# Brown suits in business



## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

> The main three colours for suits worn in business are light grey, dark grey, and navy, either with or without patterns. In particular, grey flannel suiting has been worn very widely since the 1930s. In non-business settings or less-formal business contexts, brown is another important colour; olive also occurs.


From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suit_(clothing)#Fabric

I always thought brown was an acceptable color for business suits, but this Wikipedia article says otherwise. What do you all think?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Perhaps in the City of London there might continue to be a taboo against "brown in town," but in 99% of the rest of the world, it is perfectly acceptable. It's never going to be as formal as a navy or charcoal of similar pattern (or lack thereof), but those colors are really only required for a small subset of circumstances. Reagan wore brown for many presidential appearances, AA/Esky illustrations are filled with men in brown suits in business settings, etc. Don't wear it for a job interview, or to explain to the public why your company cannot stop the oil spill it started, but otherwise it's more than acceptable. It can be a particularly flattering color on some men, and it can help to soften an aggressive or stern appearance.


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## Bog (May 13, 2007)

An obnoxious way to draw attention to yourself is to wear brown shoes with business dress. 

If you wear brown, you should look like you are on vacation or out of town, wear a blazer, sport coat, tweed, seersucker, etc.


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## Tomasso (Aug 17, 2005)

Bog said:


> An obnoxious way to draw attention to yourself is to wear brown shoes with business dress.


I'll try to remember that...........


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## cactiman (Aug 1, 2009)

It could be acceptable, but some people do have an aversion to brown suits so don't wear one to an interview or a date.


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## cmacey (May 3, 2009)

cactiman said:


> It could be acceptable, but some people do have an aversion to brown suits so don't wear one to an interview or a date.


If your date has a problem with you wearing a brown suit, run away! She has issues ...


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Most of the rules that are tossed about in this forum simply aren't observed out in the world, at least in most of the U.S.. Heck, most guys aren't even aware of them. During my 30+ years working in large downtown office buildings men wore brown suits, brown shoes, tweed jackets, you name it and guys were wearing it. A clothing enthusiast might pay attention to brown suits or shoes worn for business purposes, but no one else will. If I remember correctly I saw quite a few brown wingtips being worn. 

Surprisingly this is one of the rules that I actually obeyed; however, I wasn't aware that I was doing so at the time. I don't like brown dress shoes or brown suits, and can't remember ever owning either. I always wore burgundy shoes. At the same time during my last few years working in that downtown office building I wore business casual and I do wear brown shoes and jackets with that, so I guess I did wear brown for business. 

Cruiser


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## Bog (May 13, 2007)

Cruiser said:


> Heck, most guys aren't even aware of them.


People ones may not be aware of the rules, but will notice that you stand out in brown, and in a bad way.


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

Bog said:


> An obnoxious way to draw attention to yourself is to wear brown shoes with business dress.
> 
> If you wear brown, you should look like you are on vacation or out of town, wear a blazer, sport coat, tweed, seersucker, etc.


Nonsense I regret to say.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Brown is a great suit color but unfortunately it has not been "in fashion" since US President Ronald Reagan made them popular.

Brown was never fully acceptable as a business color except for the Reagan years.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Cruiser said:


> During my 30+ years working in large downtown office buildings men wore brown suits, brown shoes, tweed jackets, you name it and guys were wearing it. A clothing enthusiast might pay attention to brown suits or shoes worn for business purposes, but no one else will.


Are you saying that there is also an old rule against brown shoes in general for business use? Or did you mean that just in conjunction with a brown suit?


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

If you like it, and you look good in it, (Not all men do.) wear it with pleasure for all but the most formal or important occasions for which you might wear a suit. A little higher up the formality spectrum is a color often described a charcoal brown. Typically a very dark brown containing black. This recommendation precludes tans, rusts and any other lighter, higher color which are most suitable for more relaxed occasions.


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

Bog said:


> An obnoxious way to draw attention to yourself is to wear brown shoes with business dress.


An obnoxious way to paint yourself as an old-fashioned curmudgeon stuck in the 19th century is to insist that no one should wear brown shoes with business dress.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I don't agree with that. Hmm Is someone looking for attention??

