How To Wear A Grey Herringbone Suit
From afar, it’s just a grey suit. Come closer, and you’re interested in its makeup.
Shot ON LOCATION in NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
Photography, SIMI VIJAY
Styling, Igee Okafor
For recognition, it is a recognizable V shaped pattern similar to that of a herring’s skeleton often made of wool and tweed fabrics.
I’ve previously written about how I believe a well made tuxedo to be the menswear equivalent of a superhero costume because of the way it makes me feel.
I’m starting to think generally, there are different fabrics for suiting that can embody that same feeling. The Grey Herringbone is one of them for me.
In the past when wearing suiting, I’d always been a bit concerned about not looking dated especially for my age, so I made conscious styling choices to adhere to the thought when it came to altering my custom suiting. For example, increasing lapel sizing, selecting brighter coloring, going for softer and shinier fabrics and so on.
Through multiple scenarios of this process, I started to learn more about subtle things I could do with suiting to make it feel a bit more contemporary for me. Learning that it all lies in the little details and its styling, that was when I grew an attraction to the herringbone weave. For recognition, it is a recognizable V shaped pattern similar to that of a herring’s skeleton often made of wool and tweed fabrics.
When it comes to Fall and Winter suiting and neutral colors like grey, making sure there’s a small scale detail on the suit like a herringbone pattern versus a plain fabric makes it feel a bit more personal, multifaceted and interesting to me. From afar, it’s just a grey suit. Come closer, and you’re interested in its makeup.
The suit I am wearing is single breasted and features a wide peak lapel with adjustable flap pockets. The trousers feature belt loops and are not cuffed.
Knowing that the grey suit is traditionally known as a business suit staple, I make a conscious decision to stray away from styling with a shirt and tie and lace up shoes unless absolutely necessary. Not that there’s anything wrong with the option, but on the basis of freshening up the look, I find that pairing the suit monochromatically with a knitwear and loafer option instead looks and feels a bit more interesting. That means anything in the color wheel of the greys and the blacks.
Any black or cozy knit works depending on your preference. You can go wool or you can go cashmere. For shoes, a penny loafer works as much as a tassel loafer like the one featured from Grenson.
If you’re sporting the herringbone grey suit, chances are you’re only wearing it during the fall and winter season. Looking for a coat of any style to style it up a bit with, any black or grey option works. If you’re more of a risk taker and would prefer an addition more interesting, a bold pop of camel or white is an interesting consideration. Otherwise, perhaps keeping to the herringbone theme could do some good.
I’m wearing a double breasted herringbone peacoat from the Lardini x Wooster collection I purchased a few years ago.
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