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DB + Flannel + Winter = Yes
Another week, another great drop here in the HSS Shop. Today, I’m pleased to introduce our brown double-breasted flannel suit. It’s a bit perplexing that it’s taken us this long to add this particular suit to the collection given my penchant for brown clothing of any kind, but better late than never, as they say. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the benefits of a brown suit, why you should consider a double-breasted suit, as well as the garment and outfit styling.
Let’s dig in.
5 Benefits Of A Brown Suit
While longtime HSS fans know my stance on the color brown — one loyal commenter even remarked once that I should change our name to He Spoke Brown — there may be some who aren’t quite convinced or sold on adding a brown suit to their wardrobe. To be sure, you can never go wrong with a navy blue suit or a gray suit, but there are many reasons why a brown suit can be considered in the same company as those two classics. Here are five benefits of a brown suit.
Conveys Positive Associations
Believe it or not, there is a science behind how particular colors make people feel. And the astute sartorialist will understand that and use it to his advantage. As you might expect, brown, as an earth tone, is often seen as solid — like the earth — and is therefore a color that is often associated with resilience, dependability, stability, and conveys a sense of confidence and professionalism. So, if that’s what you’re after, it might be wise to skip the cooler navy blue or solemn gray for a brown suit.
Situational Versatility
A brown suit is acceptable to wear in many different settings and scenarios. Business meeting? Check. Date night? Check. Fall wedding? Check. You get the idea. And I would argue that because of the color’s earthiness, that is even more at home for casual occasions — especially if worn as separates — than your classic navy blue or gray suits.
Styling Flexibility
In addition to its situational versatility, a brown suit also offers an incredible amount of styling flexibility. We love to trumpet the insane versatility of the navy suit, but I believe that a brown suit offers the same level of versatility — in fact, it’s why I’m fond of calling a brown suit your “alternate” navy suit. Brown, like navy blue, is easy to pair with a variety of different shirt and tie colors, which means you’re going to get a lot out of it.
Complements Various Skin Tones
Certain colors look better with certain complexions, but brown is interesting because it tends to complement a very wide range of skin tones, making it a suit color that can work for many different people.
Timelessness
Like navy and gray suits, a brown suit is a classic choice that never goes out of style. If your suit is styled in a classic manner — i.e. a lapel width that matches your face — it’s a piece you’ll b wearing for decades to come.
Why Go Double-Breasted?
Now that’s a very good question. There are a lot of myths out there about double-breasted suits — who can or can’t wear them or who should or shouldn’t wear them — and I have to say that most of these myths are, well, actually myths and made up by the self-proclaimed style illuminati lurking in the dark corners of the #menswear internet. The truth is that a double-breasted suit can look good on anyone provided it is custom tailored to their body, which we can certainly help you out with. And here are three reasons to consider a double-breasted suit.
A Bit More Formal
Although you may think that because of their more traditional and formal appearance, that double-breasted suits are only reserved for special occasions like weddings, black tie events, or business meetings. While they will certainly not look out of place in any of those situations, there’s no reason that a double-breasted suit can’t be worn any time you want to make a strong impression and look your best.
More Flattering
Double-breasted suits tend to be more flattering — if and only if they are tailored properly. Because of the overlapping of the front panels and how close the fabrics sits to your body, the waist of a well-tailored double-breasted suit can create a slimming effect, which can be especially flattering on men of any shape or size.
Add Versatility
There’s that word again! A double-breasted suit is a wardrobe addition that instantly adds a lot of versatility. But here we’re talking more big picture rather than purely outfit-level. Yes, you’re going to get a lot out of that one suit, but in the broader sense, you’re increasing the number of options across your entire wardrobe as well.
Styling
Let’s talk about how I’ve chosen to style the garment itself as well as my outfit in this post.
The fabric we chose for this suit is a Super 120s wool flannel from the venerable Vitale Barberis Canonico. The jacket is six show two double-breasted, peaked lapel, flap pockets, double vent, and a full canvas construction and Milanese buttonhole courtesy of our “Sartorial Upgrade” package.
With a double-breasted suit, you can always push the lapel width a little further than you might for a single-breasted, but I still decided to keep it pretty inside the box. And while you may also consider a jetted pocket, I opted for a classic flap pocket as I feel that positions the suit squarely in the middle of the formality spectrum, enabling me to wear it in a wider variety of situations.
The trousers I’ve styled as I always do, especially with flannel. They have a single reverse pleat, side adjusters instead of belt loops, and a two-inch cuff.
For the outfit, I’ve gone with a more or less classic business styling. Because of the double-breasted suit’s perceived formality, I chose a shirt and tie that would play into the idea that brown is a bit more casual and welcoming than navy blue or gray. Pink pairs perfectly with brown and the lighter color of the stripes in the tie tones down the formality as well.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve been looking to dip your toe into the world of double-breasted suits but have been hesitant because of their formal appearance, a brown double-breasted flannel suit is a great place to start for your fall and winter wardrobe. It’s a timeless choice that can be worn in many situations and many different ways.