Brown Suit Advice
When Ronald Reagan wore a brown suit in the white house it changed the landscape of men's suit fashions for good. Up till then, conservative suits were relegated to blues and grays. Whatever your opinion of his presidency, Reagan's time in Hollywood gave him the style savvy to become a national trendsetter. Several decades later however, some of the brown suit ensembles worn by the former president are a little dated. How can you make sure that your suit is both up-to-date and optimally attractive? The answer is simple: Buy a suit in a modern cut and coordinate your entire look. Does this Spark an idea?
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Shirt
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Brown is a neutral color, so it's pretty difficult to screw up when choosing your shirt. A variety of colors will look good with this suit, as long as they're coordinated with the other colored elements of your outfit. You can't go wrong with white; it too is a neutral, as well as a traditional, color for men's dress shirts. If you really want to go for a dapper look, choose a chalky shade of blue or blue and white plaid. A good rule of thumb for choosing a complementary shirt is that it should be several shades lighter than your suit, and the fabric should complement the suit style. For example, if your suit is designed for professional attire, then a broadcloth shirt is appropriate. Conversely, if your suit is a little less "straight-laced," a royal oxford shirt will keep it casual, but classy.
Tie
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Your tie should always be an anchor for your entire ensemble. Ties can get a little complicated because they are the first thing that many people notice when you wear a suit. Your first consideration should be fabric. If you aren't the most fashion savvy guy in town, you would do well to match materials. For example, wearing a wool tie with wool suit or woven silk tie with silk suit will go a long way to adding cohesiveness to your look.
Your second consideration should be color. A lot of men think that wearing the same tie and shirt color is a must, but there is a lot of room for debate on that topic. You can coordinate your tie with either your suit or shirt using analogous colors -- colors that are near one another on the color wheel; with complementary colors -- colors opposite from each other on the color wheel; or with various saturations, shades and hues of the same color. For example, if your suit is made of brown cotton twill and you want to wear a chalky blue dress shirt, a deep midnight blue or Prussian blue woven cotton tie would make an excellent coordination. Similarly, with the same brown suit, you can wear a white shirt with a brown tie.
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Shoes
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What goes better with brown than brown? While you do have several shoe options that have the potential to pair nicely -- if paired correctly -- your safest best is a traditional brown leather dress shoe or loafer. Keep in mind that not all browns are equal, and you don't want your shoes to be the exact same shade of brown as your suit. Mix and match your looks by trying on shoes that are several shades darker or several shades lighter than your suit; then decide which one you like best. If you have a hankering for something a little out of the ordinary, a dark olive or fern green loafers go well with many brown suits.
Socks and Pocket Square
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You may rarely even think about your socks or pocket square. However, these items, although relatively small and seemingly unnoticed, can make a major impact on the aesthetic success of a suit. Many men are inclined to wear socks that match the suit and a plain white pocket square; there is nothing wrong with that choice. In fact, it's a great look for a lot of guys. But if you want to turn heads, give your suit a boost. Keeping in mind that these items need to be coordinated to your shirt and your tie, let your inhibitions go and select a color that really draws the eye. Electric indigo, turquoise and azure are all attention-drawing and aesthetically pleasing colors that can be easily coordinated with your entire ensemble.
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References
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