Written By
Brian Sacawa
Brian Sacawa is the Founder of He Spoke Style and one of the original men’s style influencers.
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An Essential And Versatile Fall And Winter Suit
Today, I’m pleased to introduce the latest addition to the HSS Shop: our classic navy blue flannel suit. With the new site and new shop, it just feels right to kick off this new series with one of the most timeless and versatile suits for fall and winter.
This will be more of an introduction — look out for some more in-depth style inspiration later this week — but in this post we’ll dive into why I believe a navy blue flannel suit deserves a permanent place in your cold weather wardrobe, the advantages of flannel as a fabric, and styling this versatile suit.
Why Do You Need A Navy Blue Flannel Suit?
I’ve long been a strong advocate for the navy suit as a first suit. However, as you know, not all navy suits are created equal. You’ve got to consider the season and there are some very good reasons why flannel is a great fabric choice for suits during the fall and winter months — four good reasons, in fact. Let’s talk about them.
Warmth
First and foremost, flannel is warm. One of the fabric’s most significant advantages is its ability to keep heat close to the body, which, of course, is particularly important when the temperatures drop and the wind gets chillier. I actually find that makes flannel suits wonderful seasonal transitional pieces for when it’s brisk outside as you can keep warm without the need for an additional jacket.
Durability
Another big advantage of flannel is its durability. A flannel suit is a suit that is designed to last and meant to be worn — a lot. My flannel suits, sport coats, and trousers are among my most worn pieces during the fall and winter and despite being several years old, still look good as new. This is so important as you continue to build your wardrobe, making a flannel suit an incredibly smart investment.
Softness
Despite its durability, flannel is also extremely soft and comfortable. The fabric feels great when you’re wearing it, it moves with you, and its softness ensures that you stay comfortable in any situation.
Versatility
Finally, flannel is an incredibly versatile fabric. One of the things I love most about a flannel suit — and a navy blue flannel suit, in particular — is that not only are you getting a suit with nearly unlimited styling possibilities, but you also now own a great fall and winter sport coat and pair of pants. Breaking a suit into separates like that isn’t something you can do with every fabric, but it works with flannel due to its weight and slightly textured appearance.
Now let’s get specific about the fabric for the He Spoke Style navy blue flannel suit.
The Fabric
We’ve chosen a lovely navy blue flannel from the venerable Vitale Barberis Canonico. It’s the world’s oldest fabric mill and family-run for 13 generations. VBC means quality and that’s certainly the case here.
This particular fabric has a wonderful weight and a very nice hand feel. It’s significant and substantial, yet still incredibly soft and supple. The weight of the fabric, in particular, makes it an absolute joy to wear. It’s hard to describe, but when you feel it hanging off you, it kind of has a feeling of inevitability and importance. Like I said, tough to describe — you’ve got to feel it.
The color is quite compelling as well. It’s a fairly standard navy blue tone when seen from afar, but it gets quite a bit more interesting when viewed up close. Amid the classic navy, there are lighter and darker flecks. Very unique and a great illustration of what I always say about my favorite details — the best details are the ones that only reveal themselves upon closer inspection.
Styling
In terms of garment styling, I’ve gone incredibly classic, which I think is fitting for suit like this. My jacket is two-button, notch lapel, flap pockets, double vent, and tone on tone for the lining. For the buttons, I chose a neutral and versatile black and gray, which give me the option to more easily style the suit with a black sweater and shoes — wouldn’t work quite as well with a brown button.
The pants I’ve also done to my usual specifications. Side adjusters instead of belt loops with some suspender buttons for when I’m feeling it, a single reverse pleat, and a two-inch cuff. I love wearing a single pleat and with this fabric, in particular, it feels great. And the extra weight the cuff provides really helps the leg fall and move quite nicely.
One of the things I really love about a navy blue flannel suit is that the fabric makes it very easy to dial the formality up or down depending on the styling. If you want to wear it more formally for business or a wedding, you can. More casual, it does that too. In fact, I often consider a flannel suit to be one of the more “casual” suits you can own.
And that’s how I’ve decided to style it in this post. I’m wearing it with our light blue striped shirt, a light brown textured wool tie, simple white pocket square, and some dark brown suede split toe derbies. All soft accessories with a decidedly casual, yet luxe, touch.
The Bottom Line
A navy blue flannel suit is an absolute essential for the colder months. Its warmth and softness provide a variety of practical benefits while its durability and versatility make it a truly sound investment for a fall and winter wardrobe.
While I’ve chosen to style mine quite timelessly, you can customize your garment styling any way you like — I think a 6×2 double-breasted version may be in my future. Hop on over the the He Spoke Style Shop to start creating your very own.
Thanks for reading.