Color · Est. 1972
Green, tobaccoand olive
Distinctive without being loud. The most useful escape from a wardrobe of navy and charcoal.
Forest green and earth tones read as confident without shouting. Green works where navy would be predictable; tobacco and tan flatter nearly every complexion and pair with the greys and creams already in your wardrobe. They photograph well in Texas light, which navy does not always do. Fitted at The Man’s Shop in Arlington.
Why these colors
Distinctive without being loud
Navy and charcoal are reliable, and after a while a wardrobe made only of them stops saying anything. Earth tones solve that without moving into territory that feels like a costume.
Forest green in particular reads as grounded and self-assured. It is unusual enough to be noticed and conventional enough for a client meeting, which is a narrow and useful space to occupy.
Browns and tans have a practical advantage: they flatter a wider range of complexions than gray does, and they sit better against Texas light. A tobacco jacket photographs warm; a charcoal one photographs flat in strong sun.
The colors
What each one does
- Forest green
- The most versatile of them. Deep enough to be formal in a sport coat, unusual enough to be remembered. Pairs with cream, gray, tan and denim.
- Olive
- Softer and more casual than forest. Excellent in a field jacket or an unstructured coat, less convincing in a formal suit.
- Tobacco and chestnut
- Warm browns that work as a jacket or trousers. Tobacco with cream trousers is one of the best warm-weather combinations available.
- Tan and stone
- Base neutrals rather than statements. They do the same job cream does but with more warmth.
- What to avoid
- Anything approaching a bright or acid green, and brown suits in a formal business setting, which still read as dated in most DFW offices.
Pairing
What goes with what
- Green with cream
- The easiest and best of these. A forest green jacket with cream trousers works from March to November here.
- Green with gray
- More formal and more conventional. Mid-gray trousers make a green jacket read as business rather than weekend.
- Brown with blue
- Tobacco jacket, pale blue shirt. A reliable combination that most men underuse because they assume brown is difficult.
- Earth tones together
- Possible but harder. Keep a clear difference in tone between pieces or the outfit reads as one large brown shape.
- With denim
- All of these work with dark denim, which is what makes them useful. A green or tobacco jacket is the fastest way to make jeans look intentional.
Common questions
Earth tones, answered
Is a green suit too bold for business?
A green suit is a strong statement in most DFW offices. A green sport coat is not — worn with gray or cream trousers it reads as considered rather than attention-seeking, and it is the more useful garment of the two.
What color trousers go with a green jacket?
Cream is the easiest and best in this climate. Mid-gray makes the combination more formal, tan makes it warmer, and dark denim makes it casual without making it sloppy. Avoid other greens.
Will a green jacket date quickly?
Less than most men fear. Deep forest green has been in and out of tailoring for a century and reads as classic rather than seasonal. What dates is the shade — anything bright, acid, or leaning toward emerald will look of its moment in five years.
Is brown acceptable in a formal office?
A brown sport coat, yes. A brown suit still reads as dated in most traditional DFW offices, particularly in finance and law. If you want brown in a formal setting, put it in the jacket rather than the whole outfit.
Why do earth tones photograph well in Texas?
Strong sunlight flattens dark neutrals — charcoal in particular can read as a shapeless block outdoors. Warmer colors hold their depth in that light, which matters for outdoor weddings, events, and anything photographed between ten and four.
Can I see these colors in person?
Worth doing, because green and brown are exactly the colors screens render least reliably. What looks olive online is often something quite different in daylight.
See it in daylight
Book with Patrick or Austin
Green and brown are the two colors screens get most wrong.
Book with PatrickBook with Austin
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116