There’s an old British style adage that decrees one should never wear brown in town, the thinking being that the earthy hue is best suited to country life. While, thankfully, most men have moved away from such rigid rules about dressing, brown has remained something of a black sheep (brown sheep?) in menswear. But, after the monotony of blue, gray and black that has dominated most men’s wardrobes, designers are reconsidering the once verboten color—and so should you.
In universally flattering shades ranging from mahogany to camel, brown offers a warmer alternative to your standard neutrals while still being muted enough to work with just about anything currently in your closet. It’s an ideal way to inject some freshness into staid 9-to-5 tailoring without looking like you’ve tried too hard. If you add one new suit to your rotation this season, we suggest going brown. Here are ten of our favorites—for town, country and everywhere in between—available to buy now.
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Orazio Luciano
Image Credit: Orazio Luciani A rich chocolate brown hue and bold lapels take the perennially stylish pinstripe suit from basic to boss.
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Corneliani
Image Credit: Corneliani Endlessly wearable, this sleek houndstooth suit is cut from a wool-silk-cashmere blend with an appealingly understated sheen—a brilliant match for deep navy blues and golden tans.
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Sid Mashburn
Image Credit: Sid Mashburn Brown’s muted neutrality makes it an excellent companion to bolder hues. Here, a vivid blue windowpane check adds a dash of irreverence to a superlative workday suit.
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Tom Ford
Image Credit: Tom Ford There’s a vaguely 1970s swagger to this three-piece suit, with its dramatically peaked lapels in a deep espresso brown, that feels very right for right now. The mouliné wool looks solid from afar but has subtle variations that add lots of visual interest.
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P. Johnson
Image Credit: P. Johnson Why leave camelhair to coats? The timeless material makes for especially elegant suits with a perfect weight for chilly winter days.
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Aldo Maria Camillo
Image Credit: Matches Fashion This suit’s sharply tailored jacket and trim trousers, all in a slightly textured brushed-wool twill, make a retro-inflected fabric look unmistakably modern.
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Isaia
Image Credit: Isaia The classic Prince of Wales check is black and gray. But here, in shades of brown shot through with navy blue, the traditional pattern takes on a subtler, autumnal charm.
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Barena
Image Credit: Barena An unconstructed jacket, patch pockets, and roomy trousers add up to give this suit the ideal balance of ease and polish—perfect for working some tailored finesse into your weekend wardrobe.
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Kingsman
Image Credit: Mr Porter Brown and corduroy are a match made in sartorial heaven, as evidenced by this ensemble in a velvety cocoa-colored fine wale cord.
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Brooks Brothers
Image Credit: Brooks Brothers Faint windowpane checks lend a graphic kick to heathered brown wool, refreshing a tried-and-true canvased silhouette.
