Fresco Suit Battle: "Tobacco" Brown vs. "Wheat" Tan

[Despos]

whip cream shirt

 

[Despos]



Delicious sundae right there. Vanilla gelato jacket, chocolate tie and blueberry square

Thought you would go for a Nutella tie!

 

[gdl203]

I would ! But Mr Boyer opted for something more crunchy.

 

[Despos]

Mr. Boyer is wearing a light weight wool & silk, plain weave, Luciano Barbera cloth. I didn't make this but I know.

 

[emptym]

Crunchy Nutella is not a bad idea.

 

[dieworkwear]

Tonight, I wore a pho cotton shirt (ie Simonnot Godard chambray)

 

[poorsod]

I was in Milan last week and noticed a number of men wearing suits in various shades of brown and tan. Seems more common there than in NYC.

 

[J. Cogburn]



I can't imagine where I'd wear the brown. It's not a business suit but it's too, well, brown for a stylish casual suit. I would have a strong negative reaction to that being worn in a business environment, esp. if client-facing.

Brown is for farmer.

I don't buy it Doc. In fact, they are perfect for business outside of NY/DC where you never know how the hell people are going to dress in a business meeting. I'm constantly going into meets in my suit and wildly overdressing the people there. Wearing a brown suit reduces the formality just enough to not come off in those circumstances like a power-dressing a**hole.

 

[dieworkwear]

Speaking of which, that run of brown Fresco I've been organizing is ready to go, if anyone is interested. Below is the swatch. It much like the run Slewfoot organized, in that it's a 10oz cloth with a a mixture of yarns to give it some visual depth (dark browns mixed with mid-browns), but it has a slightly less reddish cast. I think it came out really, really well.

Cost is $70/ meter (VAT excluded), and delivery will be $47 from the UK.

I'm collecting orders until July 11th. Hopefully we'll meet the requisite 80 meters for a custom order. If we do, I'll then submit our group buy to Huddersfield.

 

[francoamerican]



I don't buy it Doc. In fact, they are perfect for business outside of NY/DC where you never know how the hell people are going to dress in a business meeting. I'm constantly going into meets in my suit and wildly overdressing the people there. Wearing a brown suit reduces the formality just enough to not come off in those circumstances like a power-dressing a**hole.

Would a lighter-than-navy blue suit or a sport coat be even better? What time of year are you wearing a brown suit?

I like tan fresco in this case as a summer business suit alternative when the wrinkles of cotton/linen wouldn't work.

 

[archibaldleach]



Would a lighter-than-navy blue suit or a sport coat be even better? What time of year are you wearing a brown suit?

I like tan fresco in this case as a summer business suit alternative when the wrinkles of cotton/linen wouldn't work.

I think a suit in RAF blue would be much better than a brown suit for business. On your second point, I'm finding it tough to imagine too many scenarios where tan works as a color but linen or cotton would not also work.

I don't buy it Doc. In fact, they are perfect for business outside of NY/DC where you never know how the hell people are going to dress in a business meeting. I'm constantly going into meets in my suit and wildly overdressing the people there. Wearing a brown suit reduces the formality just enough to not come off in those circumstances like a power-dressing a**hole.

If one is wildly overdressing everyone, then a suit itself may be too much. Could be a good day for an odd jacket and trousers. Alternatively, you have other summer suit options like linen (I'd think the wrinkles are less of a worry if you are overdressing everyone anyway), seersucker or a nice light grey that is a bit more businesslike but still more casual than charcoal or navy.

Btw, I don't think you can just say NY/DC. I live in Chicago and there are plenty of places where a brown suit would not be appropriate. I could make the same argument for Boston and parts of other cities on the east coat. California probably less so, but that's not exactly my area of expertise. I'd guess Doc is talking about situations where traditional business attire is expected. Once you're out of the environment where a fair number of people are wearing suits, a lot more can fly but then you can also look at non-suit options too.

 

[GucciKid]

While I generally agree that tan is better left to cotton and linen, I think the wheat colour suit in question can work as long as it doesn't pretend to be a casual suit. IMO patch pockets with this colour fresco don't work, but if dressed up with flap pockets and worn with a more formal shirt and tie can work quite well.

This is a gaberdine suit but the colour is very similar:

 

[DocHolliday]



I'd guess Doc is talking about situations where traditional business attire is expected. Once you're out of the environment where a fair number of people are wearing suits, a lot more can fly but then you can also look at non-suit options too.

Yes, that's right.

If you're counting on the khakis-and-polo crowd (or non-suit-wearers in general) to parse the nuances of your suit color, I fear the distinction you're trying to draw is going to be lost on the vast majority of people.

 

[carpu65]

I love brown in more deep dark shades.
My opinion is that light gray is very,and more elegant for summer,

 

[J. Cogburn]



Would a lighter-than-navy blue suit or a sport coat be even better? What time of year are you wearing a brown suit?

I like tan fresco in this case as a summer business suit alternative when the wrinkles of cotton/linen wouldn't work.

I think a suit in RAF blue would be much better than a brown suit for business. On your second point, I'm finding it tough to imagine too many scenarios where tan works as a color but linen or cotton would not also work.
If one is wildly overdressing everyone, then a suit itself may be too much. Could be a good day for an odd jacket and trousers. Alternatively, you have other summer suit options like linen (I'd think the wrinkles are less of a worry if you are overdressing everyone anyway), seersucker or a nice light grey that is a bit more businesslike but still more casual than charcoal or navy.

Btw, I don't think you can just say NY/DC. I live in Chicago and there are plenty of places where a brown suit would not be appropriate. I could make the same argument for Boston and parts of other cities on the east coat. California probably less so, but that's not exactly my area of expertise. I'd guess Doc is talking about situations where traditional business attire is expected. Once you're out of the environment where a fair number of people are wearing suits, a lot more can fly but then you can also look at non-suit options too.

A charcoal blue / petrol blue suit doesn't bring down the formality notch down as much as does brown, in fact, probably not very much at all. So it doesn't do the job. The best alternative to the brown suit, I've found, is the navy blazer. Always good enough in a meeting with suits and not as dressy as a suit when unexpectedly running into "office casual."

The brown shows up in the fall, winter, and spring. RLBL worsted herringbone.

Agree; I should add Boston and Chicago to the lis of brown no-goest. But I have a hard time believing that a brown suit is really "not appropriate" outside of, say, an investment bank or law firm. Christ, given the utter deterioration of corporate dress in America today, I really don't believe a brown suit would raise eyebrows for being inappropriate. Unusual, yes, in that if it's not mid-to-dark grey or navy, it looks out of place. Maybe eyebrows go up for that. But they would go up for a good old fashioned glen plaid, tan, charcoal blue, seersucker, whatever.

I don't mind raising eyebrows for being a little different. Just not "inappropriate" different.