What Kind of Grey Suit Should You Get?

This post is a comparison of how two different shades of grey affects how a person looks. One question I get really often is: What sort of grey suit should I get that I can wear year-round to everything?

Meet Andy. He's a professional who moved here from Toronto for his new job. On the way here, he lost his suitcase full of good work clothes and was left with just the suitcase of not-so-great looking work clothes.

I joke.

I actually forget the reason why Andy came in but he desperately needed a new work wardrobe. Of course, we were totally excited to help! 

He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted so it didn't take too long for him to make his selection. 

He also had a lot of decision-making to do when it came to choosing his shirts. We offer a lot of design options: French cuffs, convertible cuffs, contrasting collar & cuffs, contrasting plackets, concealed plackets, pockets with flaps or no flaps and so forth.  

Check out the following two grey suits that Andy is sporting for us:

Medium Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Contrast Collar/Cuff  Window-Pane Pattern Brushed Cotton Shirt

Medium Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Contrast Collar/Cuff  Window-Pane Pattern Brushed Cotton Shirt

Versus:

Charcoal Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Window-Pane Brushed Cotton Shirt

Charcoal Grey Mixed Wool Suit & Wiudow-Pane Brushed Cotton Shirt

A medium grey suit is very versatile in that it's not too light for the cooler seasons and not too dark for the warmer seasons. It feels more casual than a black, charcoal or navy suit.

Contrastly, Andy's charcoal suit feels a little more "serious" and formal since visually, it's closer to black. When you put on a charcoal suit, you look like you mean business!

Notice that even just the very act of doing up your jacket and leaving your jacket undone affects how formal or casual a suit looks?

My personal opinion is that these are the two best greys to choose from if you want to be able to wear your suits all year round and not have to worry about looking too done up or too casual. Andy obviously had that all figured out before he even stepped foot into our store since he didn't really need any guidance in picking out the colours! :)

Thanks for modelling, Andy! You have a great smile and very lush healthy-looking hair! ;D

Style Guide: How To Dress For a Grad Show

When wearing a super widespread collar, be sure to tie a fat WINDSOR KNOT.

This is Kevin. He's my kid brother, if you don't already know. He's also an incredibly talented interior design student at BCIT. He'll be finishing up his program in the next several weeks. Here is his portfolio: www.kevinkmwu.com

We ask each other a lot for opinions on our creative work and give each other brutal critiques. We inspire each other even though we have very different tastes in what is "pleasing to the eye".

He's got a knack for 3-D space, materials and color co-ordination while I am more adept in working with textures, 2-D composition, light and style cohesion.

It was his grad show yesterday and he approached me for some help in putting together an outfit that reflected who he was. Young, upbeat, creative and serious about his work. He basically needed to look like a young professional.

Here's what immediately came to mind:

[Fitted Button Up Sweater] - the snug fit makes the outfit trendy and young

[Crisp White Shirt] - easiest way to show "professionalism"

[Chinos] - comfy but still smart-looking

[Colour Scheme] - Neutral tones so he could acessorize his outfit with a punch of colour that'll make him memorable by potential employers

With all things put together, here's what he looked like:

I help photo-document his work quite a bit and this is what he wanted photographed the other day. That'll be my beach house one day ;)

Custom Made White Egyptian Cotton Shirt: $170 + HST

The Rossi's Rock! (Part 1)

They rock because they let me take pictures of them. They didn't want to at first but I basically shoved a model release form into their faces and pressured them into signing it. We have a "no signature--no nice suit to take home" policy at Balsam Custom Tailors.

Just kiddng.

Moreno and Jacob fought each other to be the star of this post. It was a tough battle. Punches were thrown. Blood was shed. Clothes were torn. Hair was ripped. Then I had to come between the two of them to settle the issue. I made them both stars.

I lie again.

I simply asked and they said "yes". See how boring that sounds?

I want to showcase both their suits because the cloths they picked are superb!

Jacob, the groom, picked a fine-stripe silky wool cloth that has a bit of sheen to it. It looks and drapes really well.

Cloth #: RKC 58340

Jacob opted for the regular size lapel. A classic!

Looks like we need to put some sunnies on that happy face of his!

Jacob's Custom Made Suit Price: $780