The Green Suit: Why You Need One & How To Wear It
Green is a criminally underrated colour, especially when it comes to tailoring. Often shunned for the more popular tones of navy, grey and brown, green suits are actually incredibly versatile, and can easily be split up and worn as separates.
A green suit might not be for everyone, but for those who want to shake up their tailoring rotation, it might be an inspired menswear move.
From how to find the right fit to choosing the right fabric, as well as the best green suit brands, here’s everything you need to know.
Green Suit Buying Considerations
Fit
Boglioli
When it comes to tailoring, the correct fit largely depends on your body type. You essentially want to go for a suit that flatters your shape, which means nothing too slim or tight as you don’t want to restrict your movement. On the other hand, you also don’t want anything too loose, for risk of looking disheveled or worse, like you’ve borrowed someone else’s suit.
Regardless of your build though, there are some hard and fast rules you need to be aware of. The shoulders – the most important part of a well-fitting suit – should hug your own without feeling as though they’re pulling. For strong shouldered suits, the end of the suit’s shoulder should hang just over your own, so if you held your arms out straight they’d be a clean line down to your wrists.
With the jacket, you want to be able to comfortably do it up for starters. There shouldn’t be any pulling of fabric around your middle when the jacket is done up.
The next most important thing is the hems. Your jacket sleeves should end half an inch above your wrist when your arms are straight down, allowing a small amount of shirt cuff to peek out underneath.
The trouser hems should be similar to this: not too short, not too long. Have them tailored to sit just above your shoes, ensuring the trouser line is unbroken.
Style
Reiss
This one is largely down to personal choice. Suits change drastically with the smallest of details altered. For example, a suit with a ticket pocket is inherently more formal than one without, but unless you’re a style pedant, the average Joe isn’t likely to notice. When choosing your own green suit, try and decide how formal you’d like it to be before buying it. Will it be worn to a wedding reception? You’ll probably want something smarter than if you were to wear it to a business casual office.
Begin with fabric and then focus on the cut of the suit. An unstructured cotton suit is far more casual than a wool one with strong shoulders. Double-breasted is also smarter than single-breasted, so take this into consideration. At the end of the day, if you find one you like and the fit is on point, wear it with confidence and you can’t really go too far wrong.
Colour
Drakes
Green, as you’re likely aware, comes in many different shades, from light mint through to rich emerald or deep forest. Each provide their own look and feel, so take this into consideration before going out in the wild and hunting for your own green suit. Again, decide how formal you’d like it to be first and work from there.
In general, darker suits tend to be smarter than lighter coloured ones, so for the smartest of green suits go for something as dark as possible. Dark suits also work better in the fall and winter months – they reflect the more sombre mood of those seasons while also combining well with other cold-weather tones including navy, dark brown and black.
If you’re after a more casual suit, or you want some tailored separates to wear in the spring, consider a lighter green suit. These will combine well with similarly pale shades ranging from sky blue and white through to ecru other neutral shades.
Finally, ensure you take your skin tone into account. Dark green complements most skin tones, while paler shades have a tendency to wash out those with similarly light skin, so choose wisely.
The Best Brands For Green Suits
Suitsupply
For entry- to mid-level tailoring, Suitsupply should be high on your list of brands. It’s made a name for itself for democratising the world of high level suiting, thanks to its its well-made, tailored clothing that makes use of some of the world’s best fabric mills.
While they tend to fit on the slim side, the craftsmanship and quality of materials makes Suitsupply superb value for money.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren has long had the monopoly on classic Americana, from casualwear staples like chinos and Oxford shirts through to high-end tailoring. So when it comes to green suits, the US brand has you covered.
Expect to find a range of fabrics, from soft wools to more laid-back cottons, as well as everything from strong shouldered tailoring to unstructured shapes.
Boglioli
Speaking of soft, unstructured tailoring, few brands do it better than Boglioli. The Italian label is renowned for its classic tailoring, which is always cut with little to no padding, as is Neapolitan tradition.
The house cut boasts natural shoulders, a slightly shorter body than usual and a slim, form-hugging fit, which will help to elongate your silhouette. For a comfortable, lightweight green suit, there is no better.
Drake’s
While it started as a tiemaker, Drake’s has expanded into a fully-fledged clothing brand, producing garments ranging from selvedge denim jeans through to polos and other preppy staples.
The tailoring is a particular highlight, with the brand quickly becoming known for its soft, Italian-inspired construction and emphasis on quality fabric. Expect cloths from the world’s finest mills as well as blazers that are so comfortable they feel more like cardigans.
Paul Smith
The legendary Sir Paul Smith has always had a penchant for tailoring, which is why his eponymous brand is regarded as one of Britain’s finest when it comes to suiting.
Paul Smith suits tend to be cut quite slim, with contemporary tailored fits that flatter those with long, slender frames, while the colour palette is usually quite bold, so green suits tend to be high on its agenda.
Todd Snyder
US brand Todd Snyder is a great option if you’re looking to overhaul your wardrobe. The brand’s staples include denim shirts, perfectly fitting chinos and luxurious outerwear, which serve both casual and formal attire.
The tailoring tends to be on point too, with a range of contemporary cuts and designs available.
Tom Ford
You can normally spot Tom Ford tailoring from a sea of suits. The house cut is bold but incredibly flattering, with strong roped shoulders, long jackets and wide peak lapels, which reference 1970s Savile Row tailoring.
If you’re after a suit that will make you look and feel great, this is it. Of course, it will be incredibly expensive, but a green Tom Ford suit will help you stand out for all the right reasons, and will be made to last a lifetime.
