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The FML Guide to the Basic Black Suit

Lookbook

By Hannah Goodall

Fri. 1. March.

"Karl Lagerfield once said “One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress.”

It is a crying shame the same effortless class can not be afforded to the Little Black Suit. A versatile must-have item for any fashionable man's limited wardrobe. It has been the very picture of cool from James Bond to Reservoir Dogs and is always a talking point during awards season.

Unfortunately, the black suit as we know it has become a little stale and tattered around the edges. Luckily, the future of the black suit is not necessarily in jeopardy with alterations to the cut and a sharpening of edges and with an array of ways in which you can update the suit to match your personal style, the black suit has once again been opened to endless possibilities. Possibilities  accommodated by the black suit’s versatility of course.

There are a number of ways, simple and overlooked, in which you can update the Black Suit. Depending on the occasion changing anything from the shirt to the cut, the material to neck-tie can give it a much needed revamp.

For day to day wear, the office or business lunches the best thing is to play on tradition with a 2013 kick. Going tonal is one of those ways. Taking a single colour and playing its various shades off against each other is a subtle yet sharp and super stylish way to enrich the suit and make it completely eye-catching.

If you happen to feel a little more adventurous and wanted to really amp up your suit, there is no better way to do so than by going big and going bold. A bright, not audacious, shirt is again a simple way to add a touch of colour to the suit. Wearing it open oozes sex appeal and effortless cool. Just ask Fassbender.

Another way to push your suit to the next level is through the use of  foot wear. David Tennant made converse and suits a cool combination so why not give it a go. Or playing with neck ties. Whether you go with a classic tie or a bow tie it gives the black suit a lift.

A recent trend in men's formal wear is the love of all things skinny fit. From the suit itself to a tie 'skinny' is a good look, worn best by Irish Actor and style icon Michael Fassbender. Again, just ask him.

My personal favourite, completely cool way to wear the black suit is simple. Black on black. Classy. Cool and when worn right, utterly breath-taking. The Black Suit is not a lost cause all it needs is some attention and some TLC. Tailored-Loving-Care.

The black suit can be kept classic, in its true and original form but that does not in anyway mean that it needs to be given no thought to how it is worn. Tom Hiddleston wears nothing but well tailored black suits in a classic, typically Bond fashion. And they never fail to impress. At the end of the day its how you carry it. The suit makes the man and the man makes the suit.

Hannah Goodall is the Editor of the FML Blog. www.thefmlblog.wordpress.com


 

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