Are you looking to invest in a
new suit? If so, you should choose an appropriate color. Some men assume that a bold-colored suit is the best choice, believing that it will enhance their appearance when worn. While there's no single "best" color, you should generally stick with a common and versatile color, such as gray. A high-quality
gray suit will open the doors to a new world of possibilities when putting together formal outfits. To take full advantage of a gray suit and everything it has to offer, however, it's recommended that you follow these nine tips.
#1) Go Dark Gray for Increased Formality
For a more formal appearance, choose a dark gray suit rather than a light gray suit. With its dark tone, you can wear it for nearly any formal event or occasion, assuming you wear the right accessories with it.
#2) Match Trousers With Your Jacket
If you're going to wear a gray suit, make sure both your jacket and trousers are gray. In other words, don't wear a
gray jacket with a pair of black trousers. By definition, a two-piece suit consists of a jacket with matching trousers. If these two garments mismatch -- meaning one if a different color than the other -- you won't be able to create a cohesive appearance. You can avoid this headache, however, by purchase a gray two-piece suit. As long as the
gray trousers match the jacket, you can safely wear it.
#3) Watch the Wrinkles
Use caution to ensure that your gray suit doesn't have any wrinkles. It's not uncommon for wrinkles to form on suits. When this happens, the jacket and/or trousers will look messy and unflattering. But how exactly are you supposed to protect your gray suit from wrinkles? You can't always prevent wrinkles from forming, but there are a few ways to lower the risk of it happening.
Follow these tips to protect your gray suit from wrinkles:
- Hang suit -- both jacket and trousers -- on a wooden, heavy-duty clothes hanger.
- Have your suit professionally dry cleaned.
- Choose a suit made of a wrinkle-resistant fabric.
- Unbutton your suit jacket when sitting.
#4) Accessorize With a Necktie
A simple way to improve the appearance of a gray suit is to accessorize it with a
necktie. Without a necktie, you'll struggle to create a truly formal outfit. A necktie helps to lift the formality of your suit by introducing new colors, patterns and visual elements. A bow tie offers similar benefits, but most men prefer the simplicity of a necktie over a bow tie. Regardless, you should always wear a necktie with a suit.
#5) Wear a Light-Colored Dress Shirt
When choosing a
dress shirt to wear under your gray suit, consider the color and whether or not it will match your suit. Depending on the particular shade of gray in which your suit is made, a light-colored dress shirt should suffice. White is an all-around great choice for a dress shirt. It's easy on the matches and flows cohesively with most shades of gray. Of course, you can experience with other dress shirt colors, but when in doubt, a white dress shirt is a safe choice to wear with a gray suit.
#6) Go With a Single-Breasted Gray Suit
Another tip to follow when wearing a gray suit is to choose a single-breasted style. As you may know,
men's suits are available in two primary styles: single breasted and double breasted. The difference between them is that double-breasted suit jackets have a larger section of overlapping fabric on the front, which makes them look more formal. In terms of appearance, though, single-breasted gray suits usually look the best. They are cleaner, simpler and overall more stylish, so stick with a single-breasted gray suit rather than a
double-breasted suit.
#7) Keep a Lint Roller on Hand
Before heading out the door, grab a lint roller and place it in one of your pockets. Why do you need a lint roller exactly? Well, gray suits tend to show lint and dust more than other colors. If your gray suit suffers from static cling, it will catch and hold a significant amount of lint and debris, resulting in a messy and unattractive appearance. A lint roller, however, allows you to avoid this headache by eliminating any stuck-on lint or debris. Just run the lint roller across the surface of your suit jacket and
trousers, at which point it will remove any lingering lint or debris. A lint roller is a must-have accessory that all men should carry, especially when wearing a suit.
#8) Choose Gray Socks
Of course, you'll need to wear dress socks with a suit. Assuming you intend to wear a gray suit, though, you should probably wear gray socks in a similar color. Why is this important? Well, matching your socks with your suit helps conceal them. When standing, no one should see your socks. When sitting, however, the bottom of your suit trousers may rise a few inches -- just enough to reveal the top of your socks. As long as your socks feature the same color as your suit trousers, being gray in this instance, they'll blend into your outfit.
#9) Wear a Black Belt
While it's usually best to match your socks with your suit, you should choose a contrasting color for your belt. In other words, the color of your belt should be on the opposite end of the spectrum as the color of your suit. For a gray suit, you really can't go wrong with a black belt. A black leather belt will enhance your appearance while complementing the color of your suit. Furthermore, black belts are less likely to show stains or blemishes than other colors. For these reasons and others, it's recommended that you wear a black belt with a gray suit.
