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This Reflexive Black Suit Aversion Bugs Me!

Lawman

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I hope this doesn't start another firestorm, but I have to vent. I just read another post casting black suits into the abyss of SF tabooism. I only have one truly black suit, a RLPL by St. Andrews, double breasted. It has an incredible drape, is very versatile, and goes with just about any shirt and tie combination (no white shirts). I am a little self conscious about wearing it but, man, it is one sharp piece of clothing. I look at old photographs of what I consider to be really well-dressed guys, and see lots and lots of black suits. When you liven it up with a striped shirt, a colorful tie and a nice square, it is a terrific look, in my opinion. I guess I'll always be a sartorial simpleton!
 

3orangewhips

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If you came to this forum and asked, "What should I wear?" the answer you would get would be,
'Wear what you like." Do you like it? Then wear it! Don't let adherence to ANY weird taboo created by a bunch of dudes who fetishize clothes make your decisions. They are a TREMENDOUS sounding board and insane resource, but ultimately you decide!
 

rach2jlc

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Originally Posted by 3orangewhips
They are a TREMENDOUS sounding board and insane resource, but ultimately you decide!

Exactly. The "black suit" threads go hundreds of pages and rarely do more than drive home this very basic point.
 

Ich_Dien

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Post pictures! There are some very nice RLPL suits in black in their store on Bond St. ATM. Although personally i wouldn't really buy a black suit unless it was very very deep discount.
 

dsmolken

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I've been avoiding them before I found SF. They make me look like I'm working security for a diplomat, but most guys don't have that problem.
 

forex

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If I had a black RLPL St. Andrews suit,I would wear it.Knowing how nice those suits are,I think exception can be made.
 

StopPolloition

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Maybe if you wore it for some almost formal evening event that is kind of like black tie optional, to bridge the gap between regular business dress and black tie. If you dress it with the right complementing shirt, tie, and pocket square in the right setting, I doubt anyone would say it's tasteless except for the most stubborn who insist that black is for a waiter [and brown is for a farmer].
 

rach2jlc

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So far as I recall from the MANY nauseatingly long Black Suit threads, the overall point is that even though people are free to wear what they want, there are technically "rules" for this stuff and black suits are not as "free" according to such rules as many guys want to make them out to be.

Now, that doesn't mean you can't wear one or that you are a sartorial simpleton for doing so, as these days fashion is very free. BUT, if you follow the "rules," of which 99.999999999% don't (and don't have to), then black may not be what you want.

I, personally, like black and wear it happily. Again, the more information that gets disseminated in the black suit threads, attacks notwithstanding, nevertheless just drive home what orangewhips said in Post no. 2: rules and resources are great, but you know yourself, your needs, your style, and your life best.
 

Steven Aver

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Originally Posted by Lawman
When you liven it up with a striped shirt, a colorful tie and a nice square, it is a terrific look, in my opinion.

Well said.
 

voxsartoria

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This is the point in any black suit thread where I repost this golden oldie.

Funereal Friday, with the rarest of bespoke Savile Row birds, the "B" suit (avert your eyes, Michael...)

Let's end the ho hum work week with controversy...rhetorical Q&A follows photos:

288439451_c5sPP-X2.jpg


Steed (E. Deboise) bespoke suit, old Lesser 10oz in jet BLACK with hacking pockets. The shaping in the chest through the waist is done with no front darts..which is not something that you will see in RTW or most bespoke.
Borrelli cotton/linen shirt, double cuffs
Jan Leslie sterling links
Paul Smith tie (first Father's Day gift)
Thurston braces with much lamented cat gut ends
Kent Wang square
Calzificio De Pio ribbed silk socks
Vass midnight blue calf derbies (yeah, that's right: with a suit!)
Tiffany Etoile band in platinum
No watch

Closeup of shirt, tie, square, lapels (God, I love those DeBoise lapels...to me, it shows a category of verve and panache in which the British lead the Italians):

288420420_sMfjT-O.jpg


Silly mismatched cufflinks on the square (I often mismatch within genres):

288439472_z8q3B-M.jpg


Closeup of the Vass:

288439464_FdrpK-L.jpg


Q&A commences:

Q: Why a black lounge suit?
A: I commissioned this seven years ago to be a suit that I would wear going out in the evening when I would have otherwise have liked wearing black tie, but could not get away with it...which is essentially every night. Unless it really is a funeral, I normally wear it with casual shirt fabrics, ties, and squares. If it is for a funeral for someone I didn't like, I might sneak in one or two casual accessories as silent thanks to Providence.

Q: Why hacking pockets?
A: To make it obvious that the intent was not to use this as a daytime "business" suit...although I'm not in business anyway.

Q: Why don't you follow The Rules and wear dark blue or charcoal?
A: I have dark blue and charcoal, and I do wear them out at night as well. I like black better for this purpose, however. Moreover, dark blue and charcoal in the evening never quite dissipate the gloom of studious capitalism, and like it or not, a black suit is a more accessible vocabulary for the general contemporary 21st century urban population. (Yes, I know Boston is not urban, nor yet in the 21st century, but we pretend that we are.)

Q: But why are you wearing a black suit today?
A: No time to change; no desire to haul two outfits to work. And this combination, may Manton damn me, will get the largest number of compliments of the widest variety of people during the course of the day and evening compared to virtually anything else that I put together.

The famous black suit thread.

- B
 

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