In men's fashion lingo, 'suits' almost automatically summons images of blacks, grays and navies in a sea of neckties and briefcases. But in this mixed-up world of high fashion tee shirts and designer duds at Target, something had to give in at the suit section too. You'd better stock up on these light-colored suits for spring and summer because they will soon be on a glamorously thin male model near you.
Deconstructed Casual
Suits used to be some of the most rigidly structured pieces of mens fashion, but that is no longer a strict requirement nowadays. In fact, doing away with the dark colors and stuffy structure of the traditional suit is the surest way to give it a quick update and dress-down to a more reasonable level at the same time.
It's a fairly recent trend, these light-colored less structured suits, beginning with a couple from Burberry's men's RTW collection a couple of seasons ago. But even if you're not shopping in the premium label section at Saks, you can now easily find these things. Ask the sales staff for a linen suit jacket in colors like off-white, dove gray or sky blue with little to no shoulder padding. Once you have them, just look for the pants to match.
Keep your message consistent if you're wearing the light suit for a casual look. Pair a two- or one-button unlined jacket with an equally colored pair of slim (but not skinny) pants. Skip the formal shirt and necktie; reach for a solid colored (white works great) v-neck shirt for your base layer instead. No-fuss loafers or oxblood loafers, worn sans socks, of course, should finish off this sharp but dressed down look for you.
Fair-Weather Formal
Light-colored suits can go toward the other end of the formality scale as well; their lack of sobriety in color doesn't disqualify them from dress codes entirely. If done tastefully enough, your boss or host will most likely overlook the fact that your suit makes you stand out from all the other somber suit-wearing sods in attendance.
Crank the lightness of your suit all the way up. Don't stop at a mere pastel blue, that's for catering waiters and wedding singers only, but take it to an extremely light shade that it's almost white. Almost-white pastels are more versatile than their more saturated counterparts exactly because they are so pale; it gets easier to work with other colors. A slim cut for the whole suit is all you'd need to add to create a fantastic staple for spring.
The fact that the suit isn't black, gray or navy is intimidating enough style-wise, so make sure that nothing in your base layer clashes with your suit. Uncomplicated pieces like a solid white shirt and a simple black or gray necktie will keep your look from getting too busy or loud. Be sure to get a jacket that is got a bit of shape and structure at the shoulders because the look is meant to be crisp and sharp, which requires just a wee bit of padding.
Workday Grays
Razor-sharp black Armani two-piece sets used to be the gold standard of office-bound suiting, but you can easily shake up that old measuring stick. The right gray suit gives you about the same amount of dress code-required formality and a very comfortable office outfit at the same time.
Flannel is analogous to linen in terms of styling. Like its flannel brethren, a gray suit in linen should have slightly higher shoulders and a narrow cut for the jacket. A slim pant with a bit of taper and no break make the perfect complement. Go with an almost-white blue shirt and a dark gray tie that is not done up too tight, and you've got your look.
Depending on how you style them, light-colored suits can be just as versatile and stylish as their darker counterparts. It's a whole new kind of fashion for a lot of men, but it's definitely worth trying for the additional style points and comfort it has to offers.
