One Suit, Six Styles: The Adaptable Suit - A Feature with Sarah Gilfillan

Some of you may remember a feature here called 'One jacket, Five Styles' (here) in which my friend and ace menswear personal stylist, Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab, found five ways for a man to wear a grey tweed jacket. The idea was to help you revive a forgotten or under-appreciated item in your wardrobe by finding additional uses for it. It turned out to be one of the most-read features in the history of the blog, showing how men like to find new ways to style what they own. 

We've now done the same for the humble suit. Many men see the suit as a costume for work or formal events. It can be much more than this, as we show you here. There are many ways to wear a suit; we've chosen six. We've used a made-to-measure suit by Artefact London (see my feature here) but almost any suit, from pinstripe to plain grey, summer or winter-weight, could be used in this adaptable way

As ever, this wouldn't have been possible without Sarah's vision and skill. If your wardrobe and style need a make-over you wouldn't do better than to retain her skills (contact details below). I hand you over to Sarah to describe each look in her own words:

Denim look

Here we've got a double denim look: some might think that a bit "daring" for the older man, but it works well on David and provides a great neutral canvas for the suit jacket. The Prince of Wales check has a pale blue tone running through it so it goes well with blue denim, and we’ve kept the rest of the look quite smart and put together so it doesn’t look like he’s trying too hard. 

The brown suede shoes are smart enough to balance out the formality of the jacket and we chose burgundy socks (not shown) to add a subtle touch of colour. 

Greens

We've gone for some serious pattern mixing here! David is sporting four different patterns, no less! The reason I think this looks good is because of the contrasts, so your eye doesn't have to work too hard figuring it out what's what. The contrasts are obtained by mixing the checked pattern of the jacket, which is large but subtle with the checked pattern of the shirt which is small but bold. This ensures that they’re not fighting against each. 

When the tie is thrown into the mix it echoes the colour of the shirt and has a widely spaced pattern so it doesn’t look too busy against the others. The pocket square continues with the green colour and the orange edging picks up on the tan of the shoes, thus giving a harmonious look despite our riotous pattern mixing!

Purple sweater

The style of this cashmere sweater is quite sleek and not too “hand-knitted” or rustic looking so it doesn’t look incongruous when mixed with suit trousers. The soft muted purple tones in nicely with the grey, neither of them shouting too loudly over the other, and these soft tones are also flattering to David's own colouring and don't overpower him.

We wanted to go for a smart/casual look, so we opted for a chambray shirt and pebbled leather brogues which bridge the gap between smart and casual. David wears maroon socks (not shown) which are in the same family of colours as the jumper and tone in nicely with the shoes.

White shirt and tie

With this look we wanted to obtain a smart, classic feel. A crisp white shirt will always look smarter when mixed with a darker tie as the colours are contrasting which adds a layer of formality.

Notice how David’s tie has the perfect dimple in it?! It’s these small details that make the difference and will elevate your style to Grey Fox levels! The tie has hints of blue in it which pick up on the blue running through the suit (and the lining colour) and it also has a dark brown which brings in the brown of the shoes. The pocket square is in very similar colours but remember matching them exactly is a big sartorial no-no! The London Sock Company are experts on producing understated socks like these which are not shouty but still make your outfit look more thought out than a plain grey pair.

Light chinos

Doesn't Grey Fox looks as fresh as an ice-cream on a summer’s day in this outfit?! Many men forget about accessories as tools to upgrade their outfits and view them as purely functional objects, having just one belt, one scarf etc in their wardrobes. But you can see how much of a difference the accessories make here can’t you, and it’s not illegal to have more than one of each thing in your wardrobe!

The basic outfit of blue striped shirt, grey check jacket and stone chinos would look fine on their own but a touch boring. With the addition of the pink knitted tie, pocket square and bright socks it’s instantly brought to life. Also notice how the striped shirt has a collar pin which adds a point of difference to it. 

Finished off with tan suede shoes; perfect for summer, the accessories are the things that keep this look really crisp and modern.

Navy blazer

Every man needs a navy blazer in his wardrobe and we’ve gone for an updated twist on the timeless and classic outfit of navy blazer, grey trousers and pale blue shirt. The jacket we chose to go with the suit trousers is unstructured, with patch pockets giving it an informal, up to date look. We swapped a formal pale blue shirt for a more casual chambray one and went for colourful pocket square and socks to give it a Spring-like feel. 

A pair of tan brogues is another must for a man’s wardrobe and they work brilliantly with formal trousers, jeans and pretty much everything in between so are a useful bit of kit to own.

Acknowledgments by Grey Fox

Suit made to measure from Artefact London. Other items are my own and, as this is an unsponsored post, I've not got the energy to list them all. Do get in touch if you need any information.

With many thanks to Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab. There's little about men's style that Sarah doesn't know. I've learned much from her and I urge you to contact her for her personal and wardrobe styling services.