Make Your First Suit a Blue Suit

Working Style

Chris Dobbs is managing director of Working Style - New Zealand's premium destination for all things sartorially savvy. In four stores nationwide (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch) Working Style serves up the very best in made-to-measure suits and shirts, fine Italian and traditional English footwear, and everything in between. www.workingstyle.co.nz

Here's a revolutionary thought for all you budding capitalists (of the venture variety of course), make your first suit a navy blue suit. We know, we know, it sounds crazy, New Zealand men wear black suits first and ask questions later, but spare a second to hear us out.


In any other country of the world, when a young man starts his first job, he'll buy himself a crisp navy blue suit - navy and grey suits are for the office, black suits are reserved for weddings and funerals. In New Zealand however, due to a historical connection with the colour of our rugby players' uniforms, a fashion industry obsessed with black and a fairly conservative outlook on men's dressing, our young men choose black as the primary colour in their suits.

But listen up gentlemen, here are a couple of facts you might not have known. According to our creative director Eddy von Dadelszen, navy blue is not only easier to wear than black, but it suits 90% of skin complexions as opposed to black's 30%. If you work in a sales role - and let's face it, all of us are selling something - you're more likely to close a deal in a navy suit than when you're wearing any other colour. In fact the ultimate salesman's outfit is reputedly a navy suit, white shirt and red tie. Works everytime.

Navy suits give you more options with accessories too. You can wear them with brown shoes to give your look a bit of punch, or black shoes to tone it all down. Navy suits look immaculate with just about every colour of shirt too, and if you're a paler gent, they even do wonders for your skin tone.

So to close, here's our recommendation for you: make your first suit a navy blue suit. You can thank us later.

 
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  • Bangbug says
    This is why Get Frank rules, where else are you going to hear advice on suit colour along side pictures of uber-wedgee'd children?
    Thanks Working Style, nice piece... a'hem.... article.
  • Stu Lainen says
    Agreed, too many black suits around town during the day. Men need to inject some color into the day.
  • Nothing wrong with supporting the nations colour!
    • Dan says
      Unfortunately when every other man is sporting it - you just end up as one of the sheep off to the slaughter house each day.

      Zig when everyone else is Zagging, and throw in the brown shoes and you'll be cutting shapes hahah


      [video]ERbvKrH-GC4[/video]
    • Simon says
      Nice tip, cheers WS!
    • Matt says
      The question is what are you comfortable in? Does a black suit give you the confidence you need or would a blue suit do the trick?
    • Mike Won says
      I kind of like black suits and think most complexions suit it. Just my personal opinion, but I don't think anything beats a tailored slim black suit with white shirt and skinny black tie.
    • steve-o says
      cheers for the advice. it accually works! i sold 3 more cars in a navy suit!

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