Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)

[Darkside]



Yeah, but the groom's wearing navy. So it might be a little weird wearing navy or light gray, and you don't want to wear pinstripes to an afternoon wedding. I say either go with the dark gray or get a new one in a cobalt blue or something less businessy. Oh! Maybe a POW check.

I've never heard of the groom wearing the most common suit color (navy) precluding any other visitors from wearing it as well.

 

[12345Michael54321]



A friend is getting married in Summer (here in Australia) and has decided that the dress code will be "formal".

Well, your friend has decided that the dress code will be "Dress nicely, but less formally than a tuxedo." That's not the traditionally accepted definition of "formal," but at least you sought clarification and now understand what was meant.

It's like when a bride specifies "semi-formal," when what she means is "less dressy than a suit and tie, but no jeans or t-shirts." (Yes, I have encountered this. I really have.)

The groom is wearing a navy suit with a bow tie, groomsmen will be wearing light grey suits also with bow ties.

Okay. No conflict here with what your friend told you. You should wear a suit. Not a tuxedo. Not a sportcoat. A suit. Seems straight forward enough.

I have 5 suits: navy, navy pinstripe, light grey, dark grey and charcoal

There's a general rule - not a law carved in stone, but not a completely obsolete guideline, either - that pinstripes are more for business, than for social events. As a wedding is a social event, and as you have several non-pinstripe suits, you should rule out wearing the navy pinstripe.

Charcoal usually tends to be a little more staid and conservative than navy or light/medium grey. This doesn't necessarily make it a wrong choice here, but given that it's a daytime summer country wedding, and the groomsmen will be in light grey (a suit color notably more casual than charcoal), I'd probably not go for the charcoal suit.

Again, I'm not saying it'd be a horrible mistake, just that I don't think it'd be the best choice.

Dark grey is a lot like charcoal. Just a little less so. If you follow me.

I'd recommend you wear the navy or the light grey. Either one would be fine. Assuming both fit you equally well, and you can't decide which to wear, toss a coin.

Before hearing what the Groom was going to wear I had settled for the Navy but now I am not so sure.

That the groom will wear a navy suit does not in any way preclude you from wearing a navy suit. It's not like a woman showing up at a wedding wearing a white dress of a sort which could easily be mistaken for the bride's wedding gown. (Which is just tacky. And yeah, I've seen this, too. And the woman in the white dress which closely resembled a wedding gown was the groom's mother. And the bride's mother got pretty upset about it. Don't ask.)

would you take the opp. to add another suit to the wardrobe?

Hey, if you're looking for an excuse to buy a new suit, go ahead and let the wedding be your excuse. Why not? Maybe a nice tan suit. You don't already have one, and for a daytime country wedding, in the summer, and given what the groom and groomsmen are going to be wearing, I think a nice tan suit could be a fine choice.

'Course, this assumes you look good in tan. Some people do, and some people don't.

When all is said and done, so long as you're not dressed completely inappropriately, nobody will take much notice of what you're wearing. You're a male wedding guest, not even a groomsman - you're practically invisible. So no need to stress over this suit decision.

Now, the shirt/tie/pocket square/boutonniere/cuff link/belt/braces/undershirt/wristwatch/socks/shoes decisions are key. Utterly make or break. Agonize over them.

 

[Koala-T]

I've never heard of the groom wearing the most common suit color (navy) precluding any other visitors from wearing it as well.

I agree with that, but I can still understand how it make someone feel uncomfortable.

 

[Darkside]

Can anyone recommend a mid brown suede belt?

 

[Muscles]

Thanks guys, I think I will get a new suit in a lighter or brighter blue. I'd feel weird wearing the navy or light grey and my skin tone doesn't suit tan.

 

[cptjeff]



Thanks guys, I think I will get a new suit in a lighter or brighter blue. I'd feel weird wearing the navy or light grey and my skin tone doesn't suit tan.

I'd opt for a checked suit. Something you can wear to work on less formal days, and that can be worn for festive social occasions. Don't know if you have suitsupply down under, but something like this.

 

[greu1]

what do folks think of this tie from Ralph lauren purple label? It's so unusual for PL, which is always understated and conservative. first i thought there was an art deco vibe, but now it looks like 90s jazz band teacher on the simpsons?

thoughts?

 

[MickeyPunch]

Sorry wrong thread.

 

[cptjeff]



what do folks think of this tie from Ralph lauren purple label? It's so unusual for PL, which is always understated and conservative. first i thought there was an art deco vibe, but now it looks like 90s jazz band teacher on the simpsons? thoughts?

I get a deco vibe, but really, when you get outside of the mainstream of conservative design, the lines are blurry on the difference between retro cool and modern tacky. A lot of the designs we think of as vintage and cool now were considered tacky in their time by many (see: Art Deco ties). If you like it, wear it. It not, don't. I see Jerry Garcia type stuff all the time, and you know what? It can look pretty decent matched up with a conservative suit and tie. The tie will be the focus of the outfit, so tone down the rest of the outfit, but if you want to wear it, I don't see why not.

 

[BrooksLauren77]

I need help with shoes!

I'll be wearing a charcoal suit with a white and blue gingham shirt along with a dark red bowtie to a dressy but colorful event.

I found these amazing navy blue Gucci burnished oxfords. They are a slightly darker blue than the shirt.

Should I go for them or should I stick to a safe pair of black Allen Edmonds?

How dark is the navy blue? Can't give a good answer without pics.

what do folks think of this tie from Ralph lauren purple label? It's so unusual for PL, which is always understated and conservative. first i thought there was an art deco vibe, but now it looks like 90s jazz band teacher on the simpsons?

thoughts?

Ew.

 

[12345Michael54321]



what do folks think of this tie

I find it unappealing, and it would be of extraordinarily limited use to me. (I might wear it for costume purposes. Sort of like my lime green polyester leisure suit.)

from Ralph lauren purple label?

While items from RL's purple label do sometimes appeal to me, I've got to judge an item on its own merits, and not by its brand name. And if I came across this tie at Goodwill, for 50 cents, I wouldn't part with the half buck for it. (This assumes I'm inhabiting a world where it's not possible to flip things for a profit on eBay, of course.)

It's so unusual for PL, which is always understated and conservative.  first i thought there was an art deco vibe, but now it looks like 90s jazz band teacher on the simpsons?

My first thought was that it wasn't a genuine Ralph Lauren Purple Label, at all, but was a counterfeit product.

If you admit you found it at a flea market in Wuxi, China, that'd still be my primary explanation for the tie.

Otherwise, well, maybe old Ralph just blew it with this one. It happens.

 

[iloveshirts]

Needed to buy a quick suit for an interview and found this one. I know it doesn't fit perfectly but will it suffice for an interview do you think?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Veremund]



Needed to buy a quick suit for an interview and found this one. I know it doesn't fit perfectly but will it suffice for an interview do you think? Thanks for your help!

Sure, it'll do.

 

[iloveshirts]



Sure, it'll do.

Thanks for your reply what do you think to the fit generally?

 

[Veremund]



Thanks for your reply what do you think to the fit generally?

I think, with your hands in your pockets, it looks terrible. Take your hands out, take another picture, and never put your hands back in your pockets again.

All kidding aside, take another pick without your hands in your pockets.