Learn how to Style your Suit for a true Peaky Blinder Look
Peaky Blinders is back, and I for one am damn excited about it.
Sure I love the attitude and sure I love the acting (Arthur Shelby played by Paul Anderson is my favourite character). I love the brummie accents and the haircuts too.
But my favourite part, the bit I get most excited about, is those Peaky Blinder suits and the whole Peaky Blinder fashion.
Tommy Shelby suits a suit. He looks damn good in it. And you can too, we all can. The distinct style of the Peaky Blinder series was bourne out of the times, and times were tough. But getting the look needn't be hard work.
Now as we all know from series one, the Shelby family used tailors and got their suits made. So did Billy Kimber and his gang too, The whole gang were serious about their clothes and got them made properly. So if you want a proper Peaky Blinders suit, then a tailor should be your first port of call.....just like Tommy does.
Let us split the Peaky Blinders look down into sections
STYLE. FABRIC & COLOURS. HOW TO GET THEM.
Starting with the most important part
STYLE
PEAKY BLINDERS JACKET
I adore the Peaky Blinder Style, and its signature jacket has a 3 button front, with notch lapels, as shown below. This shortens the lapel line a little and is very distinct, and super rare on the high street.
Only do up the top button and leave the rest undone for some proper Peaky Blinders nonchalance
Image Credit Netflix | Link |
For the finishing details, either patch or flap pockets will work. Both are seen above. And ensure the edges have, what we tailor's call, a swelled edge. If you look at the edges of Johns lapel (above) you'll see a continual stitch placed 1/4" from the edge, giving the illusion that the edge is swelling up. Essential details for a blinder.
PEAKY BLINDERS TROUSERS
The trousers are often overlooked by many but play a critical role. Movement is a big thing, you can't dodge bullet fire in drainpipes. The Peaky Blinders trousers allow for ease of movement but still retain bags of style and swagger.
Opt for either a single or double pleat. Forward or backwards pleats are fine, but you want that fullness for the proper look. You can also have your trousers sitting slightly higher up on the waist too. These are proper trousers for proper men. With enough rise to clear the hips and sit snugly underneath the waistcoat. See Tommy Shelby and his trousers below...
Image Credit BBC | Link |
WAISTCOAT
Looking through the series the waistcoats mix and match. Sometimes you see a notch lapel grown onto the waistcoat, often they are without. Really the choice is yours and its personal preference. The bottoms should be pointed.
My personal choice would be to have a plain waistcoat, but with a cloth-covered back, meaning it can be paired down with jeans and chinos easier (more on that later). This brings us to our next point… fabric.
FABRIC & COLOURS
It has to be tweed, or at the absolute least a textured fabric. Back in the Peaky Blinders days, the fabrics had to be durable and to last a long time. The streets were often dirty and life was tough. The fabric was required to stand up to a lot of wear (and the occasional gunfight).
Keep the colours muted and on the darker side. Grey, brown and blue are best. So for grey think mid-grey and charcoal, for blues, think navy, and for brown think chocolate. Always go for the darker shades.
Stick to weights between 12-14oz and 100% wools only. They fight a crease superbly, offer great wear, and look blinding! Really, really sharp.
Complete plains are out, always think texture, texture, texture. And did I mention texture?
Good pattern choices are herringbones, twill and houndstooth. If we look back at the first picture (shown again below, focused on the suits) you can see a couple of good examples.
LEFT - Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in herringbone
RIGHT - Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson) in houndstooth
Image Credit VICE (via BBC) | Link
Now that's not to say that only these few patterns would work. There are lots more, but remember that it's all about texture and depth. Donegal would also work...
A couple of great fabric examples are shown below.
From left to right are
Brown twill | Grey Herringbone | Charcoal Twill (all available)
Now for the best bit.
At Colmore Tailors we love flexibility and we love clothes that can be worn for years and years. When styled right and selected with the right fabric, the Peaky Blinders suit comes into its own.
Create your perfect 3 Piece Suit
By order of the Colmore Tailors
Ordering a 3 piece suit gives you more than just a 3 piece Peaky Blinders suit. It's so adaptable that you can break it up with ease. You are buying an awesome jacket that looks as brilliant with jeans as it does with the full suit. You are buying a waistcoat that pairs well with chinos and can be worn as a jacket & waistcoat separate too. You are buying a pair of trousers that can be worn with an oxford shirt, a jumper, and some brogues. You are buying a 2 piece suit, and a 3 piece suit. In other words, you are buying everything. It’s so adaptable you'll be wearing it with such ease, as often as you like. That said, you could just buy one element, such as the jacket and still benefit....it’s that good.
It's the ultimate suit. One worthy of a blinder.
Browse our range of 3 piece suit fabrics and select your preferred linings, trims, buttons and styles - we also offer Style Guidance so we can work with you to ensure you look as sharp as a razor-bladed flat cap!
Thanks for reading.....please like, share and comment.
Scott & The Colmore Tailors Team
t - 07847483867
Read our other blog posts here
Colmore Tailors are specialists in men's tailored suits, made-to-measure and bespoke. Covering Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Solihull and Lichfield. We exist to make you feel your very best.
