# What's your opinion of this suit's plaid? Men, would you wear it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418 "2019-02-12T19:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/41 "2019-02-13T04:00:56Z")
I know it’s moot now, but I think your son made the right call. I like plain solid color suits for business. I agree that the jacket looks more like a sport coat. But, I’m a stodgy old guy, so I dunno. And, I know I’m in the minority on this, but I really don’t like brown shoes with blue or gray dress pants. I can only do brown shoes with brown/beige/khaki pants. Blue or gray pants need black shoes, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/42 "2019-02-13T04:21:39Z")
I’m approximately the same size and shape, but 20 years older. The cut is probably fine. For future reference, the grey suit isn’t conservative, exactly… it looks more appropriate for a summer wedding. In a business context, you can never ever go wrong with solid navy. Finally, if you’re going to spend serious money on formal clothes for a 19-year-old, I’d err on the side of putting more money into the shirt and less money into the suit. An Alfani suit that you get on sale from Macy’s for $100 is going to look fine on kid interviewing for an internship. A $29 Van Huesen shirt is going to look like shit. Spend the $200 you would have spent getting him a second suit on two custom tailored shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/43 "2019-02-13T04:33:44Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > … > Spend the $200 you would have spent getting him a second suit on two custom tailored shirts. I have never owned, not have I ever known anyone with a custom-tailored shirt. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/44 "2019-02-13T12:31:54Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > He’s a bloke. Nobody gives a damn if he wears the same suit two days in a row. Most likely nobody will even notice. Nobody cares how many suits he owns. Different shirt and tie and boom, different suit. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/45 "2019-02-13T13:30:28Z")
> [@MrKnowItAll](#): > > I have more of a problem with the cut than the pattern. I can’t wait for this suits-that-look-too-small fad to go away. This. I am hard to fit, so I am used to suits that bind or balloon (or both) but I don’t understand why people would choose that deliberately. Of course, I don’t understand fashion in general, so who knows. > [@RickJay](#): > > Different shirt and tie and boom, different suit. If you wear a white shirt, all you need is a different tie. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/46 "2019-02-13T13:32:37Z")
The suit looks fine to me, but the look on the model’s face says, “asshole” for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/47 "2019-02-13T13:53:10Z")
As long as you don’t wear it to a [funeral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Men_Don%27t_Wear_Plaid). As others have noted, I’d go conservative for interviews and take the cue for office dress from others once I’d been there. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/48 "2019-02-13T15:09:33Z")
For getting him started I suggest sticking with the basics that every man who wears a suit should have; a plain navy blue and a dark charcoal, perhaps with a faint pinstripe (not black – black is for detectives and preachers [I supspect most of those who say they wear black suits are actually wearing charcoal]). Good white shirts and maybe a blue oxford cloth; forget pink or yellow or white-on-white kind of stuff. Eventually he may want to branch out in his style depending on where he ends up working, but to get started forget anything trendy like the Pee-wee Herman cut. A good tie takes a whole lot of heat off an inexpensive suit. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/49 "2019-02-13T15:52:39Z")
Patterned suits are coming back into style now that HDTV allows the pattern of a suit to be seen on television. Last time patterns were this popular was some time in the 1930s. They’re fashionable, and I think they look great (this suit we’re talking about is not flashy or over the top at all), but they wouldn’t be considered “conservative”. But where is he interviewing? I’d imagine only stodgy old law offices will be so conservative as to disapprove of this suit. Also, black sucks. The Cure and their legion of goth fans has spoiled the color over the last 25+ years. I avoid it entirely now. Also, black suits never look as good in real life as they do in Quentin Tarantino movies. Go for navy if dark and conservative is what you’re after. Brown shoes are all I wear. They look great with anything. This isn’t 1900 anymore, you don’t have to worry about wearing brown shoes with blue suits, or wearing white after labor day for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/50 "2019-02-13T17:36:14Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > They look great with anything. No, they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/51 "2019-02-14T02:19:49Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > You avoided the most important opinion. Would your son want and wear it? … > [@gkster](#): > > Well, my son finally got back to me 6 hours after I texted him saying to get it _if_ it was the only one available, but if there was a plainer suit he’d prefer it… Looks like I guessed correctly. My wife bought quite a few -\* too good a deal to pass up\* - clothes for our boys that languished on the floor of their closets with the tags still on. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/52 "2019-02-14T03:46:17Z")
I personally like it, as an understated way to stand out a bit. But I would definitely consider it a taste thing, and sufficiently different from the previous one that I’d want to be sure the recipient would like it. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/53 "2019-02-14T14:51:55Z")
Speaking as an old fart who occasionally works with interns—make sure the trousers on those suits are straight-legged. There’s nothing that makes you look like s young fool faster than suit pants that are tight around your ankles. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418/54 "2019-02-14T15:32:09Z")
I’m old and fat; solid colors or subtle patterns are best for me. But I could see it looking OK on someone else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-opinion-of-this-suits-plaid-men-would-you-wear-it/829418.md?page=2)