We’ve all been told at some point or another that every man should have a grey, blue and black suit. Simple, elegant, clean. Don’t get me wrong, its true, every man should have at least one suit in these colours, but when everyone is wearing the same thing simultaneously, the work place can look less like an office and more like a herd.
So what are the options? The devil is in the detail my good folk. So often the detail is forgotten, but much like the cut of the suit itself, this is where the magic happens!
Instead of pairing your dark navy cloth with an equally dark navy lining to match, give it a sprinkle of colour! Navy’s are brought out beautifully by burgundy’s and light shades of blue. Add piping (a strip of binding that separates the lining and cloth on the inside of a jacket) to your suit to add a bit of individuality, after all it’s a suit cut to your own unique measurements. You may as well make everything else completely personal too; why not try matching the same colour piping to your watch?
With a charcoal cloth, try pairing it with a purple lining and red piping. So simple, so effective, but how many suits have you seen like that? And why stop there? A plain lining will work beautifully against the plain cloth and is a great way to start, but for the more adventurous amongst you – I have good news. Ask around the Fielding and Nicholson office and you will find that almost everyone has at least one garment with a flashy lining.
My definition of “flashy lining” is in this case; a lining with two-tone colours, prints, words, pictures and all sorts of weird and wonderful designs. A personal favorite is a black on white skull design, perfect for a dark suit or dinner jacket. Do you play Golf to a pro level on the side? Golf ball lining for you sir! Travel the tube with Metallica blasting through your headphones each morning? Well it would be a shame not to have a Guitar print lining as a nod to your favorite riffs! Nobody else needs to know, it can be your own little secret – I wont tell.
Whatever your taste, subtle or brash, the point I am making is that you should make it personal. The dark colours dominating the suit world need not suppress your individuality. Dip a toe into the silky world of flash linings – what have you got to lose?
