Four Ways to Add a Unique Touch to Your Suit

At any dressy event, the norm is for women to be wearing a rainbow of gowns while all men look the same in a black suit. There is limited wiggle room for making your outfit unique, but it can be done in a way that doesn?t cheapen your look. Here are a few ways to make your suit more individual.

Colored suit

All eyes will be on you in a brightly colored suit. Pastel shades are the most attention grabbing but can also be seen as a bit camp. Not one for the faint hearted- if you feel self-conscious, you won?t be able to carry off the look convincingly. For a slightly more conservative take on the colored suit, try a burgundy number. Colored suits are perfect for situations which are formal where the venue isn?t too strict on dress code.

Patterned shirt

Just like a mullet haircut in reverse, a patterned shirt with a suit gives the appearance of all business from the back but shows your style at the front. Go with seasonal prints for an up-to-date fashionable look, while patterns such as paisley or vertical stripes are timelessly stylish.

Patterned shirts can be fun and quirky, but you can still encompass a more serious look with a tasteful and demure pattern such as stripes woven into the material.

Wearing a patterned shirt with a suit does not preclude you from wearing a tie- if anything it is even more necessary to complete your look. It will be glaringly obvious if you are lacking a tie as attention is drawn to the area where it should be. Wear the shirt buttoned up as you would with a plain shirt- just because you are showcasing your individual taste in shirts is no excuse to look sloppy.

Bowtie

Perfectly tied bowties are a given when the dress code is white tie, but are considered ostentatious under any other circumstances. For a formal look, choose a block colored bowtie; for a more individual take, choose a patterned one. Stripes and spots are old favorites for bowties. Avoid colors such as red and yellow for patterned bowties to avoid resembling a clown.

For a particularly snappy combination, wear a bowtie and a patterned shirt together.

Pinstripe

Pinstripe is a subtle yet stylish way to bring individuality to your suit. While pinstripes are a conservative device appropriate for business settings, over the last few decades pinstripes have become a fashionable statement. Typically white or grey pinstripes on a dark suit, pair it with a trilby for an even sharper look. Colored pinstripes are a more attention-grabbing option, although it is difficult to come by a decent quality suit with bright pinstripes.

A word of warning, not all occasions are suitable for an enlivened suit. In some contexts, your fashionable variations on a suit could be interpreted as disrespectful. Wearing a colorful suit to the races is fun; recycling that same suit for a formal work dinner is always not such a good idea.