The Most Versatile Suits

[dieworkwear]

Do people in your social circles (ie, people you'd see at weddings) notice and/or care if you wear the same suit to three or four weddings? May be a pithy question but I think it's a reasonable one.

My wife won't let me wear the same suit (I'm married to menswear)

 

[ValidusLA]

I'm a big fan of their Model 3. It's a very soft, unconstructured coat (no shoulder padding, just canvas) and has a slightly roomier chest and extended shoulder line. I think it flatters a lot of people.

If it were me, I would get this:

Wool Model 3 Sport Coat | The Armoury

The Armoury was born from our passion for classic styling and interest in the unique stories behind well-crafted men’s products.

thearmoury.com

View attachment 1753575


Would wear:

- Just like the photo above, with grey trousers, a navy polo, and black tassel loafers. IMO, would be a cool nighttime outfit. For some reason, reminds me of this Goodfellas scene, like something an extra character would wear.

- Light blue and white striped shirt, tan pants (cotton or wool), and then mid- to dark-brown shoes. Derbies for something a little more formal; penny loafers for something casual.

The coat is unlined and made from slightly porous wool, so good for Southern California climate.

View attachment 1753577


Alternatively, I would do this

Silk/Linen/Wool Check Model 3 Sport Coat | The Armoury

The Armoury was born from our passion for classic styling and interest in the unique stories behind well-crafted men’s products.

thearmoury.com

View attachment 1753578


Personally would not wear like the combo above, however. Would do:

- A grey-brown pant. IMO, you need some kind of brown in the trousers, even if it's just a cast of brown, to help pick up the brown in the jacket. With dark grey pants, the disconnect between jacket and pants is too severe for my taste.

Would do some kind of pant like this (don't go too dark for the brown, otherwise, it's again too much of a disconnect). These pants are at No Man Walks Alone
View attachment 1753582 View attachment 1753580 View attachment 1753581
Then would do a light blue, white, or blue-and-white striped shirt and black tassel loafers or brown penny loafers or brown derbies. No tie.

Jacket isn't as breathable as the mid-blue jacket but should work for Southern California (as much as tailoring works in Southern California)
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Lastly, you can also just get another navy sport coat. This Sportex fabric has a nice depth of color that might feel like an upgrade from your current BB sport coat.

Wool Vintage Sportex Model 3 Sport Coat | The Armoury

The Armoury was born from our passion for classic styling and interest in the unique stories behind well-crafted men’s products.

thearmoury.com

View attachment 1753584 View attachment 1753585


Navy sport coats obviously go with everything

- Trousers in tan or grey
- Shirts in white, light blue, or a combination of the two. Can also do charcoal polos or interesting striped shirts (e.g. burgundy or pink striped OCBDs).
- Brown derbies or penny loafers or black tassel loafers.
- If you're natty, then a merino turtleneck. Although that might be too warm for most nights in Los Angeles.

I think all the suggestions in this post are excellent, and would put anyone far out ahead of general dress in LA.

Yes, the merino turtleneck would be too warm except in winter (which barely exists this year it was 80 degrees today).

 

[double00]

donegal suit is a really good one , i think that a woolen fabric sort of helps to dispense with the swelled edges ( which , i enjoy patch pockets etc ) , but i'll disagree (with who? not sure) that those should be automatic details which i think tends to textualize things and thus pigeonholes the effect ... i think manton made something of a cul-de-sac for worsteds but you can work the problem from the other side

 

[The Thin Man]

Do people in your social circles (ie, people you'd see at weddings) notice and/or care if you wear the same suit to three or four weddings? May be a pithy question but I think it's a reasonable one.

I doubt that more than 10% of men younger than 50 have more than one suit (that currently fits).

 

[Sirguywhosmiles]

I think we have come to a consensus that is pretty much what @Jnarcane suspected in the first post; the most versatile suit is a navy or grey city suit.

If you need two versatile suits, get a navy AND grey city suit.

If you need one suit but want two suits, get a navy or grey city suit, then whatever the hell you want.

Now despite this consensus I would just like to bug you all for another opinion. What, in the light of this, do people think of a mid-grey POW worsted suit? I realise it covers 95% of the same territory as a plain grey city suit, but does anyone think it has a little extra degree of sportiness? I am pretty sure @voxsartoria described it as somewhat country-styled in his "coherent combinations" magnum opus.

 

[dieworkwear]

Now despite this consensus I would just like to bug you all for another opinion. What, in the light of this, do people think of a mid-grey POW worsted suit? I realise it covers 95% of the same territory as a plain grey city suit, but does anyone think it has a little extra degree of sportiness? I am pretty sure @voxsartoria described it as somewhat country-styled in his "coherent combinations" magnum opus.

I believe there are two POW checks. The first is this, which would make for a very loud suit. The other is a grey Glenurquart check with a faint overcheck, often in red or blue. The second is the one that most people think of when they hear the term "POW check."

Both are sporting patterns, but the second is basically a business suit at this point.

 

[HCapLonghorn]

Probably depends on what you like best, how you want to see yourself on your wedding day (and in photos thereafter), how your wife-to-be will want to see you, etc. I personally chose the nice suit for the wedding day.

Thanks, I tend to agree. and I might wear a mid blue suit out in LA more than any navy or charcoal version - which goes to @dieworkwear 's point on how a BlazerSuit is a compromise that might never be used. I tried on the Canali navy (which is dark) and it felt like I was living in NY still working for an investment bank. Plus, had more of a "power suit" creased shoulder that didn't feel appropriate. Years ago, I would have just found a good tailor and gone that route but I can't convince myself (yet) to spend double on one.

