It’s official: coloured suits are the new black

The coloured suit is here to stay

Words: Mitch Parker Producer: Bianca Farmakis In partnership with

It used to be that choosing a suit colour was a fairly dull decision. The same black, navy, or grey on repeat. Or maybe you got lucky and found a tan, brown, or green number—safe choices that somehow felt bold.

Recently though the mood has shifted, the clouds have parted, and instead we’re finding an array of boldly coloured suits that stand out from the pack.

For a moment, white suits reigned supreme among red carpets and award shows—but this was merely a palate cleanser of what was to come. Hollywood’s biggest stars are leading the charge when it comes to brightly coloured suiting.

Ryan Gosling stepped out in a hard-to-miss canary yellow velvet avoiding looking like Sesame Street’s Big Bird by styling the suit over a black ribbed t-shirt to give the suit a more palatable base.

Jake Gyllenhaal kept the colour coming when he floated onto a recent red carpet in a soft pink suit and pink silk cummerbund. Unlike Gosling, Gyllenhaal styled his suit to highlight the colour by opting for a white shirt and black shoes that let the colour pop.

Timothee Chalamet’s Dune press tour has been a rollercoaster ride of big fits but the pastel patterned blue suit look he wore at the film's London debut took the prize. From top to toe, the suit was adoened with an intricate pattern for a truly sumptuous spring look.

Even Bond broke from the standard colours using the premiere of No Time To Die to wear a double-breasted pink velvet jacket.

And then there’s Jason Sudeikis who pulled off a luscious almost-turquoise blue suit—and in velvet no less—at 2021’s Emmys.

So what’s the deal? Some will say it’s the desire to dress boldly after a year of living in track pants. But if you ask us, the real reason is because nobody talks about the guy in the black suit anymore. In the world of online discourse it turns out that attention is the new black.

Black and navy just aren’t cutting it anymore. In partnership with Read more on GQ