How to pick the colour of your first suits

This is a navy and a mid-grey suit

For business suits, colour is pretty simple. But there are a few ways to not just get it right, but get it right on. The standard colours are blue and grey. And for good reason: no other colours can look equally smart and flatter a man’s skin tone at the same time. Black is too harsh; brown isn’t smart enough; tan isn’t serious enough.

The colour needs to be dark to be businesslike. But that doesn’t mean it should be indistinguishable from black. Navy is the classic blue for business suits. But, while a very dark shade, it is easily distinguishable from black. It is definitely blue. Too many men buy suits that are too dark these days (closer to midnight blue, a tone often used for eveningwear and which looks black until closely inspected). That makes them look pale and pasty. Real blues and greys and much kinder.

A navy or mid-blue is also far more interesting in terms of colour combinations. Midnight blue looks very smart with a white shirt and black shoes. But that’s it. Navy also looks good with those accessories, but brings out chocolate-brown shoes as well. And a blue shirt provides a great background for experimentation with colour in the tie or handkerchief. Strong colours against black just look cheap.

Royal blue or cerulean are great for casual suits or blazers. But eschew them for business wear. In general, the paler and brighter a colour the more casual it is. So if you want to smarten up a linen suit commission, for instance, go for navy rather than royal blue.

Most of this applies to greys as well. Too many men wear grey that is very dark, looking more like black with a little texture to it. Charcoal is a great shade for business and works particularly well in flannel, but (like navy) it cannot be mistaken for black.

In fact, there are really two clear categories of grey that can be worn for business: charcoal and mid-grey. Of all the suit colours, the latter is the kindest on the skintones of most men. It complements a good tan, but it doesn’t wash out the pasty faced. It is for that reason that I would recommend men creating a business wardrobe (or commissioning their first bespoke suits) to start with navy, charcoal and mid-grey.

Mid-grey is a touch lighter than the suit you would instinctively buy. Don’t be afraid. It will look perfectly serious with a blue shirt, dark tie and deep-brown Oxfords. But then it will also work wonderfully in a casual summer setting, with a white shirt, tan shoes and perhaps a white linen handkerchief.

A man’s next commission should be a blue blazer. And he shouldn’t switch to other colours until his wardrobe includes a chalk stripe, a double-breasted, a Prince-of-Wales check and a three-piece. But when he does venture into other colours, the key ones are brown and green.

This seems rather daring until you look at tweed, the dominant casual attire of traditional English dress and pretty much always dominant in either green or brown. Both can work in suits or jackets in any material, but remember that lighter colours and stronger colours are more casual. So in a suit both brown and green should have a touch of the grey about them. And they should be dark enough not to dazzle.