Everyday Men’s Fashion: Trending Tweed
Wool is the unimpeachable standard used by the men’s fashion industry for its suits. It is, however, far from being the only fabric around. Linen is a favorite wool alternative in the summer for its cool, crinkly character. Heavier, heftier tweed, meanwhile, takes the fabric stage in cooler fall. Despite its English provenance, the past couple of years have seen tweed defy geographic boundaries with its ubiquity in high-style events.
Tweedy and Traditional
Men’s fashion has taken a turn for the traditional in the last decade, going back to things like three-piece suits and brogue footwear as the new ‘forward-looking’ trends. It should come as no surprise that tweed – itself a big thing a few decades back – would be among these style blasts from the past.
When you wear tweed, it’s immediately apparent to everyone else because of its unique flecking and texture. That isn’t to say, however, that it’s a casual fabric; its long history of use in formal style by the British lets guys today wear it to all but the dressiest black tie events. It’s a strong, businesslike textile that conveys sophistication and high taste.
The modern man’s tweed suit comes in the slim style that is typical of suits today, and is ideally a contemporary slate or a deep brown color, like the shade offered by Donegal tweed. Keeping the colors deep and the fit slim is the easiest way to keep the tweed suit firmly in 2011 and out of the dated look that it tends to fall into.
Bold and Bolder
Strong, distinctive patterns are another big trend in men’s fashion this season, one that presents more of a challenge than usual because such loud prints can overwhelm an outfit. Tweed is perfect for those purposes because its combination of distinguishable texture, visible flecking and strong tailoring (a prerequisite for the country textile) makes an ideal companion for balancing out a bright color or bold pattern.
If you’ve ever wanted to try an off-kilter or pattern on pattern necktie and shirt combo, do it with a three-piece tweed suit. The modern vibe of the prints is evened out by the Old English air of the tweed fabric. It’s a great balance that not many guys know how to do.
That’s what makes tweed a particularly smart style investment right now. Not only is a tailored tweed suit a timeless classic piece that every guy should want, but it will also enable you to easily pick up one of the season’s harder to wear trends.
Modern Separates
If you’re like most guys today, you separate your suits on a regular basis into its individual parts and then wear each piece like that. Tweed suits excel at this activity as well, since the fabric lends depth and interest to each individual item of the suit.
The gray jacket will look crisp when paired with black chinos or jeans and a plain white shirt. The pants should be just as versatile as any other gray pair you own. It’s the vest that’s of particular style value. Like Matthew Morrison’s Will character in Glee, you can balance out a bold necktie-on-shirt combo with the classic look of a tweed vest.
By no means is tweed considered one of those must-have men’s fashion pieces. Once you consider everything it can do, though, you’ll have to agree that a tweed suit is definitely one piece that’d be great to have.
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