At the time of writing, colourful blossom adorns the nation’s trees, bees hum gently around even the most modest of gardens and the sun bathes the world in warm, golden light. In other words, it’s the time of year when the sartorially-minded start wistfully contemplating the merits of a white suit. Of course, white suits are legendarily difficult to wear well. As such, many gentlemen never pluck up the courage to don one. Frankly, this is a tragedy, as white suits can be truly beautiful when worn properly. Luckily, we at Mullen and Mullen are here to provide important men's fashion tips so that you can wear one of these glorious garments with confidence.
First of all, you must consider the setting you intend to wear the suit in. White suits are outdoor garments and are ill-suited to offices and crowded, built-up areas such as city centres. Their pristine colour and summery aesthetic look best in more natural, genteel settings. For example, you might attire yourself in a white suit when going to an outdoor concert in a large, spacious park or when attending a garden party. You should certainly never squander your white suit on claustrophobic, indoor settings: it needs space and natural sunlight to truly look its best.
However, deciding where to wear your white suit is only half the battle. The suit itself must also look impeccable. White suits belong firmly to the world of high fashion and the cut of the suit should reflect this. Opt for a slim-fit suit with stylish-but-casual notch lapels: more conventional fits appear frumpy when applied to a white suit while other types of lapel are too formal. Bespoke tailoring is the best way to ensure that the style of the suit is exactly right and that it fits you perfectly. White is a very revealing colour that shows off the shape and tailoring of a suit. As such, there is little room for error when selecting a white suit, so bespoke tailoring is practically essentially.
Finally, you may be wondering what you should wear with a white suit. The shirt, tie and pocket-square shouldn’t be too garish as you don’t want to pull attention away from the suit itself. Bright, vivid colours are perfectly acceptable provided they are block colours, as these will contrast nicely with the pristine white of the suit: just remember to avoid flamboyant patterns and excessive decoration. Also, remember not to wear more than one or two other colours with the suit, as this would have the exact same distracting effect as over-the-top patterns. Meanwhile, you don’t have to worry about whether to wear black or brown shoes as both work equally well with white.
If you follow these tips, you’ll find that a white suit will serve you well. You just have to wear the right suit with the right accessories in the right place.