Classics become so for a reason. Grey trousers are pretty much unbeatable, which is why they’ve been the default for wearing with patterned jackets for almost a century.
So honor your ancestors with charcoal trousers and an odd jacket — it’s a combo that works for me. You might also consider a tab collar for a change of pace. Billy Joel sings that it’ll welcome you back to the age of jive.
You know, where these guys were. — CC
After much experimentation, I’ll take mine in mid-dark grey, thank you. If nothing else, they’re much easier to contrast with a navy blazer. But your point is a good one.
@Andy Owen – Exactly. Charcoal trousers with a blue blazer can be mistaken for a suit. Press has a really nice medium grey. Very versatile.
Nitpickers jumping in fast! I mention grey in the text but perhaps I should change the headline. Besides, in this old black and white photo we can’t exactly tell what shade their pants are.
Me, I go for any shade so long as it’s in the grey spectrum.
I tried charcoal trousers with a seersucker jacket, white shirt and black knit tie this Summer. I thought it looked pretty good. Charcoal is a surprisingly versatile color if you think about how to use its unique properties rather than simply substitute it for khaki or light gray.
Just got this beauty to wear with charcoal trousers, white shirt and black knit tie
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MINTY-Vtg-60s-Rat-Pack-Blue-Plaid-Madras-Cotton-Unconstructed-Preppy-Blazer-M/232940727620?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144
Unless the film is developed by somebody who really knows what they’re doing, old school black and white images tend to skew tones to the extremes and lose mid-range tones. In this case, the pants and ties look black, but they could be lighter in shade and not necessarily a gray color (blue , purple, red, olive or brown perhaps). The solid sport jackets could be a little darker and in a color we don’t expect. You can see the total effect in the madras jacket, which very likely has several shades of several colors that didn’t translate into gray tones.
To my somewhat trained eye, the pixilation on the faces suggests the photo was in some paper publication and was later scanned. In the process, a lot of detail and nuance got lost, while problems like the pixilation emerged.
Why not a tab collar indeed!
I really like the charcoal and light grey madras jacket. 😉