You are not vying with Will Smith for a role in Men In Black III.

Nor are you a power-suited property wheeler-dealer with strange hair like a certain Donald Trump.

COLOUR SPLASH

Sometimes, a suit's got to be seriously dark. But you can lighten things up a little with a colourful tie and snazzy pocket handkerchief. Coloured striped shirt, $404, silk cotton striped jacket suit, $2,225, silk pochette, $142, and silk tie, $224.70, all from Etro, 01-30 Paragon. Leather shoes, $930, from Gucci, 01-40 Paragon

So why, oh why, when you dress up for formal occasions, does your standard ensemble consist of a boxy, black dinner jacket and matching slouchy pants?

This is the common lament of Singapore wives and girlfriends over the tendency of men here to reach for boring black when confronted with a swanky invite.

It's time to ditch the dated dinner jacket - and Singaporean composer and sartorial statement, Dick Lee, was at hand to show how to jazz things up.

He owns more than 30 sets of suits from brands like Dior Homme, Paul Smith and even Spanish label Zara, and they cost him up to $3,500 each. He says: 'All-black suits are more formal, so I save that for very formal dinners and galas. Currently, I prefer shades of grey.'

Or, if you're a powersuit purist, deviate just a little by donning a charcoal shade, a step down from stark black.

Or you can spruce up a dark suit by injecting colour through your ties, shirts or other accessories.

'I'd wear a shirt, narrow tie, and silk pocket square in three pastel colours to jazz up an all-black suit,' says Lee.

Do also learn a thing or two from fashion houses' spring/summer 2008 collections.

For instance, German label Jil Sander's Belgian creative director Raf Simons opted for muted tones in shades of beige, white, and grey.

Silhouettes were also trimmed and fitted for the stylishly suited. It's minimalist chic at its max.

Urban shows you four suitable looks so you won't look like a Trump chump.

CHECKMATE	GREYED OUT	LIFE IN MONO
It's time to ditch that boring white shirt underneath your suit jacket. This patterned, knitted vest will be your checkmate in updating your two-piece with a twist. Cotton striped shirt, $199, wool jacket, $649, matching wool pants, $295, wool checked vest, $119, silk tie, $119, and leather shoes, $275, all from Banana Republic, 02-06 Paragon	You'll get admiring looks in this suit - grey is one of the hottest colours this season. But if you are afraid of looking washed out, put on a textured, silver tie with a shimmery sheen. It shines up that pewter something great. Cotton jacket, $599, matching cotton pants, $339, cotton shirt, $269, all from ck Calvin Klein, 01-07 Forum; silk tie, $370, from Louis Vuitton, 01-20 Ngee Ann City; leather shoes, price unavailable, from Salvatore Ferragamo, 01-38 Paragon	If it were possible to be understatedly flamboyant, then this snazzy get-up would be it. The pink-and-white striped tie adds a splash of colour to the near-monotone suit. A dark-coloured pocket square hints at sophistication and elegance. Who says you can't wear stripes and checks at the same time? Checked wool jacket, $3,250, matching pants, $840, tie, $270, cotton striped shirt, $640, pochette, $230, and leather shoes, $930, all from Gucci, 01-40 Paragon

Photography: DESMOND FOO; Stylist: DOLPHIN YEO; Grooming: BENEDICT CHOO (9682-9590); Model: PETER DAVIES from Mannequin

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Apr 24, 2008.