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And why a royal blue suit is a great alternative to navy.
Let’s be honest. When it comes to blue suits, there are a lot of choices. Navy blue. Cobalt blue. Air Force blue. Light blue. Want me to keep going?
Even when you’re talking about a classic navy blue suit there are any number of gradations in color tone — dark navy, mid-navy, light navy — as well as options for subtle patterns to make it stand out from the pack.
Yet even with all of those choices in that classic navy blue suit conversation, some guys, especially those who might be considering their very first blue suit, don’t want navy. That was certainly me and I’ll explain why in just a bit — it’ll probably sound familiar to you.
Enter the royal blue suit.
It’s a classic suit for the modern man. And in this post we’ll discuss the differences between a royal blue suit and a navy blue suit and talk about why you might choose a royal blue suit (I’ll share my story). I’ll also break down my styling in this post and we’ll take a closer look at the suit itself.
Let’s dive in.
Royal Blue Suit vs. Navy Blue Suit
I’d like to start off by taking a quick moment to compare a royal blue suit to a navy blue suit. There are some differences — some obvious, some not so obvious — that, when laid out, can help inform any decision you decide to make.
- Color Intensity: Royal blue is a brighter and more vivid shade of blue, whereas navy blue is darker and more subdued.
- Visual Impact: As a result of that more vivid color tone, a royal blue suit will tend to stand out more and make a slightly bolder statement than a navy blue suit, the latter certainly being more traditional and conservative.
- Occasions: Because of its bolder and slightly statement-making quality, royal blue suits are often worn for more festive events, while a navy blue suit might be more commonly worn in a more formal or business setting.
- Versatility: Any way you slice it, a navy blue suit is going to be more versatile and easier to pair with a wider variety of shirt and tie combinations. Also, if made with the right fabric, you can easily break a navy blue suit into separates. Although I’d still consider a royal blue suit to be versatile, it doesn’t match that of a navy blue suit.
- Perception: Navy blue is generally perceived as more authoritative, professional, and conservative. Royal blue, more modern and stylish.
I’ve talked a lot above about a royal blue suit being slightly statement-making and I’d like to qualify that just a bit. In comparison to a classic navy blue suit, royal blue definitely stands out.
However, one of the reasons I personally like a royal blue suit is that it’s got that statement quality but on an extremely subtle level. It’s not flashy, in your face, or flamboyant, but has that little something extra that makes you say, “hmmm, that’s a cool suit.”
It’s classic with a modern sensibility, which is how I’ve always defined my personal style.
Why Choose A Royal Blue Suit?
To help answer the question of why you might choose a royal blue suit, I think it would be helpful and possibly illuminating to hear a bit of my personal story from the beginning of my style journey.
It was at the very end of 2012 when I decided that I was finally going to make the commitment to dressing well and building a classic and versatile menswear wardrobe. I’d just finished reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs and became sort of fascinated with the idea of doing more with less in terms of clothing.
I didn’t necessarily want to do the uniform thing like Steve Jobs did so famously — though that did fuel one of the more interesting sartorial experiments I’ve ever undertaken — but I thought that by building a thoughtful and well-curated classic wardrobe, that I’d be able to get the most out of the money I planned to spend.
Makes sense, right?
However, there was one issue I was wrestling with internally. I knew that I wanted to build a “classic” menswear wardrobe, but I didn’t want it to be “boring.” Not that there’s anything with “boring” style, as I’ve recently opined.
But this was a bit of a different era and I was just cutting my teeth on classic menswear. I wasn’t into Fashion but I wanted to be somewhat unique without falling into the trap that so many do when first starting out and making that most awful of men’s style mistakes. Well, I did end up doing a bit of that myself — nobody’s immune — but to borrow an extremely overused phrase during that era, I was basically looking to do something that was “classic with a twist.”
It’s easy to roll our collective eyes at that now but the spirit was that I wanted to dress in a classic way but put my own personal stamp on it. And by “personal stamp” I didn’t mean a contrasting color button hole, silly suit jacket lining, or “funky” socks.