(Referring to Bog)


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## joeyb1000 (Feb 24, 2010)

Flanderian said:


> If you like it, and you look good in it, (Not all men do.) wear it with pleasure for all but the most formal or important occasions for which you might wear a suit. A little higher up the formality spectrum is a color often described a charcoal brown. Typically a very dark brown containing black. This recommendation precludes tans, rusts and any other lighter, higher color which are most suitable for more relaxed occasions.


I agree


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

JJR512 said:


> Are you saying that there is also an old rule against brown shoes in general for business use? Or did you mean that just in conjunction with a brown suit?


I was just taking a good natured jab at that old British saying, "Never brown in town." Brown dress shoes are quite popular in this forum although I've never been a fan.

Cruiser


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## SeptemberSun (Aug 19, 2009)

From the fabulous 2006 book "The Suit"

"Brown in any shade, from tan to chocolate to charcoal, is best worn during the day, as are lighter shades of blue and gray. Some hold fast to the ancient rule "no brown in town" and claim this color should only be worn in the country. Yet the only authoritative canon of men's style - 1930s issues of _Apparel Arts - _frequently depicts men in brown town suits. If this were not enough, in 1993 the Federation of Merchant Tailors in London officially declared this rule dead."

I have a brown sharkskin suit that is incredibly versatile in Spring and Autumn...


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies. I think I am going to keep brown as a possible color for a future suit.

Of course, I will try to make sure I get a brown like a fine chocolate, rather than the brown that's the result of too much Mexican food...


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## Richard Baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Remember "no brown in town", a rule that makes sense as brown is the colour of the country and out of place in an urban work environment. In a city environment that rule holds when dressing with good taste and style, whether in business and professional offices in London, New York, Melbourne or Tokyo. Whoever works in more arty or academic occupations or in an outer suburban office can bend this a bit in certain occupations (Richard Merkin comes to mind), and brown can be very suitable for a work suit in the country, unless you appear in a Court of Law or attend an important occasion. As so often it depends on the circumstances.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Mr. Baker, I wonder if you read the comments two posts back, from SeptemberSun?


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I'd rather wear taupe than brown, personally.


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## DavidLeoThomas (Jan 18, 2010)

The OP asked whether it was acceptable, and I think in all but the stodgiest circumstances the answer is clearly "yes".

As for whether/when it's optimal, it's my impression that brown suits - in part because of their country heritage - come off as a little more relaxed than grey or navy. Whether this is a good thing depends on your particular work environment; but with many companies trending toward business casual, casual, or worse, it is plain that at least some people find a more relaxed image appropriate and even desirable.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

*Brown worn well.*

The right man, in the right suit, with the right accessories. Why, not?


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

Cruiser said:


> I was just taking a good natured jab at that old British saying, "Never brown in town." Brown dress shoes are quite popular in this forum although I've never been a fan.
> 
> Cruiser


Yes it is namely that - OLD and certainly not current in the 21st century.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

All this talk of brown suits and no pics?! Here's me in a brown herringbone suit last winter.


I'm down with brown :aportnoy: And, with brown shoes.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Richard Baker said:


> Remember "no brown in town", a rule that makes sense as brown is the colour of the country and out of place in an urban work environment. In a city environment that rule holds when dressing with good taste and style, whether in business and professional offices in London, New York, Melbourne or Tokyo.


Bah. Stuff and nonsense. Brown is as common as grey in city surroundings, and far more common than navy. A good deal of concrete is brown-toned, especially that used in sidewalks and on certain skyscrapers. Stone-clad skyscrapers are also frequently covered in brown stones. And in some cities, such as New York, urban townhouse mansions are frequently called "brownstones" because brown is such a common color for them.

Inside offices, beige (light brown) is probably the most common wall coloring right after off-white - itself usually a white with some brown added. Brown carpeting is common, in part because it does not show dirt or wear. Wood floors are nearly always some shade of brown, and stone floors sometimes are, too. If you actually look around, there's tons of brown in town exclusive of any clothing.

Then you have to consider that brown is, in many Western countries, the most common hair color... that's scenery that we take with us everywhere.

