Go darker burgundy. There are wools that are burgundy/black. I make them as suits or jackets. When it's that dark it's more sophisticated but can be accessorized as you like. Made many more as jackets and only a few as suits. Everybody replied the same. They wore it and liked it more than they expected to.
You can't dress up the lighter, brighter burgundy shade as well as you can make the darker more casual.
Thank you for the great advice. I agree that the darker it is, the more sophisticated it can be, and it gives you more space to be creative around it (shoes/accessories), as opposed to a lighter shade which will pigeonhole you into a smaller number of outfits. Now I'm kind of regretting one of my red linen suits made from Dugdale Natural Elements..
On that note, would a darker shade of burgundy fabric work more easily as a transition suit, the awkward period between summer to autumn and winter to spring, than a lighter shade which would probably only ever work in Summer/Spring and maybe Autumn? Heck, could dark burgundy be a 4 season suit??
Could you send me some photos of your work? I would love to see it in context.
Burgundy makes a terrific odd trouser. I might start there before committing to a full suit. Pretty sure the Crispaire book has one.
That's a great idea. I'm torn between getting a burgundy suit (which I could then potentially break up), or just a burgundy jacket and odd trouser, like cream/off-white.