French Navy Blue (Suit) - Thoughts?

[J. Cogburn]

In Hardy Amies' ABC of Men's Fashions, he has this to say about blue suits -

In Britain, a blue suit has for too long conjured up a picture of a "Sunday-go-to-meeting" suit in blue serge, either too dark (that is to say, too much like the true navy blue that is almost black) or in what one calls a bad navy, one that is too purple. In point of fact a good navy is a very becoming color to almost everyone, male or female. It is not actually navy blue at all, but what we would call a French navy, a light navy with a green cast and never a red. Most people look good in it; it is very clean-looking with a white shirt, and very elegant looking and harmonious with a blue shirt. It is an ideal color by artificial light when it will go a deep black whereas black itself may go brown or greeny. A blue suit is therefore an excellent late-day garment when a dinner jacket is not required.

I remember last fall when I stopped by Alan Flusser's Manhattan shop to kill some time between business meetings and fell into a conversation with Mark Rykken (principal and managing partner) about this. When I asked his opinion about Amies' observations about blue suitings, he told me that in his 40 years or so in the men's clothing business, he had never heard of "French navy" and suspected that "French navy" is another term for marine blue, of which he is a great apostle ... and which, he said, would indeed be my ideal "blue" (grey hair, ruddy skin). Fast forward to the present and - what do you know? - Flusser's iPhone application features "French navy" as a somewhat lighter shade than navy but a darker shade than marine blue!

I was prepared to order a midnight blue suit as my first bespoke garmant but am now considering whether French navy wouldn't be better. But ... are any of you familiar with this sort of shade? Do you agree with Amies? And ... know of any good cloth in particular I might want to take a look at in the course of ordering said French navy if I do indeed decide to go this route?

 

[a tailor]

way back when i was a youngster like you i made my self a db suit in a shade called french blue.
it was a barrie morell worsted. i havent seen that color since then.
but the shade was just as you describe.

 

[020-banker]

Originally Posted by a tailor

way back when i was a youngster like you i made my self a db suit in a shade called french blue.
it was a barrie morell worsted. i havent seen that color since then.
but the shade was just as you describe.

Isn't french blue lighter, more of a shirting color?

 

[J. Cogburn]

We are not speaking of "French blue." We are speaking of "French navy blue." There is a difference. What Amies' describes in his book (quoted in the OP) would not describe French blue.

 

[wysiwyg]

Can you find an example of the color?

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by wysiwyg

Can you find an example of the color?
I'd like to see a pic of the color, too.

 

[J. Cogburn]

Can you find an example of the color?

Nothing on the 'net. Will Field, my tailor in Georgetown, seemed to know what I was talking about and had one bolt of cloth in his shop that met our requirements (light navy, greenish cast). But that was it.

 

[Larson McCord]

Wouldn't this be 'French Blue?'

 

[ApplesHK]

Hard to find. WW Chan couldn't show me an example either although they had a Dormeuil book with funky swatches, one of which they said was close.

 

[George]

...

 

[J. Cogburn]

Hard to find. WW Chan couldn't show me an example either although they had a Dormeuil book with funky swatches, one of which they said was close.

That's exactly what Will showed me. Coincidentally, he had a Dormeuil wool/mohair blend on-hand but in a slightly heavier weight (I think). I would like to think that there's more out there than that, though. I would prefer not to go with a mohair blend with this first suit.

 

[Ianiceman]

If you're literally thinking French Navy as opposed to the near black colours of the uniforms of the US and British Royal Navy then check out the beginning of the Bond Flick Goldeneye during the helicopter demonstration scenes and you will see French Naval officers in some very natty uniforms which I suspect are close to the colour you are looking for

 

[Parker]

This shade of blue would make a nice suit. Don't do midnight unless you plan on wearing it mostly in the evenings. I have ruddy skin and midnight navy is too dark for me in the daylight.

 

[NOBD]

Originally Posted by Parker

http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz305/maximumkevin/fr-matrozen.jpg

This shade of blue would make a nice suit. Don't do midnight unless you plan on wearing it mostly in the evenings. I have ruddy skin and midnight navy is too dark for me in the daylight.

It looks like a coloured in b&w picture. I also like that shade of blue. I'm thinking about a donegal tweed suit in a blue like that (partly inspired by your donegal plans...) and found this one:

 

[George]

Originally Posted by NOBD

It looks like a coloured in b&w picture. I also like that shade of blue. I'm thinking about a donegal tweed suit in a blue like that (partly inspired by your donegal plans...) and found this one:

Harrisons have a few really vivid blue Donegal's. Unusual and very nice.