The notion that brown doesn't work in town because there's no brown to match is to is simply risible today, and collapses under the slightest examination. I suspect is made more sense 120 years ago in London, when thick layers of coal ash and soot turned virtually _everything_ a dark grey or black. Thank goodness we've made great strides in airborne particulate pollution levels since then and can disregard the no-brown-in-town rule as readily as we've dispensed with coke bowlers.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

By "coke bowlers" do you mean the bowler hat, a hat style that was created in 1849 for Edward Coke? If so, then while I agree with the rest of your post, I must disagree with that part. I wish that hats in general, including bowlers, were still commonly worn by men.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

My thanks was for the reduction in pollution and the ease of dismissing a grossly out of date rule - the reference to the derby was simply for reference of something once standard and now almost thoroughly extinct. Sorry for any confusion.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

No apology necessary; you wrote clearly, I just jumped at a conclusion that did not follow, for which it is I who should apologize, which I hereby do.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

CuffDaddy said:


> turned virtually _everything_ a dark grey or black.


I agree entirely with your observations but found the above humerous in light of a recent experience. A few days spent in a mid-February Manhattan proved capable of turning, at least portions, of several lighter colored pieces of clothing black and dark gray. Evidently grime can still accomplish what once required coal soot. Or perhaps I simply need to hang out in better neighborhoods.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Take a look at this illustration:


(In context: Last image on this page: )

The gentleman on the left appears to be wearing brown. The architecture seems to "in town". We can't see the face of the gentleman on the right, but he doesn't seem shocked to see a brown-dressed man in town. And this illustration is from the 1930s...That was over seventy years ago! If it was fine then, then I consider my question to be definitively answered.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Personally, I don't really like that suit. The overall... BROWN-ness clashes with the blue stripes and just looks nasty to me.

I like Cardinals5's example quoted below. It's brown, but not overly so. Almost a taupe. This is the kind of suit I'd wear. Just my two cents, of course.



Cardinals5 said:


> All this talk of brown suits and no pics?! Here's me in a brown herringbone suit last winter.
> 
> I'm down with brown :aportnoy: And, with brown shoes.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

JJR512 said:


> Take a look at this illustration:
> 
> (In context: Last image on this page: )
> 
> The gentleman on the left appears to be wearing brown. The architecture seems to "in town". We can't see the face of the gentleman on the right, but he doesn't seem shocked to see a brown-dressed man in town. And this illustration is from the 1930s...That was over seventy years ago! If it was fine then, then I consider my question to be definitively answered.


Great suit! Thanks for the illustration. I particularly like the shade of brown. A "high" brown of that nature is wearable by a much broader group of men.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Jovan, isn't the AA/Esky suit about the color of many men's hair? Is that color nasty and too filled with "BROWN-ness" when it's on top of their head?


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

CuffDaddy said:


> Jovan, isn't the AA/Esky suit about the color of many men's hair? Is that color nasty and too filled with "BROWN-ness" when it's on top of their head?


City men should have either charcoal grey or navy hair.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

CuffDaddy said:


> Jovan, isn't the AA/Esky suit about the color of many men's hair? Is that color nasty and too filled with "BROWN-ness" when it's on top of their head?


I had brown hair once upon a time. Then I had gray hair. Now I'd just like to have hair of any color.

Cruiser


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

Matt S said:


> City men should have either charcoal grey or navy hair.


I wear mine in a tasteful yet conservative glen check.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

CuffDaddy said:


> Jovan, isn't the AA/Esky suit about the color of many men's hair? Is that color nasty and too filled with "BROWN-ness" when it's on top of their head?


 I think you're missing my point, which is that the blue stripes are what pushes it over the top.


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

I would think, with the increased trend toward business casual, that many of the gentlemen here would look at the brown suit as a way to continue to wear a suit. 

I have always felt that if I was going to buy a suit, I would stick to a conservative color. I recently got a new job, where the Business casual is even more relaxed than my last place of employment. I still will try to wear a suit every now and then, but if I don't take off the jacket, I will look way overdressed. I recently purchased a cheap tan suit, in a linen wool blend, as an experiment. 

