“In any event, the English like dark suits. In fact they like the darkest suits. Americans have no idea how dark the English like their suits because generally we will instinctively choose lighter colors. The English like a charcoal that is almost indistinguishable from black and a navy like that too. Occasionally, they will wear a “bluer” navy if it has very heavy pinstripes or chalk stripes on it. The English will claim they do not like black suits but they seem to wear them in abundance both solids and with white or grey stripes. It is interesting that for suits the American upper class like a navy blue that’s a little bluer or more purple than the English would choose. Also, while a medium grey, a medium or dark blue-grey and the tan suit are all the mark of American gentility for the workplace, the English would never touch these cloths for City wear. Why would we develop such different tastes from each other? Although in the grand scheme of things, a black-navy vs. a purple-navy cloth choice is practically unnoticeable, in the world of tailored suit choices it is a veritable chasm. Incidentally, when it comes to the “City” we are speaking about both a physical place and a state of mind of people doing business. The English will wear all sorts of suit patterns and shades for the “country” with the country defined as lunch with a friend in Oxford town! Thus, “country” is also a state of mind in England. We might call it “suburb” here because we have more land and more wildernesses. We also don’t have that parliamentary act which preserves the green areas and restricts development. The English have plenty of built up areas but no urban sprawl. In any case, the Americans like the medium grey suit because it suggests leisure and an easement from business to club. Remember that the English separate the idleness of the aristocrat from the seriousness of business; we combine it.”
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