Question about grey sports coat

[Fernando24]

Hello everyone,

i'm sure similar questions to this have been asked, but i didn't have time to search the forum so i apologize for that.

Anyway, i was invited to a somewhat informal party and was hoping you guys would help me with my wardrobe.

i own a number of suits i use for work, but it seems that suits don't fit the occasion, so i was going to wear dress pants with a button down shirt and a sports coat.

i basically own a few pairs of black dress pants and one dark grey one. i also own a grey sports coat and a black one.
I don't want to wear the grey pants with the black sports coat since it reminds me way to much of the uniform i had to wear in elementary/high school so to me it doesn't look like something a grown up would wear (i know, its stupid).
Would the grey sports coat look good with black pants and black shoes? and if so what color shirt would you guys recommend. Thank, i truly appreciate your help.

 

[Balfour]

 

[Fernando24]

very serious. i have never cared for fashion i mostly wear jeans and a t-shirt maybe a suit if i'm giving a lecture, so i know my question might sound dumb. for me, however, these are issues i have never encountered before.

 

[Balfour]

Okay - you just managed to combine a lot of things the forvm hates - with varying degrees of justification - into a single post (black tailored clothing, other than formal wear; grey odd jackets).

Not sure of your context, or what informal means in it, but a classic combination for a smart-ish informal social occasion would be blazer and mid-grey flannel trousers.

Working with what you say you have, I might try the grey odd jacket and grey trousers, but only if there is enough tonal difference between the two. There are threads on grey odd jackets (http://www.styleforum.net/t/355036/the-gray-odd-jacket-and-sometimes-monochromatic-combination/0_50) - it's a tricky combination to get right, so there is no 'painting by numbers' advice to be given here. This is not the worst example I've seen: http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2013/02/the-other-gray-trouser.html

I see no use at all for black odd trousers or - other than for semi-formal wear - black odd jackets; sorry.

 

[Fernando24]

OK, thanks. i'll probably just head to the store and buy whatever the sales person recommends. i definitely need to start building up my wardrobe

 

[Balfour]

I would emphatically discourage you from doing this. The chances of finding a salesperson who knows what they are talking about these days is low.

If you're interested in building up a wider wardrobe based on 'classical good taste', there is really no substitute in slower time for educating yourself. There's plenty of useful stuff here, although much needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. whnay.'s good taste thread is a good place to start (http://www.styleforum.net/t/309586/whnay-s-good-taste-thread/0_50).

If you want a quick fix (for this occasion, or to have a smart casual failsafe without wasting too much time thinking about things), then classically cut navy blazer.

 

[Sabutai]

I would emphatically discourage you from doing this. The chances of finding a salesperson who knows what they are talking about these days is low.

If you're interested in building up a wider wardrobe based on 'classical good taste', there is really no substitute in slower time for educating yourself. There's plenty of useful stuff here, although much needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. whnay.'s good taste thread is a good place to start (http://www.styleforum.net/t/309586/whnay-s-good-taste-thread/0_50).

If you want a quick fix (for this occasion, or to have a smart casual failsafe without wasting too much time thinking about things), then classically cut navy blazer.

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