While I am not a big fan of myself in a tan suit, I have definitely been converted into a fan of the "more casual" suit. Maybe I will try to pick up a brown or tweed one for the winter. I think it is a great way to make a stand against the ever present golf shirt while feeling a little less self conscious. I urge you all to try it, if you have been stuck in a business casual rut.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Brown suits are rather problematic because there's no indifference with them from the viewer's point of view in that you either love or hate what you're seeing. And that is because anyone in a brown suit either looks like a million dolalrs & exudes confidence or looks like a disaster area.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Matt S said:


> City men should have either charcoal grey or navy hair.


LOL, literally.


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Brown suits are rather problematic because there's no indifference with them from the viewer's point of view in that you either love or hate what you're seeing. And that is because anyone in a brown suit either looks like a million dolalrs & exudes confidence or looks like a disaster area.


I agree, but I think it is worth making the attempt at a brown suit, especially if you work in a more dressed down enviornment. Like anything else, you need to make sure everything fits well, before you wear it. Is there some kind of old sterotype about used car salesmen in polyester brown suits that Idon't know about?

I would thinkthat the AAAC croud would be pretty open to the Idea of a brown suit to keep the casual standards up in an, increasingly business casual world.


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## David_E (Apr 18, 2010)

While I think that is true for the sort of man who has educated themselves in the Sartorial Arts, as someone who has only recently gained an interest I can tell you a secret from the "other side."

The vast majority of people's observation (in the US, in the Midwest) stops at "that man is wearing a suit," or "that man is not." The color, cut, fit, material simply don't register at ALL unless it is really blatant. And when I say "blatant" I don't mean AAAC "you forgot your pocket square" level, but the "2 sizes off, holes, slept in it, shouting colors, obvious glen plaid" level. 

And this is not just a tech/academic thing - I have a large number of friends and friends of friends who work in middling senior levels at a couple of the largest banks, and a few other "stodgy" professions in Chicago - Most almost never wear suits to work and when they do its part of a "presentation costume" in that all that is expected is the suit be worn, no real interest in the details.

I do have a friend who is/was a Trader/Broker who was is of the best dressed men I know, who gets his suits and jackets bespoke - It might have something to do with the position and income of his position, but even there I think it had more to do with his individual personal preference. (He seems to favor brown. With a Mediterranean/S. Asian skin tone it works very well for him. )


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## Richard Baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Brown suits are rather problematic because there's no indifference with them from the viewer's point of view in that you either love or hate what you're seeing. And that is because anyone in a brown suit either looks like a million dolalrs & exudes confidence or looks like a disaster area.


In town more like disaster area.....


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

The biggest thing going for brown is... 

it isn't black!!


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

The biggest thing going for brown is... 

...well...at least it's a suit!


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## Richard Baker (Feb 13, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> Jovan, isn't the AA/Esky suit about the color of many men's hair? Is that color nasty and too filled with "BROWN-ness" when it's on top of their head?


That's what hats are for.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Having a hard time figuring out if you're for real, Mr. Baker...


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## clotheshorse69 (Jun 4, 2010)

Oh dear. A casual colored suit can only be pulled off by very few people. The shades of brown and olive I see most people wear say, "I'm an old fogey trying to appear laid back."


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

clotheshorse69 said:


> "I'm an old fogey trying to appear laid back."


I'm an old fogey and I *AM* laid back! Got something against geezers?

*GRAY POWER!!!*


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Now that there's a similar thread going on about *black* suits, I realize that although I am forward-thinking enough to consider brown a viable alternative, I tend to agree with those who are against black for business. I suppose that's ironic, or maybe it just indicates the limits of my progressiveness.

Anyway, I wonder how long it will be before the rules are changed. I mean, it used to be, "Grey or blue. Period." Now it's more like, "Grey or blue. Brown used to be a no-no, but its acceptance has been increasing for decades." I wonder how long it will be before it's, "Grey, blue, or brown." And I wonder at what point black will get written in as a maybe, the same way that brown is now.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Black and brown are sort of in opposite directions, and I'm not increasing (or decreasing) acceptance of one versus the other is likely to predict acceptance of the other.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

No, I didn't say that the acceptance of one was related to, or predicting, the acceptance of the other.


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

JJR512 said:


> Take a look at this illustration:
> 
> (In context: Last image on this page: )
> 
> The gentleman on the left appears to be wearing brown. The architecture seems to "in town". We can't see the face of the gentleman on the right, but he doesn't seem shocked to see a brown-dressed man in town. And this illustration is from the 1930s...That was over seventy years ago! If it was fine then, then I consider my question to be definitively answered.


