Perhaps the wedding is going to be conducted by the sun-kissed Mediterranean coastline, or perhaps the bride wants to tone down the formality, but whatever the motivation it’s perfectly possible to wear a linen suit in a way that looks cool, rather than colonial. (more…)
Although this is the easiest dress code with which to comply it’s necessary to sound a note of caution.
While most men will already own a lounge suit that could be worn to a wedding, few will own one that should to be worn to a wedding. The reason is that a man, whether he’s a guest or the groom, should look like he’s dressed up for a celebration, not for a day in the office. (more…)
Now that few people give formal parties dinner jackets have become the preserve of corporate functions.Unsurprisingly few of us are sufficiently inspired by such humdrum events to worry much about what we wear.
A wedding, however, calls for rather more effort and the ultimate dinner jacket, of course, is a bespoke dinner jacket. This brings a world of options into play, from the fundamental choices between midnight blue and black cloth and a double or single breasted jacket, to more subtle ones involving jetted or flapped pockets, satin or grosgrain facing, and peak lapels or a shawl collar. (more…)
The modern world has few occasions smarter than grand weddings, and for the majority of men the dress code will call for the most formal clothes they own. However, not all weddings are stiff affairs, and the location and style of the ceremony will dictate what kind of outfit the male guests should wear. Of course, at a social event, rather than a professional one, a man’s outfit should say something about his character, rather than about his job title. There is no better way to do this than by commissioning a bespoke suit, which, done right, speaks eloquently about the man who’s wearing it. (more…)
Some men dress up well (Cary Grant), and some men dress down well (Steve McQueen), but Gary Cooper dressed well all of the time. Kitted out in a plaid shirt and faded jeans he was every inch the rugged outdoorsman, and yet he was able to look just as natural in a dinner jacket, or even white tie. As well as being a fine actor Cooper was a real man, and enjoyed skiing, hunting, sailing and fast cars. In Enduring Style, G Bruce Boyer’s excellent book about Cooper’s clothes, the actor is photographed at the wheel of an impressive convertible Duesenberg, with a finely wrought dimple in his tie. (more…)
An apocryphal story about the legendary actor and dancer Fred Astaire has it that after a disappointing screen test a studio executive gave him the following report: “Can’t sing. Can’t act. Balding. Can dance a little.” To which we might add, Can dress. Astaire had neither a face nor a body that inspired desire or jealousy, but as studio boss David O Selznick had it, “I feel in spite of his enormous ears and bad chin line, that his charm is so tremendous that it comes through.” His wardrobe, and the way he wore it, seems to have been a physical manifestation of that charm. (more…)
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