Tim, I love this question!
So often I think guys’ major challenge to pulling the trigger on a fun sport coat is not being able to answer the “what am I gonna wear this with” question. Blue or natural/neutral jeans are always an easy answer, as are khakis… but what about when you’ve gotta step it up a little?
I have three words for you: grey high twist.
We talk about high twist wool all the time, (and if you’re into suits, you probably already know all about it). But a lot of guys don’t realize how versatile a deep, dark grey is… or that you can wear it 365 days a year, any type of weather. To me, both our mid grey and charcoal grey fall into this category, but I’m especially hot on charcoal right now. For a long time I’ve been on a kick of wearing them roughly once a week. It may seem harsh on the hanger, but the heathering in the color picks up a lot of different tones in a jacket. Think about the color of rocks. They go with anything in nature. From a large-scale derby plaid to a small-scale houndstooth, or even a solid color, almost any sport coat is gonna look great with a pair of grey trousers.
(The one thing I don’t love grey trousers with is a solid grey jacket… because it very well could just look like you’re wearing a kind of mismatched suit… but to be honest, we don’t do a lot of solid grey jackets to begin with.)
That’s why grey pants and a navy jacket is practically our starter kit for new employees. And while I love the default mid grey, charcoal has a special elegance to it. That may sound kinda heavy, but I mean it — it’s like I stand a little taller in this color. It’s solemn without feeling too formal… it’s got some life from the highs and lows in the color… and the slight crunch and bounce of the high twist wool keeps it from getting too slick. That goes for the mid grey, too, by the way. It’s got all the same color variation and lift to it… it’s just a shade or two lighter. Those plus a pair of khakis and a pair of actual blue jeans will take you anywhere.
I’m especially short on time this week, so rather than prattle on about the workhorse trousers of my tailored wardrobe, I’ll just show you what I mean. You could close your eyes and point to five jackets in the store right now and I bet all of them would look great with charcoal or mid grey high twist, pleated or plain front. Here are a few rigs to get you started. (And by the way, all of the trousers are interchangeable.)
Grey high-twist: the blue jeans of dress trousers. Those plus a pair of khakis and a pair of actual blue jeans will take you anywhere.
There’s no better pair of odd trousers. Here’s to having fun with your jackets.