Take another look. Look how much the artist has attempted to contrast the two men. The one on the right is clearly a business man with his town hat, overcoat, charcoat suit, black shoes and tightly furled umbrella. The man on the left has come to town to do business. He wears a brown double-breasted (leisure) suit, a brown fedora, and he carries a heavy tweed overcoat of the kind unlikely to be seen worn by city men during work hours.

I think this picture reinforces the convention of brown being a visitor to town, at least at the time of the publication of the picture.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

DougNZ said:


> He wears a brown double-breasted (leisure) suit, a brown fedora, and he carries a heavy tweed overcoat of the kind unlikely to be seen worn by city men during work hours.


I was under the impression that the peaked-lapel double-breasted suit jacket was the most formal suit jacket option, being descended from the peaked-lapel double-breasted tailcoat.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

DougNZ said:


> Take another look. Look how much the artist has attempted to contrast the two men. The one on the right is clearly a business man with his town hat, overcoat, charcoat suit, black shoes and tightly furled umbrella. The man on the left has come to town to do business. He wears a brown double-breasted (leisure) suit, a brown fedora, and he carries a heavy tweed overcoat of the kind unlikely to be seen worn by city men during work hours.
> 
> I think this picture reinforces the convention of brown being a visitor to town, at least at the time of the publication of the picture.


I'm sorry, but I think there's almost no chance this is correct. First of all, at this time, a "proper gentleman" coming to town would not have worn his country clothes... he presumably would have owned at least _one_ outfit suitable for wear in town and chosen it for his big day in the city. And he must be a proper gentleman, inasmuch as he looks to be at least a peer, and perhaps a close friend, of the other man... why else would they be so cheerfully greeting one another?

Second, if AA/Esky illustrations showing men in brown suits in town settings are suggesting a visitor from the country, then there are a great many rubes and/or squires in the watercolor cities of Fellows, _et al._ Has the man in this picture [ https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYm...AAFNU/FraD817RDyA/s1600-h/esq1-brown+suit.jpg ] come to town to review his architect's drawings for a new feed lot? What of this man [ https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYm...oZ0VB9LxnYY/s1600-h/esquire+black+necktie.jpg ]? Has he managed to acquire a suitable city hat and suit but not coat? I'm surprised they let this gentleman [ https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYmb_4/SUbaysos_-I/AAAAAAAAEKs/lQpfm8X6QDg/s1600-h/club+chairs.jpg ] into the club - at least he changed out of his overalls. The fellow in the middle of this picture [ https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYmb_4/R04brd8vsKI/AAAAAAAAB54/KafpomdVuhY/s1600-h/coats.jpg ] is presumably being shunned by the city slickers around him because of his all-brown country hick wardrobe... 

As for the double-breasted jacket being indicative of a country status for the clothes... Country clothes were derived from those used for country activities, especially shooting and riding. DB jackets are ill-suited to either. People have debated here whether they were once considered more _casual_, but casual does not equal country.


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

I think you misinterpreted me to read "visitor to town" = country. I meant I believe the man in brown represents a gentleman who has travelled into the CBD to do business. I take your point that a gentleman of the times would have a navy pinstripe or somesuch but it was also a practice for non-business colours to be worn on Fridays (in anticipation of the weekend out of the city). Furthermore, it was very likely the a great proportion of gentlemen visiting their clubs (as in some of your pictures) would have done so in casual suits and not business suits, hence brown being appropriate.

If the one was a gentleman and the other the bank manager, then in the 1930s you can bet the first was being friendly to the second! A generation on, it would probably be a question of whether the bank manager's son would acknowledge the gentleman's son!!!


