Piecing Together Solid-Colour Suits?

[Shangas]

Hey chaps.

I have a question to ask. And that is, if you have a partial suit in a solid colour (say waistcoat & trousers, or jacket and waistcoat, which was black, or brown, or blue etc), and you found the missing article which matched the colour of the other two pieces, would you marry them together and call it a full suit?

I ask this question because I've had a solid blue waistcoat and jacket in my wardrobe for a couple of years, now. And I recently purchased a pair of blue trousers.

By happy coincidence, the two shades of blue are a perfect match. But the weave of the fabrics is slightly different (the coat and waistcoat are rather thicker, the trousers lighter).

You think it'd be possible to pull them off together as a suit? I'll provide photos once I've finished altering the trousers.

 

[Tomasso]

Nope.

 

[Shangas]

Okay, thanks for the reply.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I don't know why not. You could model the ensemble in front of a 3 way mirror or ask someone whose judgement and eyesight you trust. Trying to answer your question from here, is like cabling a girl in Madrid that her nose is shiny.

 

[Shangas]

Here are the pieces. The jacket and waistcoat are 2/3 of a suit I bought second-hand, which didn't come with a pair of trousers. The trousers were something I bought last week. I didn't occur to me until after I got them home, that they were the same shade as the coat and vest.





The blue on the left is the vest, the blue on the right is the trousers.

 

[Fastuni]

If the color AND weave are very similar or identitical, I call it a suit.

Otherwise it is preferable to go for a contrasting pair of trousers, which is particularly easy to do with solids.

 

[Shangas]

The colour is very similar, the weave not. That's what made me wonder whether I could pull it off.

 

[Two Types]

That doesn't work for me. You need contrast.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Sorry to disappoint but I would also rather advice against it. In the picture the color doesn't quite match either. Left got a slightly greenish hue.

On the bright side it is really a good color for separates. I wear sportcoats all the time. It's a legitimate golden era look.

 

[Shangas]

Thanks for the replies. I knew it was a long shot, anyway. But that said, I've always wanted a pair of blue trousers, so at least I have that. But it'll be a long time before I get another suit.

 

[Claudio]

texture, pattern, weight of the cloth ... even patina ... all very important and even if you think they look the same, they will not when worn. Off white, ivory, even a blue POW check should look ok on the bottom with that waist coat-jacket combo.

 

[Tomasso]

I don't know why not. You could model the ensemble in front of a 3 way mirror or ask someone whose judgement and eyesight you trust. Trying to answer your question from here, is like cabling a girl in Madrid that her nose is shiny.

Sorry, but one doesn't even need a photo to know that it will not work. If the suiting is not an identical match then it will not work as a suit. Plain and simple. No advanced degree in rocket science needed for this call.

 

[Shangas]

Nope.

Sorry, but one doesn't even need a photo to know that it will not work. If the suiting is not an identical match then it will not work as a suit. Plain and simple. No advanced degree in rocket science needed for this call.

Then this thread can be locked and deleted.

 

[Tomasso]

Then this thread can be locked and deleted.

I think it should remain, as is, for its archival value. It's a good question, properly answered.

 

[Shangas]

If the answer's that simple then I don't see why it has to remain.

 

[Tomasso]

If the answer's that simple then I don't see why it has to remain.

This question has been asked (and answered) numerous times in various threads here on the FLounge. But never, to my knowledge, has it appeared as the subject of a thread. It will be much easier in the future for those with the same question to search the archives if the question is the subject of a thread than if it is a single post buried in a multitude of threads.

Am I making sense? (I need more coffee......)

 

[GBR]

Never and the trousers you propose to compromise thus are nothing like the rest of the suit! Forget it.

 

[avedwards]

I tried this with a blue suit jacket and trousers a few years ago and like your set it *almost* worked but wasn't quite perfect. After wearing the "suit" for a few times I decided that I just didn't feel comfortable in it and only used the jacket with contrasting trousers.

The one exception to the rule seems to be vintage barathea (used for dinner jackets). That stuff seems to match up even with seperates, but perhaps it helps that dinner jackets are inevitably worn when it's dark outside.