Fall in love with a plaid suit

While I am still on the hunt for some great elevated casual looks for fall, I’ve also been looking at suits to wear for the season. I have the basic navy, gray and charcoal suit and some even with a slight pattern. However I also wanted something a bit bolder. That’s why this great plaid suit is a welcomed addition to my wardrobe.

Contrary to what many believe, suiting is not going away. While there has been that shift to business casual and the rise of atheleisure, tailored looks are seeing a welcomed resurgence. Almost a year ago Suit Supply opened up an additional location and made to measure suit companies have been popping up as well such as the new Indochino that just opened in the Tysons Galleria.

For fall, consider adding a bolder suit to your wardrobe. Color and/or pattern can be a nice welcomed addition. And now is the perfect time to add a bold plaid print to your suiting game. A traditional glen plaid suit has long been a stable in many a dapper man’s closet but today we’re seeing some bolder plaid prints out this season. So why not go ahead and make your mark? However before you decide to make your mark, there are some things to consider before adding that new big pattern plaid suit.

The bigger the pattern the focus becomes the suit

Accessories (shirt, tie, pocket square) can help give a suit with little or no pattern that extra zing. Using elements such as bright colors and pattern mixing are ways to show off a well put together look. For a bold plaid suit, the eyes are immediately drawn to the suit pattern. As a result the accessories should be subtler. While you can still add pattern to your accessories such as in my pocket square, the print should be much smaller than that of the suit.

A plaid suit stands out

In a sea of dark colored suits, especially here in Washington, a plaid suit will be very noticeable. It’s more of a statement piece. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it is something to think about. If you wear it too often you might get that reputation of being that guy that always wears the bold plaid suit. That’s not the case with a simple navy suit. You can practically wear that every day. Consider the Australian newscaster who actually did wear the same suit for a year. No one noticed.

Working as separates

Once you’ve decided to incorporate a plaid suit in your arsenal you accepted that it’s not something that you can get away with wearing all the time. However if you’re going to make an investment in a suit, it should not just hang in the closet. I’ve said it before if you’re going to buy it, you should wear it. One of the best ways to get more use out of your plaid is to wear the pieces as separates. By separating the pieces, your once in a while suit can get more use. Stayed tuned for my upcoming posts where I break out the pieces to show you how you can achieve more looks.

I like a tailored look and am loving this plaid suit. Plus the bonus is that with chillier weather the easiest layering technique is to add a suit jacket. Bring on fall!

Shop my look/Details

Plaid suit – Suit Supply (Other Plaids – 1, 2 or 3)| Dress shirt – Burberry| Tie & pocket square – Countess Mara – ties| Monk Strap shoes – Jimmy Choo – similar or other Jimmy Choo styles | Watch – Daniel Wellington (Receive 15% off by using code DCFASHIONFOOL)

Photos by Jen Jean-Pierre (Commecoco)

The watch from Daniel Wellington was a gifted item