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## rabidawg (Apr 14, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> Second, if AA/Esky illustrations showing men in brown suits in town settings are suggesting a visitor from the country, then there are a great many rubes and/or squires in the watercolor cities of Fellows, _et al._ Has the man in this picture [ https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYm...AAFNU/FraD817RDyA/s1600-h/esq1-brown+suit.jpg ] come to town to review his architect's drawings for a new feed lot? What of this man [ https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYm...oZ0VB9LxnYY/s1600-h/esquire+black+necktie.jpg ]? Has he managed to acquire a suitable city hat and suit but not coat? I'm surprised they let this gentleman [ https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYmb_4/SUbaysos_-I/AAAAAAAAEKs/lQpfm8X6QDg/s1600-h/club+chairs.jpg ] into the club - at least he changed out of his overalls. The fellow in the middle of this picture [ https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Wbd-uMYmb_4/R04brd8vsKI/AAAAAAAAB54/KafpomdVuhY/s1600-h/coats.jpg ] is presumably being shunned by the city slickers around him because of his all-brown country hick wardrobe...


This might be my favorite AAAC post thus far.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

DougNZ said:


> I meant I believe the man in brown represents a gentleman who has travelled into the CBD to do business.


Sorry, what does "CBD" mean?


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

JJR512 said:


> Sorry, what does "CBD" mean?


Central Business District. In London, "the City".


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## Richard Baker (Feb 13, 2009)

DougNZ, that is a possibility; sometimes when travelling from country to town or vice versa one can try to wear an outfit that is a compromise, but sometimes one has to make a choice and risks being dressed less appropriately in one of the two places. It happened to me recently when I attended a country meeting wearing one of my favourite brown-based pinstripe suits, rushed back to the city for a surprise meeting without time to change clothes and understandably and was perceived - and indeed looked - distinctly out of place and not very professional. CuffDaddy's found a few examples and the pictures are great - thanks for sharing them - but overall these gentlemen appear not in a serious CBD-based professional/business mode at that stage, apart form the architect, one of the more creative professions and we don't know the location of his office. Brown infiltrated the cities for various reason, but in serious professional/business environments they are still a very questionable choice.

CuffDaddy's memorable quote in the Black Suit Myth thread of the 15th June 14:32 is helpful here and I am extending it to brown suits: 
"As usual, I'm going to come back to my clothing-as-language analogy. Many, many people use questionable grammar. Some constructions (e.g., "where are you/we at?") have become quite prevalent, even amongst the reasonably well-educated, and the primary/intended meaning is generally understood. But the use of such phrases still communicates a secondary meaning to a portion of listeners, and that secondary meaning is not complimentary of the speaker. Similarly, black suits are fairly commonly worn, but to a portion of viewers, the secondary message is not good, assuming that the wearer wishes to be percieved as a man of taste and sophistication." Sometimes in certain settings the secondary message regarding brown suits might not be good either. A good quote!


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

I pretend no profound expertise on the issue of brown in town, but 50 years of interest in sartorial matters coupled with the same amount of experience, as fortified by much reading has left me with opinions on the issue. First, as regards the marvelous brown suit in Fellows' splendid illustration, I believe it depicts an element of fashion of the time. The suit *is *unquestionably more rustic than the ensemble of the man on the right, which was more common of the city wear of the era. The then POW popularized and made fashionable the wearing of elements of clothing that were more typical of the country. Such as his suede oxfords with Saxonys and worsteds. And also such as the handsome brown tweed depicted. (On a tangent, J. Press a number of seasons back offered a brown DB Harris Tweed suit.)

Since various sources at the time mentioned The POW's popularizing more rustic wear for town during that period, I must assume that before then it wasn't considered as appropriate. Though perhaps to some extent it has always intended the message, "When leaving the city, I'll be returning to my country house." As such it has an aristocratic connotation and had remained popular to one degree or another up until the '80's when some behemoth corporations decided that only the most deadly serious corporate livery should be worn. 

Browns can certainly be incorporated into a city wardrobe, indeed, as can tweeds, if worn in the appropriate context. Fridays are their natural abode, as are half-days, days before holidays, days spent at work *during* holidays, and any other time it's appropriate to signify a more relaxed and perhaps even festive tone to the day. And to the best of my knowledge, brown has always been worn, well or poorly, to a greater or lesser degree, for all of the 20th and what we've seen of the 21st Century.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Richard Baker said:


> Sometimes in certain settings the secondary message regarding brown suits might not be good either. A good quote!


