My Happy Suit

Photography by Chelsea Larsson and Ethan Wong

Now that the weather has gotten colder, I find myself living in my corduroy suit. Wearing it brings me so much joy that it’s not hard to find an occasion to put it on.

My friend Derek has written at length about casual suits. He refers to them as in-between suits or happy suits, but I find the latter term more appropriate. Even though I understood the idea of a happy suit, it wasn’t until I got my corduroy suit where I recognized what it really meant to be wearing one.

Suit - Freeman Sporting Club | Turtleneck - Uniqlo | Pocket Square - Drake's London | Boots - Carmina Shoemaker | Glasses - Jacques Marie Mage

If you’re on this site, then it’s no surprise that I like to wear suits. Even though my office has a casual dress code, I’ve always felt comfortable enough to wear a suit to work. Even still, I occasionally worry that I look too formal. But whenever I wear my corduroy suit to work, I’ve never second guessed myself.

Suit - Freeman Sporting Club | Polo - Spier and Mackay | Pocket Square - Drake's London | Belt - Carmina Shoemaker | Boots - Crockett and Jones | Glasses - JINS

I think it’s because suits made of worsted wool make you feel like you need to project an aura of elegance and decorum where corduroy is more relaxed and informal. Whereas a worsted suit is something you’d wear to an interview or wedding, a corduroy suit could be something you just want to wear to the pub to meet friends.

Being a casual fabric, it naturally pairs well with long sleeve polos and turtlenecks, but it still can look sharp if you want to dress it up with a nice shirt and tie. Because of that, it can fit in almost anywhere.

And I think that’s what really makes it a happy suit a happy suit: it’s fun to wear. It’s easygoing and laidback and makes you feel at ease so you can spend more time enjoying yourself and less time wondering if your love of tailored clothing is making you stand out.

My cord suit is made by Southwick for Freeman Sporting Club and features a dark chocolate brown thin wale cord. Outside of work, I’ve enjoyed wearing it on family outings and nights out with friends. If you’re interested in something similar, Spier and Mackay has a terrific one this season that’s very close to mine.

For future happy suits, I’d love to pick up an olive cotton suit to wear along with my cream seersucker suit during the summer. And for next fall, it would be great to have either something in brown cotton or tweed. 

But for now, if you ever see me in my corduroy suit, know that I’m having a great time. 

Jacket - Barbour |Suit - Freeman Sporting Club | Shirt - Proper Cloth | Tie and Pocket Square - Drake's London | Belt - Carmina Shoemaker | Glasses - JINS