What colour should my suit be?

So I've heard people discussing this for decades! We see men in the streets, in Boardrooms, in churches & all walks of life, wearing all sorts of suits, different shapes, different colours different textures & designs but what exactly is the right suit etiquette?

If i was to answer in one sentence or phrase I would say ..."A real man wears a navy blue suit or variations of grey. With ofcause a touch of pin stripe here & there! Leaving the black suit for special occasions dinners, weddings, funerals etcetera, etcetera"

The Power suit mostly refereed to as presidential comes in the standard navy blue with a red to burgundy tie (also refereed to as a power tie). Please note wearing a power tie might be deemed overpowering, overwhelming & threatening by superiors with insecurities or inferiority complexes.

The red tie, usually a sign of confidence assertiveness & authority is seen worn by most iconic leaders CEO's & presidents/prime ministers.

Basic laws of a suit would be the shoulder, the sleeve the lapel make the suit. Try not to wear a suit that is too tight fitting. We are not going scuba diving! There is absolutely no need for people to see your biceps or quads while you are wearing a suit. the sleeve should be the right size, perfect enough to reveal at least a centimetre or two of your crispy white shirt. The cuff should also be slightly visible especially when it is a double cuffed shirt with cufflinks just subtly visible.

The last decade has seen the return of the brown shoe. varying from light to dark brown or military tan, the shoe can be alternated with a traditional black one depending on the suit. No hard & fast rule but the shoe must match the belt. Black shoe with black belt. Brown shoe with brown belt.

The grey suit, though less celebrated is a much much safer bet as far as conservative dressing is concerned with all shades of grey being acceptable but the darker the better. As seen below variations of grey all come out well.

One thing that really gives you mileage is paying attention to detail. The more detail on the material the richer a suit looks. Woolen suits have that perfect woven look that makes you look like a Million bucks!

In pursuit of detail, no suit makes that statement more than the traditional charcoal grey suit. Especially when it sits against a crispy white starched collar shirt. Avoid pin down or buttoned down collars they just scream cheap like a caramel suit!

While talking about detail & especially the woven look with more thread count the same rule applies to ties. The perfect tie is neither loud nor busy but it is a statement in itself. From the poka dot tie to the woven contrast tie you are safe either with a white shirt or blue shirt. You can even try a daring contrast, blue shirt, (plain, striped or checkered) with a plain white collar. collar pull it off

In this picture the white shirt comes with a bit of detail as well showing the thick woven effect as well, best for winter & the same with the tie.

The pocket square matches the shirt & or tie. Safest bet is a white pocket square but you can even go for a black one if the tie is a plain black silk tie.

Keep coming back to TRayOnline for more fashion tips from Tafadzwa Raymond Mangozho on www.mangozho.com