By Manish Puri.
When I started to wear more tailored clothing – and it won’t surprise you to learn that coincided with when I began to read PS regularly – it seemed to me that the epitome of elegance was the ability to mix darker jackets with lighter coloured trousers.
The digital manscape was awash with photos of handsome Italians, strapping Swedes and impossibly chic Japanese men sporting creamy flannels, pale grey Fresco and taupe twills on their lower half.
And, even as recently as last year, Derek Guy (in a post distilling style lessons from Seinfeld’s George Costanza) advocated for “dark top; light bottoms”.
I tried, Derek. I really did.
Whenever an opportunity to wear non-corporate tailored clothing presented itself, I’d dutifully trial various combinations and permutations, before predictably falling back on what felt most comfortable to me: dark shoes, dark trousers and a light colour up top.
It seemed like a fairly unremarkable (and even dull) preference. It was only when Gianluca Migliarotti (above, right) who is stellar at pairing dark sober colours on top with lighter, more expressive trousers, complimented me on the way I mixed lighter jackets with dark trousers, that I realised I might have something verging on a style-signature. (Ok, it’s no watch over a shirt cuff, but even Agnelli had to start somewhere!)
But why did I gravitate towards darker trousers in the first place? I’ll try and answer that question in this article.
Now, in doing so, there’s bound to be an element of post-purchase rationalisation at play: isn’t the quest for personal style often about stumbling on what feels right and telling a pretty story about it later?
But I believe the preference was ingrained by my early forays into classical menswear, where I found my best purchases were practical, versatile and, to a certain degree, inconspicuous.
Charcoal trousers (in particular) ticked all three boxes, and that’s why they’re referenced so much in this article. But similar reasoning holds for dark green, brown and blue trousers.
Of course, with time and some experimentation, I’ve come to embrace a paler bottom [note to self: must rephrase that before publishing]. But in spite of my shift, it seems to me that in the interim the prevailing winds of taste have started to blow gently in my direction.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at the PS Lookbook – a great resource, not just for outfit inspiration, but for seeing how even permanent style can evolve. There’s been a marked change in colour gradient over the years, with less contrast between top and bottom as well as more dark bottoms mixed with light tops.
For example, in 2017, Simon paired his chocolate suede bomber with stone chinos and white trainers, but in 2023 they’re replaced by charcoal flannels and black tassel loafers.
Or take two lovely casual outfits worn at the summer edition of Pitti: in 2019 Simon fixes the dark colours up top, while in 2023 it’s inverted.
The more generous-natured among you might say, “Bravo, Manish! You’re clearly a man ahead of his time!”
Alas, a more precise summation of my “trendsetting” is offered by Junior Soprano in one of my all-time favourite lines from the show: “Some people are so far behind in a race that they actually believe they’re leading”.
Anyway, I hope my thoughts prove helpful to readers, especially those who are relatively new to classic menswear, and often ask how they can introduce smarter clothes to their wardrobe. Let’s start the dissection from the ground up.
Black shoes
Long before the menswear cognoscenti decreed that it was ok to wear black again, I’ve held a strong preference for black shoes. That kind of makes sense because, for most of my life, it’s what I’ve been told to pair trousers with – school and the office being the principal enforcers of the combination.
But the truth is, I could have worn more brown shoes at any point in the last 20 years. Over that time, office dress codes haven’t so much relaxed as popped a couple of Valium and put on a Bob Marley record, and the “no brown in town” rule is about as carefully observed as a VAR decision.
So my reluctance to wear brown can’t really be blamed on anything beside my own “spectrum of worries”. Or more accurately, the dizzying spectrum of choice: oak, antique, chestnut, museum, walnut. Am I buying shoes or building a cabinet? All wonderful colours and, with my menswear beginner’s luck, all guaranteed to be an ever-so-slightly different shade to what I actually wanted.
But black is black, with little margin for error – a critical (if unrealistic) precept when I started my menswear journey. And so, across my tassels, pennys, lace-ups and slippers, black dominates. Of course I’m a little more assured now, and I do own brown shoes; I really like the John Lobb Lopez in dark brown museum calf – but even that’s pretty black.
Dark trousers
Having pitched my tent in the black shoes camp, the most natural and versatile trouser partner seemed to be either mid-grey (above) or charcoal. I think taupe-coloured trousers can also look quite chic with black shoes, but there’s two reasons why charcoal usually prevailed.
