The Esquire Color Quotient – NAVY BLUE
Banana Republic Two Button Suit – $475.00 | Kenneth Cole Two Button Suit – $199.00
Navy Blue came in a close second to White on the Esquire Color quotient, and that’s only because they counted all of the white in the striped shirts you probably have.
Between the dark jeans, sweaters, and casual blazers you already have in this color… it’s the navy blue suit you need to make the foundation of your clothes line-up. A navy two button suit should be the first suit every guy buys, and it should also be his first choice for a big interview, big date, or big day at work.
A deep navy suit is more regal looking than black. And some black fabrics can look brown (slide 7) under florescent lights. Plus, with the navy suit you’ll have tons of options for black shoes, watchbands, and black ties… all without looking like you fell out of a Reservoir Dogs themed costume party.
The white shirt and black everything else look didn’t look good on Steve Buscemi, and it won’t look good on you.
The Navy Blue suit is a can’t miss. Both deep brown and freshly shined black shoes look terrific with the color of the fabric. Pair it with a solid, slim, white pocket square and a substantial collared white shirt, and you’ll look like you own the place.
Doesn’t matter where you are, you’ll look like you own it.
The Banana Republic suit is more than twice the cost of the Kenneth Cole. The Fabric might be a touch nicer, construction might be about the same. Notch or Peak Lapel is up to you. But allow me to suggest two buttons on the jacket and flat front pants. No exceptions. (unless you want to take a risk and go with a one button slim-fit)
And we know Charlie Rose is incapable of doing it, but I’m sure you can… keep your lapels on the slim side.
For more on how to buy a sub $200 suit, along with rules for buying ANY suit… click on over here.
Why do some navy suits appear borderline black and some appear almost as bright as the Windows XP taskbar? Shouldn’t the industry go ahead and demarcate these groups of shades into two better defined color titles?
Y’know… I don’t know. Combine that with the fact that a lot of times, colors will appear differently online than they do in person. I’ve had that issue with Zappos before. But back to the suits. I usually say the darker the better, unless it’s so deep-navy that it’s tough to tell the difference between your black tie and your blue suit.