No, it had to be much more subtle than that — a reflection of my personality and who I am authentically.
Even back then I was team “First Suit, Navy Suit,” but given my desire to step into the menswear world by standing out just a bit, a navy blue suit just seemed, well, too old fashioned for me. I wanted a something that made just a bit of a bolder statement without going too far. I wanted something a little more modern than the traditional navy blue suit.
And I found what I was looking for in a royal blue suit.
It was the perfect mix of of classic and modern. It wasn’t quite as versatile as a classic navy blue suit because it doesn’t really break into separates, but I did still find it to be extremely versatile situationally.
It gave business looks more of a modern flair. It was a striking color without being too bold. I also had a vest made, which increased its wearability and made more than a handful of appearances at weddings I attended.
More than anything though, it felt like me. It was my style and I wore the crap out of it — still do!
If my story sounds a bit like where you find yourself at the moment — or even if you are considering it as a way to expand and deepen your existing wardrobe — take it from me, you will not regret making the decision to go with a royal blue suit.
My Outfit Styling
Although there many, many ways you can style a royal blue suit, for the purpose of this introductory post, I wanted to keep it more or less simple and classic. I know, completely unsurprising.
Because of its more vivid color, my goal here was to keep things more muted and cohesive. This is why I chose a baby blue poplin dress shirt rather than a white poplin dress shirt. The light blue color doesn’t have the stark contrast that a white shirt would have, which was what I was going for.
For the tie, I chose a solid chocolate brown grenadine. If you enjoy wearing solid color ties, I would always encourage you to take a look at grenadine. It’s got a beautiful texture that really reveals itself when you get up closer, which adds that all-important understated visual interest that I love so much.
The chocolate brown tie also serves to pull the entire outfit together without being overly matchy-matchy. You can see how it picks up the color of the suit jacket’s buttons, the frames of my sunglasses, and the Oxford dress shoes.
Finally, I’ve gone with my favorite simple white pocket square to add just the slightest touch of contrast to the look.
The HSS Royal Blue Suit
The He Spoke Style royal blue suit is cut from a Vitale Barberis Canonico super 110s wool twill. At a weight of 270 grams, it’s light enough to wear during the warmer months but also has enough heft to be comfortable in the fall and winter as well.
My personal jacket styling is quite conservative to maintain the interplay of classic and modern. It’s got a three and a half inch notch lapel, two buttons, flap pockets, a double vent, full canvas construction, and a tone-on-tone lining (though I’ve opted for a subtle paisley pattern).
One thing I’d like to call out specifically is the button color. I’ve gone with a reddish brown horn button as I like to wear this particular suit with a bit more of a “casual” (in the business sense) styling. This doesn’t mean I can’t do a more formal styling, but if you are considering this as a suit you would wear more formally, I would suggest a darker button.
I’ve styled the trousers with a flat front rather than my usual single reverse pleat. This tracks with the suit’s overall more modern appearance. Similarly, I’ve gone with a plain bottom trouser rather than a two-inch cuff. Either would work but, for me, the plain bottom is also just a bit more modern. And, of course, I’ve gone with side adjusters instead of belt loops.
As always, any of these details are completely customizable to your personal style preferences in the He Spoke Style Shop. And you can also add our signature Sartorial Upgrade for a fully canvassed construction and exquisite Milanese lapel buttonhole.
The Bottom Line
A royal blue suit represents a unique and modern alternative to the more traditional and classic navy blue suit. Its vibrant color makes it stand out and is perfect for the guy who wants to add just a touch of boldness and personality to their wardrobe without straying too far from some of the more classic and foundational menswear principles.
Whether for something special like a wedding (groom or guest!) or if you simply want to elevate and modernize your business attire, a royal blue suit provides the perfect blend of classic and contemporary.
Remember, personal style is about expressing who you are, and a royal blue suit can be a uniquely powerful tool in that expression. So, if you’re ready to make a statement that is both classic and modern — i.e. the He Spoke Style ethos of classic style, modern sensibility — consider adding a royal blue suit to your wardrobe today.
And thanks, as always, for reading.