Men’s suits colours are fraught with meaning. Men in black? Shadowy government officials or special ops. Grey? Dreary, officious and John Major-ish, as per the late Princess Diana’s aversion to what she termed “men in grey”. Navy is a bit corporate and nouveau (remember when Ascot permitted the shade on morning suits and raised the eyebrows of the old guard). While a stately black suit is a thing of majesty – and quite possibly my favourite wardrobe go-to – there is a bright young contender for this elder statesman’s throne. Summer is the perfect time to dip your sartorial toe into cheerier waters; step forward, the sunshine suit.
It’s been a curious feature of the red carpet for a couple of years now, ever since those predisposed to peacocking were able to do so, post-Covid. And did they ever: sage shades on Chris Pine, toffee tones on Andrew Garfield and electric aquamarine on Idris Elba. Ryan Gosling, doing the rounds for the much-hyped Barbie movie, was dressed in soft pastel suits almost exclusively.
You needn’t be quite so statement-making in your approach; the joy of a coloured suit is that it doesn’t have to be full-throttle Elton John. Subtler iterations in, for example, lilac grey or cappuccino tones are a nuanced way to add a point of difference to your suit without the sensory overload.
Sir Paul Smith has been a pioneer of bold suits for men since the 1980s, and has some advice: “Colour has always been an important part of the DNA of Paul Smith. It’s my signature; even if just a lining in my suits for a pop of colour. It adds a touch of the unexpected,” says the designer, noting that there’s been a huge resurgence in interest in suiting recently.
So what should you look out for?
Get the colour right There are three categories here: full-on brights, subtle dark tones and light pastels. The first – unless you’re defiantly Main Character in all things dress-wise – is tricky for anyone to pull-off. It’s not impossible – Elba looks fantastic in zinging bright shades – but they don’t work on everyone; darker skin tones generally suit them better.
A far easier “in” with a coloured suit is a dark tone like berry or forest green – the shades are more masculine and a little more sophisticated. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are soft candy colours. There’s a quaintness to these hues – think barbershop quartets and Robert Redford’s raffish Gatsby in blush tones – but soft pinks and yellows don’t tend to work well on pale English complexions.
What to wear it with
The colour is doing the talking, so keep the rest of your look pared back. Gosling clashed his pastels, but it’s a tricky one to pull off without looking like a children’s television presenter. A fresh white shirt is the obvious solution, but consider also the fact that a bright suit is pretty contemporary and youthful.
A neat white T-shirt instead of a shirt, or a pair of trainers rather than formal shoes, looks happily at home with one. If the sensory assault of a full suit is too much for you, break it up: a bold mint-coloured blazer with cream chinos, for example, or sunny-hued smart trousers with a white shirt. We’ll leave it to you to decide if you want to subscribe to the red trousers brigade; that’s an entire column in and of itself.
Where to wear it Summer weddings are the obvious choice, providing it’s an informal set-up rather than ceremonial morning suits and the like. Smart lunches and cocktail-hour aperitivo on holiday are also a pleasing backdrop to a sunshine suit; a deep rust-coloured single-breasted number with casual linen shirt just calls for an Aperol Spritz when the sun sets over Positano.
Try these...
Wool silk and linen jacket, £429, hugoboss.com; chinos, £49.95, charlestyrwhitt.com
Manuel Ritz suit, £268, farfetch.com
Havana suit, £449, suitsupply.com
Do you own a sunshine suit? Let us know in the comments
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