Don’t combine tan suit jacket, chinos
Q. I know it is wrong to wear a suit’s parts separately, but I have a situation that I think is acceptable and need to check. I had a quality tan suit that now is just a jacket as the trousers were damaged. I also have some high-end chinos that always fit and look good. Are they OK together?
A. Men often ask me about mixing suits’ elements or matching similar colored pants and jackets, and the answer is almost always “No.” Here, the answer is probably going to be the same.
Let me explain what is wrong with such combinations by mentioning a previous question. This was a man who liked to combine khaki shirts with chinos; I explained that if his work did not include delivering packages or pizzas, then he should forget the exactly matched look. A good color-coordinating rule is not to pair two different items of the very same color, unless they are indeed a suit and of the identical fabric. Clothes usually need contrast. Because chinos are a go-to, any-season pant in a neutral shade, most contrasting colors go well with them. If pants are dark khaki, a light top looks best; with light khaki pants, a darker top is a nice contrast.
Many men think of chinos in the same way as teenagers think of bluejeans: as basic essentials. They live in them and wear them with their T-shirts, knit polos, dressier sport shirts, sweaters, sport jackets, and blazers. They seem to treat them very much like a second skin.
The tan suit jacket will only work if you treat it as a blazer. Wear it with not-too-elegant dress pants in a contrasting dark-color such as charcoal gray. This might even be one of those times when you can mix a light jacket with dark-wash jeans for a grown-up hipster air.
For those who like wearing chinos, I do have a suggestion: Be on the lookout for shirts that look good with the color of your pants. Doing this with skill can change khakis from a nonentity into a true wardrobe asset. You can find a huge range of handsome options in stores and online. They include: a nice plaid shirt with khaki as one of the colors in the plaid, light yellow in every style from a knit polo to a button-down Oxford cloth business shirt, tattersall checks with a yellow line in the design, brown-and-white stripes ranging from very narrow to awning-size, colorful rugby shirts with a khaki-colored collar, small checks, khaki-and-blue patterned sport shirts, and any shade of blue shirt from pale blue to denim or navy. Ideally, what you want is a top that includes the beige/tan/khaki color family. They all work well with khaki pants.
Sweaters are another possibility. They come in all manner of solid colors that look good with chinos. Some patterned sweaters have lightor medium-brown as one of the elements in the design. These make a great-looking, well-thought-out mix with tan pants. You can wear any of them over a white shirt, a cream-color shirt, a pale yellow shirt, or perhaps a blue shirt; the blue works even better if the sweater’s pattern includes blue and brown.
When the occasion does not require a jacket, you can “dress down” in a shirt alone or shirt-and-sweater. But even in casual clothes, why not look sharp and pulled together? Color coordinating works as well when you are dressed down as when you are in a jacket and tie. For more special occasions, “dress up” your khaki pants with a navy, or a lighter blue, blazer. These classic combinations go with almost any color shirt. Just don’t wear khaki pants with your tan jacket — again, too matched!
Often, a man can impress his girlfriend (and get compliments from others as well) if he repeats the basic brown color by adding a pair of brown deck shoes, a classic desert boot, or dark brown loafers. And, by matching his shoes with a good-looking braided brown belt. These small, easy touches show polish and refinement. They mark the difference between a man who is just wearing clothes and a welldressed man. As I’m sure you know, women react especially well to the latter.