And sometimes they are just the right note. To your point, I would not wear a brown suit to an interview, nor to a board meeting, nor to an appellate argument, etc. At the same time, brown can send a lovely toned-down, sympathetic, or nostalgic vibe that can be right for mentoring a younger colleague, meeting with a lower-level employee, or working in the office on a large project with peers. It is particularly valuable for a man who gives an intense or severe impression and needs to soften it.

Brown cannot go everywhere that grey or navy can, but there are a few things it does better than the foregoing - particularly for men with mid-brown hair and ruddy complexions. There is room -and a need - in the complete wardrobe for both.

As for the men in brown suits not being in serious settings, will this satisfy you?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

As long as I'm at it:



There is another that I cannot lay hands on that shows a man in a brown suit declaiming in a packed courtroom. Brown suits for serious business in metropolitan areas were indisputably well-accepted in America in the 1930's.


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

Brown suited gentleman playboy meets father-in-law as he exits a house of ill-repute.

Brown suited gentleman playboy discusses his served divorce papers with solicitor.

Brown suited gentleman playboy has first meeting with psychiatrist.

Brown suited gentleman is handed his hat and coat and told to leave.

How is this an endorsement for wearing brown in town? Look where it got this poor fellow.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Enough!! I've decided to settle this "no brown in town" thing once and for all by once again digging into my personal archives, otherwise referred to as the "village of the damned" by the old guy, Peak and Pine. As you can see from this old 1970's photo (actually you can't because it's black and white so you must take my word for it) I am wearing not only a medium brown jacket, but a medium brown CORDUROY jacket. Not seen are the dark brown pants and shoes. I mean, forget those silly drawings; this is a real picture.










Anyway, this picture was taken at my workplace in the middle of a downtown city of over a million people. Not the biggest city around, but certainly a city by any definition. I am at WORK in the CITY doing BUSINESS wearing brown.

Not only am I at work but I am receiving an award of some sort. Who knows for what, but an award nonetheless. Clearly my brown clothes weren't considered to be of a repulsive enough nature that they saw fit to withhold my award. Heck, someone even took a picture, probably for the office newsletter. Further proof that they weren't embarrassed by my blatant wearing of the brown.

Hopefully this will put this matter to bed once and for all. You can wear brown in the city and still get an award for business. I'm living proof. Now if I could just remember what it was that I did to get that award---- :icon_smile_big:

Cruiser


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

Cruiser said:


> Enough!! I've decided to settle this "no brown in town" thing once and for all by once again digging into my personal archives, otherwise referred to as the "village of the damned" by the old guy, Peak and Pine.
> 
> I am at WORK in the CITY doing BUSINESS wearing brown... Hopefully this will put this matter to bed once and for all.


Evidence from a man who wears a notch lapel dinner jacket and jeans, but not normally at the same time. Thrown out of court!

Well done on the award. Someone said it was for the inter-department 10-pin bowling comp but I'm sure it was something much more important. :icon_smile:


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> Brown cannot go everywhere that grey or navy can QUOTE]
> 
> I work in a business casual workplace, and I must say that wearing a navy suit will make you stick out, maybe a bit too much. A more conservative suit could feel like you are projecting a little too much of a "Big Business" vibe for the surroundings.
> 
> Could we agree that in a business casual workplace (which happens to be a the case for many men these days), a brown suit could be a happy medium. Allowing you to be dressed up, in a dressed down kind of way...


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

DougNZ said:


> Brown suited gentleman is handed his hat and coat and told to leave.
> 
> How is this an endorsement for wearing brown in town? Look where it got this poor fellow.


LOL! Well played, Doug.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

DougNZ said:


> Well done on the award. Someone said it was for the inter-department 10-pin bowling comp but I'm sure it was something much more important. :icon_smile:


Obviously that someone never saw me bowl. My former teammates on my old government league bowling team have still not forgiven me, a 150 bowler at best, for putting up the greatest game of my life, a 274, on opening night when handicaps were being established. It killed us for several weeks as I was barely breaking 100.

In addition to bowling I think we can safely eliminate golf also.

And just to keep it clothing related, as bad as I am I own both bowling and golf shoes. In reality I could probably bowl just as well in rentals and my sneakers probably wouldn't hold back my golf game any if I just wore them. And for what it's worth, my bowling shoes are brown/tan, we bowled in the city, and it was a work related league. :icon_smile_big:

Cruiser


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

I don't think bowling alleys rent their shoes to league players who can barely break 100. They don't want them getting stunk up that much.


