Wait… hear me out!
The depth of colour and pattern available in modern suiting is hundredfold from the days of 30 and 40 years ago. They were there, of course, but only available to the select few.
Decades ago, the traditional English suit was relatively simple, the colour would often denote the position and purpose of the activity being pursued. When in town, doing business, one would stick with navy, mid-grey, and patterns that were not overly bold. Shoes would be black oxfords and the shirt… white, of course. The tie would reflect the school, cadetship, military regiment, or university attended. To wear anything else was madness, even by the mid 1990s, a banker at Lloyds would be sent home for wearing brown shoes at work.
There is an old saying, “No brown in town!”
Brown was a colour for relaxation and weekend getaways. Brown was the colour of the country, along with khaki, olives, mid-greens and the occasional burnt yellow. Materials were unfinished wool (such as tweed), and these were heavy and allowed for the wearer to remain warm and protected from the rain (even during the English summer).
On the mainland, the colour of the city had changed, Italians and Parisians began to explore the colour wheel. Bringing new shades with everyday cloth, terracotta and brick reds allowed the wearer to be seen rather than blending in. Brown was embraced in all its shades as the colour to wear.
Rolling onto the 1970s and the polyester American style sack-suits made the brown seem ‘limp’ by comparison, and this is likely the memory many of us have with the ‘Brown’ suit.
Fear not, the colour is rich and full of life, from a chocolate brown to the dusty light brown, the brown suit is making a surge in popularity. In Australia, we love the natural earth tones, we have a rich colour palette in our natural world and from the deep greens of the alpine ranges, to the light sand of the beach and onto the many luxurious browns and shades of red from the desert, in Australia we are surrounded by light and colour.
When choosing a suit to wear, colour and cut are the two most important factors to consider. This means which colours are in our personal colour palette and ensuring the clothes worn are a solid fit.
For the colour, brown is one of those universal colours that hits with every skin tone, the versatility of the colour allows the suit to switch from formal to casual with a minimum of fuss. Mixing and matching, the jacket will of course lift a set of denim jeans and with a lighter coloured set of chino trousers, the suit is ready for work and play. The brown trousers can also work with a neat polo or oxford button down shirt to make for a simple casual-but-elegant style (with or without a jacket).
To the diehards out there who refuse to consider the brown suit, there is no man who cannot wear one to personal advantage. The dark brown suit offers many virtues, the first is the independence from the predictable blues and grey; the second is that the dark brown suit is every bit as dressy as the navy, and like charcoal, the richness of the brown’s darker shades reacts well with dress shirts of all shades. Winter or summer, plain or striped, herringbone or check, single or double-breasted, the brown suit can always be a power player in the wardrobe.
Ready to rethink your suiting game? Explore our range of brown suits at Briggins and discover the perfect fit for your style and season. Because when it’s done right, brown isn’t just back—it’s unbeatable.
Check out our catalogue to find a brown suit or book a fitting now to customise your own.