The first is that charcoal just seemed a little less menswear-y. Take a look at most guys around you, and almost certainly they’ll be wearing something very dark on their bottom half. So, to my eyes at least, even something relatively dark like mid-grey stood out in a non-sartorial crowd.
Whereas charcoal, although notionally a smarter colour, seemed better at hiding in plain sight. Seated at a table in the dimly lit corner of a local pub, my trousers might just be mistaken for washed black denim. Of course, the dainty loafers, one-inch belt and double pleats would eventually give the game away, but I’d pass a sniff test.
The second factor: charcoal is more of a workhorse. We all accept that one of the keys to the longevity of a quality wardrobe is to not hammer your clothes every day. Brush them, hang them and give them the occasional day off. But that logic was often overpowered by the zeal of this particular menswear newbie: I like these trousers, I’ve paid good money for these trousers, hence I shall wear these trousers.
And charcoal seemed better at hiding those tell-tale signs of excessive wear: creases and the odd spillage (sparkling water, maybe a cold-pressed juice, never beer). So it was a practical selection that allowed me to get comfortable with tailored clothes, without feeling like I needed to go out and immediately splurge on another pair to keep up appearances.
Lighter tops
Finally we move to the torso.
The sheer darkness of the bottom half naturally lends itself to higher contrast looks, and I maintain that a high-contrast look is one of the easiest ways for a guy developing their style to make a strong visual impact with minimal fuss.
For example, I’m still to be convinced that a good semi-smart summer outfit for most men requires more than dark high-twist trousers, a cream linen shirt unbuttoned to one hole below where you feel comfortable, and an accessory – a ring, watch, necklace – that feels personal to you.
In winter, charcoal flannels, a heavy white oxford-cloth shirt and your upper layer of choice – denim trucker, chore coat, knitwear, blazer or leather jacket (above, from Bryceland’s) – should similarly see you through most eventualities.
Granted, these aren’t the most adventurous looks, but my ambition has always been to subtly improve my style, not get spotted by WWD.
The last factor in support of a lighter top might be the most personal. As someone with darker skin and an even darker beard, I always liked the contrast they offer. Give me a haircut, a shower and a crisp white shirt and I feel boxfresh.
Of course, as my beard slowly turns snow white, it’ll be interesting to see if my position flip flops. Expect to read an article from me extolling the virtues of black shirts in 2028!
The outfits
Finally, a quick word on the three outfits (where the only item I’ve changed is the trousers) – shot by Alex at Pitti.
The jacket is MTM from J. Mueser, made up in a Harris tweed from Campbell’s of Beauly, and the shirt and tie are from Bryceland’s. Simon has covered a couple of commissions from J. Mueser, so I’ll just add that I’ve found their jackets really easy to wear. A clean, simple Neapolitan-inspired style with no element dominating another.
The charcoal trousers and the pale grey are both from The Anthology – the latter pair being my first ever bespoke trousers from them, so they’re a little slimmer than my usual cut.
The mid to dark grey trousers are the Aleks model from Kit Blake – a brand I’ve previously covered here. I still recommend them as a good well-priced RTW option to anyone looking for a fuller cut. They’re made from a 12oz Italian flannel, which feels very comfortable to wear, but (as you can see from some of the shots) did flap about a bit on a blustery afternoon.
My personal preference is for a heavier cloth (The Anthology trousers are between 14oz and 18oz), but I’ve been told by Kit Blake that they plan to release heavier cloth versions in the future, which is welcome news for me.
I hope the three looks help illustrate how much difference the trousers can make, and I present them largely without comment – by this point in the article, you should know which iteration I prefer! However, I’d be really interested to hear which one readers like and why.
That said, there are two thoughts on the photos that I’d like to share.
First, while I think the charcoal trousers work best with black shoes and the light grey with brown (unfortunately, I didn’t pack any to change into), the Kit Blake trousers would sit well with either – another strike for the versatility of mid-grey.
My second musing relates to the extent to which taste is shaped by our physical environment. In London, where the black tarmac seems permanently rain-slicked and the air itself can feel grey, dark shoes and trousers seem less of a style choice and more of a visual echo.
However, against the lambent sandstone streets of Florence, even I must humbly concede, the light grey trousers (which I usually wear the least) look bloody gorgeous.
Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram
Florence photos by Alex Natt
