with your next commission/purchase. We’ve talked about that before, bold checks, Prince of Wales, heavy herringbone tweed etc. All good choices, thing is we tend to return to what we know - suits and jackets that carry the most versatility and look different every time with carefully considered choices are blues and greys. They carry with them certain cues - dependable, stylish and certainly elegant. In an understated way naturally.

I’ve a number of plain blue suits, in different cloths and different hues. Then a number of pinstripes, chalk stripes too. Yes, in different cloths and different hues too.

This one is a wonderfully weighted navy flannel with a turquoise blue stripe. It’s not in your face, though different enough to make you think. There are times when your suit, or tweedy jacket are bold enough for you to make them the star. Everything else has to meld in to the background to let it shine. A bold necktie here makes everything too busy, competes for attention and looks far too much like a statement, that you have to back up. People will be waiting for your car-sales pitch or your stunning repartee, if you’ve got both then your good to go. If not then you can announce your arrival anywhere with a much more subtle approach, in an understated elegant way. Those same people know you look good and most of them won’t even know why. You’ve got a pass either way.

The necktie choice for me is a texture on texture mindset with a wool, cashmere or wool challis offering. Anything else looks incongruous. Preferably a block colour, in this case blue, with may be a small repeating pattern or discrete stripe. Thing is, the stripe in our suit is a particular colour which dictates such additions. I went with this one because the golfer is small and from a distance inconspicuous. Most importantly my ‘little putter’ picks out the colour of the overcoat. Well, I crowbarred that in to my thinking at least.

Oh yes, that brings me back to blue and overcoats... My favourite blue one here is a complete no go. A lumbering mass of navy is not good, contrast is key. Here a black and brown Fox Brothers Herringbone fits the bill perfectly, for me at least.

Best,

Nigel