Well, with regards to monitoring ones carbon footprint that is. But relating to suits, casual jackets and trousers alike; this year green is being seen ever more frequently and luckily for us, wearing green is easy. So how can you do it?
First things first, it’s worth looking at the shades of green you have to work with. While a suit in a deep forest green cloth would radiate a dark and subtle air, the same suit in a luminous lime green cloth would convey flamboyance and eccentricity. It is for this reason that you should carefully consider where you intend to wear the garment. Are you trying to peacock at a party or are you just spicing up an otherwise blue and grey dominated work-wear wardrobe?
The season should also impact your choice of shade. Speaking mostly of casual garments; in the summer brighter colours are the norm, while in the winter darker more autumnal colours are favoured. Though brighter suits are sometimes seen in offices during the summer months, turning up in any suit of a particularly bright nature is risky. So as a rule of thumb, the darker shades of green will be more formal and therefore acceptable for the office, lighter shades will suit summer casual the best.
As well as the season affecting your choice of garment colour it should also affect your choice of cloth material. Swatch 2, for example, is made from an 8oz linen and cotton blend. Both linen and cotton are natural fibers with great breathability – perfect for keeping cool in the heat of summer, less perfect for insulation on a cold winter’s day. The only real down side to cotton and linen – either blended or alone – is that they will crease very easily. It is for this reason that they make great casual jackets; full suits however will become very crumpled and lose their formality.
If you are choosing to have a full suit made up in green, choosing a cloth with just one solid colour will make it easier to dress up to be more formal. For example, dressing a deep British racing green (Pictured bottom left) suit with a crisp white shirt, burgundy knit tie and oxblood monk strap shoes will give you a smart look similar to that of your normal navy suit and white shirt. An alternative look for the same suit might consist of a tan brogue and a light blue shirt worn with an open collar – this is much more relaxed look, perfect for after work drinks in the sun.
If you are happy with regular work-wear colours for your suits but like more unusual casual garments, then a brighter or a patterned green cloth may be more to your taste (See swatches 2, 3, 5 and 6). For example, a jacket made up of swatch 2 would pair beautifully with cream chinos, dark brown brogues and an open collar denim shirt. For a look more casual still, pair the same jacket with a pair of blue jeans and an off-white polo shirt and clean white sneakers.
There are cloths with so many shades and patterns available that creating your own unique look has almost endless possibilities. From a dark (swatch 4) single-breasted wool suit to a double breasted olive (swatch 1) cotton suit, the right suit for you is out there.
Many thanks to Scabal for the swatch pictures. Swatches 1, 6 and 4 are from their New Deluxe bunch which consists of a huge variety of lightweight, colourful super 100 wool cloths. Swatch 2 is from the Amalfi bunch, which is full of spectacular patterned cloths made up of wool-linen-cotton-silk blends. As is the St. Tropez bunch from which Swatch 3 has come. Swatch 5 is from the Mosaic bunch, which boasts a selection of beautiful checks in 130 super wools.