 

[HCapLonghorn]

I think all the suggestions in this post are excellent, and would put anyone far out ahead of general dress in LA.

Yes, the merino turtleneck would be too warm except in winter (which barely exists this year it was 80 degrees today).

I'm down to a single sweater and flannel now. Quite a contrast from my NYC days in the aughts...

 

[gimpwiz]

To throw in a bit of an actual reply to the OP: I would say this depends a lot on where you live and the culture there, and the culture of your social and work circles. As @The Thin Man has said, most men don't even have more than one well-fitting suit, I'd bet. It's like, I dunno, guns or cars - the national average (mean) may be well above 1 per person, but the median is probably 1.

Where I live (SF bay area) the median might actually be 0. I'd bet a hundred dollars it's not more than 1. Let me elaborate:

So if you hypothetically live in San Jose, you could probably get away with one suit, or even just one sport coat or one blazer along with one or two decent sets of trousers, for all occasions. If you needed more, you might well know by now. That's just how the culture is here. Weddings? Good shoes, pants, jacket, shirt, and tie would be adequately dressed for virtually all weddings, though for most you could forego the tie without anyone raising eyebrows, and given the weather and how many ceremonies and even receptions are outdoors, you could probably get away with a sport coat rather than blazer or suit jacket, or even no jacket at all, quite often. People are unlikely to get offended unless they specifically requested full suits and/or ties. Funerals? I've had the misfortune to be at several - few wear suits at all, and of those who do, only really old-school men (and/or immigrants from certain countries) wear black. You could get away with, again, just about any respectable looking coat, as long as it's not too party-party. Even tan, mid gray, lighter shades of olive, etc, nobody will complain. I remember someone got advice they really didn't like about how to wear to wear a coat to a funeral when it's hot - "show up in the coat, take it off and carry it on your arm" - yeah, nobody will mind at all if you do that where I live. Job interviews? If you work in tech or adjacent to it, no jacket, no tie, nobody cares at all. To work? Again, only if you work very specific jobs; hardly anyone does. Out to a bar at night? Few will throw you out for a T-shirt. If you still go to clubs, a sport coat is more than adequate, often just a shirt with no tie is more than enough too. The opera or theater? Unless people know your name or face, a shirt with no tie or jacket will usually be adequate for nobody to look askance at you, and a sport coat is fine.

If this applies to you, you don't even need a "versatile" suit, because almost anything that isn't bright yellow, polka dotted, or otherwise makes you look a bit like a clown, will be fine for any event where you'd wear a suit. There are certain choices that would be on the too-formal side, but if they fit your body type, some confidence would probably let you get away with most too-formal choices too. I mean, obviously don't make it a tux or a tailcoat, and maybe don't go for white since that might not be appreciated in many venues, but it's very freeing. People will know you went out of your way to look good, and generally be okay with most anything reasonable if the situation calls for a jacket at all. So just pick your favorite somewhat-reasonable choice and roll with it. Whether it's a brown and gray houndstooth sport coat or a 3-piece dark navy VBC 150 suit with a bowtie, chances are nobody is really gonna judge you for it other than "hey, that looks good."

On the flip side ... if the culture is much more, shall we say, NYC finance at a very conservative company (maybe in 2003), well. As people said. Navy suit, gray/charcoal suit. But you may want more than that, especially if you wear them daily, but you'll figure out pretty quickly looking at your coworkers and friends what flies and what works well.

 

[Sirguywhosmiles]

I believe there are two POW checks. The first is this, which would make for a very loud suit. The other is a grey Glenurquart check with a faint overcheck, often in red or blue. The second is the one that most people think of when they hear the term "POW check."

Both are sporting patterns, but the second is basically a business suit at this point.

I meant the whole family of glen plaids/glenurquart checks, including those with subtle overchecks and those with none (which from your description aren't POW). Its funny how it has become business acceptable as so much else about business suits has become plainer and blander.

I wasn't asking about tartan suits, I think you have to be head of a clan or play international rugby for Scotland to get away with that ( Donnie Weir wore a fairly striking tartan suit whem he was honoured at Murrayfield a few years back).

 

[Frog in Suit]

I believe there are two POW checks. The first is this, which would make for a very loud suit. The other is a grey Glenurquart check with a faint overcheck, often in red or blue. The second is the one that most people think of when they hear the term "POW check."

Both are sporting patterns, but the second is basically a business suit at this point.

The second one strikes me as what was once called (perhaps still is) a racing suit...

 

[Sirguywhosmiles]

The second one strikes me as what was once called (perhaps still is) a racing suit...

Presumably more for watching and betting on racing, than for hopping on a horse yourself....

 

[Frog in Suit]

Presumably more for watching and betting on racing, than for hopping on a horse yourself....

Obviously. Those would be jockey's silks. There is a dress code, at least in Europe, for racing, from morning suit (Royal Ascot, etc.) to lounge suits, to tweeds, etc.

 

[Sirguywhosmiles]

Obviously. Those would be jockey's silks. There is a dress code, at least in Europe, for racing, from morning suit (Royal Ascot, etc.) to lounge suits, to tweeds, etc.

True.
There are of course tailored jackets to be worn on horseback with jodhpurs; not for racing but for hunting, showjumping and dressage.

 

[Frog in Suit]

True.
There are of course tailored jackets to be worn on horseback with jodhpurs; not for racing but for hunting, showjumping and dressage.

Also so-called "Pink" coats for hunting (I was able to see one up close at Meyer & Mortimer's old shop, made from extremely heavy -- I don't remember the weight...-- cloth), tweed "hacking" jackets, etc...I love browsing tweed cloth books at a tailor's shop, the heavier the better.