Choosing the Right Suit Colour for Your Complexion
Colour is the decision most men defer and then regret. It is also the easiest one to get right, because it follows from something you cannot change and do not have to guess at: your undertone.
Find your undertone first
Three ways to read it, all in natural light near a window — never under a showroom bulb.
Look at your skin. Rosy, pink or slightly blue suggests a cool undertone. Yellow, peachy or golden suggests warm. Both at once, or a hint of olive, suggests neutral.
Look at the veins inside your wrist. Blue reads cool. Green reads warm. Both, or neither clearly, reads neutral.
Hold metal against your skin. If silver flatters you, you are likely cool. If gold does, likely warm. If both look fine, neutral.
Cool undertones
These tend to work:
- Navy
- Medium to dark grey and charcoal
- Royal blue
- Burgundy
Be careful with warm oranges and yellows, which fight a cool complexion rather than complementing it. A true white shirt usually sits better than cream or off-white, both of which can wash a cool undertone out.
Warm undertones
These tend to work:
- Olive and sage
- Brown and tobacco
- Warm tan and camel
- Deeper golds and rust, used sparingly
Icy blues, lavender and cold mid-greys can dull a warm complexion. Cream and ivory shirts often read better than stark white.
Neutral undertones
Very little is off-limits, and both white and cream shirts work. The advantage is real — it means colour choice can follow the occasion rather than your skin.
What works on almost everyone
Jewel tones. Deep emerald, garnet, a muted amethyst. They flatter a wide range of complexions and they hold their depth in daylight rather than going flat — which is why they photograph as well as they do.
If you love a colour that does not love you
Put it away from your face. A pocket square, a waistcoat, a jacket lining or the trouser will all carry a colour that would be wrong against your collar. This is the most useful trick in the whole business and almost nobody mentions it.
How we handle this at a fitting
Cloth goes to the window, against your skin, before anything is decided. We will tell you honestly when a cloth you like is not doing you any favours — that is worth more than agreeing with you. Around thirty measurements and three photographs follow, and the cloth you choose sets the price.
Two-piece suits from $1,795, three-piece from $2,045, custom shirts $295. Unlimited fittings and one year of complimentary alterations are included. Every garment is full canvas, cut and sewn by hand by Max in our atelier in Southern Brittany, France. There is more on our bespoke suits page.
Questions we are often asked
Is navy always safe?
Close to it, and it photographs reliably in any light. It is the right first suit for most men. It is just not the only answer.
What about black?
Black is for black tie and for funerals. In daylight it tends to read flat and it is less flattering than charcoal on almost everyone.
Can I bring my fiancée or partner to the consultation?
Please do. They will have opinions about colour that are usually right, and it is easier to settle it in the room than afterwards.
Book a consultation, or call 310-503-3592. The first hour is free, at 221 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey, with free parking front and back.