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

Cruiser said:


> And for what it's worth, my bowling shoes are brown/tan, we bowled in the city, and it was a work related league. :icon_smile_big:
> 
> Cruiser


LOL! I was going to say something along the lines of "And I bet your bowling shoes were brown, too." Well done!


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## Romeomikehotel (May 9, 2017)

I'm going to bump this one back up and share a recent experience relevant to this discussion. 

I just today wore my first brown suit ( a dark chocolate with tan pinstripes) in public to a monthly meeting at work downtown (I'm a financial advisor and work in an old stodgy conservative company). This particular meeting involves all of the advisors and upper management in the geographical area which exposes me to many folks my senior and many different opinions. That said, I spent all morning receiving compliments on my suit, a few of which came from guys who are much more concerned with their style than I am. The biggest compliment came from the head boss man himself who's wife works as a clothier and keeps him dressed and styled. 

All that being said, I'm no style expert and just recently realized what quality clothing is but my experience has now shown me that brown suits are more than acceptable in even the most conservative business environments. I'm interested to hear what you guys think now 7 years after this discussion started.


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## vonSuess (Apr 29, 2017)

I think brown suits enjoy their greatest popularity in the midwest and perhaps here in Indiana more than anywhere. I have several brown suits, although most of them are tweeds. Nobody ever faults me for wearing any of them and as for the tweeds, I get more favourable comments on the various brown ones than any other colour. I don't know about anyplace else, but at least around here brown suits seem perfectly acceptable and really quite popular. I suppose to give something to compare Indiana tastes with, I have a blue and white seersucker I wear now and then in the summer. I get more compliments from the locals for this suit than anything else I own, except perhaps that grey homburg. My young Norwegian wife, on the other hand, has absolutely nothing good to say about the seersucker what-so-ever. I suppose that means something, I just don't know what...


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## JBierly (Jul 4, 2012)

A dark brown suit can be quite suitable for business. It is not as conservative as dark blue or charcoal but especially if one considers hair color and complexion it may actually be a more attractive color for some individuals.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

I like brown suits!


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Left hand page below, figure on the right, another of my favorite brown suits.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

So do I but I like green better.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Oldsarge said:


> So do I but I like green better.


A brown or a green suit?










A brown *and* a green suit?


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## 16412 (Apr 1, 2005)

A Seattle tailor, Stanley Hostek, who died a few years ago, I believe at age 97, showed me his brown suit that he made that was in a magazine. He was so proud of that suit. If I remember correctly, he was on the cover of another magazine with a brown suit. In the picture below he is wearing a dark brown suit. Brown suits have been around for a while. 
The picture is from the website his grandchildren put up after he died. 
https://stanleyhostek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Stanley-Hostek-Threads-Magazine-Feature2.png


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

WA said:


> A Seattle tailor, Stanley Hostek, who died a few years ago, I believe at age 97, showed me his brown suit that he made that was in a magazine. He was so proud of that suit. If I remember correctly, he was on the cover of another magazine with a brown suit. In the picture below he is wearing a dark brown suit. Brown suits have been around for a while.
> The picture is from the website his grandchildren put up after he died.
> https://stanleyhostek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Stanley-Hostek-Threads-Magazine-Feature2.png


Thank you for that! That's a beautiful suit, and he has every reason to be proud of such work.

I would consider that a very elegant choice for most business. :thumbs-up:


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## Romeomikehotel (May 9, 2017)

WA said:


> A Seattle tailor, Stanley Hostek, who died a few years ago, I believe at age 97, showed me his brown suit that he made that was in a magazine. He was so proud of that suit. If I remember correctly, he was on the cover of another magazine with a brown suit. In the picture below he is wearing a dark brown suit. Brown suits have been around for a while.
> The picture is from the website his grandchildren put up after he died.
> https://stanleyhostek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Stanley-Hostek-Threads-Magazine-Feature2.png


Thats very similar to the brown pinstripe stripe suit I own. I cannot remember any other suit I own receiving more compliments. Stanley's suit is great!


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