One Suit... What Color?

black suits are the safest, go for around 75-85% cotton

black wool

Black wool

Charcoal gray wool

Light wool, navy blue. There's no point in having any other color if you only have one. Perhaps dark grey.

Find an old copy of Dress for Success and follow his recommendations. Although dated and the actual fashion recommendations may need to be updated, the basic logic hasn't changed.

*Charcoal Gray beyond a doubt. Not only is it a totally sharp color when worn as a full 'set'...but the separates (slacks and blazer) are great too because they pair well with navy, black, or even a dark chocolate brown.

(*My dad has to wear a suit and tie every day to work and he swears by this color choice. He has 15 pair of Charcoal Gray dress slacks a number of Charcoal Gray blazers).

In terms of material, I would steer clear of wool (if he's only going to own one suit, it should be all weather). A cotton poly blend would probably suit (pun intended) him best, since it's rather low maintenance, can't be ruined easily, and will stand up well to occasional wear.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck to your friend...

black is a must. depending on where he lives. a wool suit if he lives somewhere cold, if not, silk or a blended suit will work.

linen is too hard to keep wrinkle free

Black. Definitely black. Classic look. You can dress it up with a bow tie or fancy shirt. Or, you could dress it down with a t-shirt.

I'd be grey- or blue-colored fine wool suit. IMO that's the best color for any daily issues.