Cloth
Beyond Navy & Grey — The Character of Cloth
Navy and grey are the most familiar colours in menswear. In tailoring, they are only where the conversation begins.
Navy. Grey.
Few colours are as familiar in menswear as navy and grey. They are worn for work and for evenings, for occasions that ask for restraint and for days that ask for nothing in particular. Because they are so familiar, it is easy to believe that once the colour is chosen, the decision has been made.
Colour is only the beginning
In tailoring, colour is only the starting point. The depth of a suit also lies in how the cloth is woven, in its surface, and in the way light changes across it. Two navy cloths can read quite differently in daylight, in the evening, or simply up close.
That is part of what makes the cloths of Holland & Sherry, of Savile Row, London, worth a closer look.
Texture creates depth
Look closely and a single colour separates into layers: small shifts of tone, a surface that seems smooth in one light and textured in another, differences too fine to name but clear enough to feel. Together they give a plain suit its depth.
A suit does not need many details to be noticed. It needs cloth with enough character, and a wearer who takes the time to notice it.
Look closer
Cloth is chosen in the hand, not on paper: surface, drape and shade. At TIE MEN, cloth is chosen with your advisor, from bunches you can see and touch. The question is not only which colour, but whether to let the cloth itself make the difference.
