I have an upcoming wedding and so am reluctantly looking for a new suit. I’m just looking for a moderately decent suit that will get worn once, maybe twice a year.
In general, formal dress and I have long ago agreed to go our separate ways, so I’m not up on the latest trends.
Note that suits, in general, do not fit me. I’m short and have wide shoulders, so every suit will bunch up around the back if I raise my arms. When I suggest that maybe I should go for a longer jacket in exchange for more arm room, the various store clerks gasp in horror in much the same way as if I’d suggested wearing the suit with Crocs.
So…the best fitting suit I’ve found is black. Not pinstriped, no pattern, just black. It actually looks pretty decent. But to me, pure black seems kind of somber for a wedding. The clerk says “No, black is very ‘in’ right now, and would be perfect for a wedding. In fact, pinstripes are not as formal and would be less classy.”
Is she right? Will I get decent mileage out of a black suit?
Mmmm, I think generally black for suits is not so great. And your problem is that your suits don’t fit because you aren’t having them altered correctly.
She’s right about the pinstripes. Personally I find pinstripes extremely businessy and avoid wearing them for social settings, but that’s definitely not a hard and fast rule and lot’s of people probably wouldn’t even agree with me.
As far as the color, she’s right in as far as you will be able to find plenty of people, especially women, who say it’s a good look that you can wear all over. Personally I agree with you and think you should keep looking for a navy or grey suit.
Grey is super-versatile - I’d go with that. You can wear a grey suit to a funeral, a spring wedding, an interview… Pinstripes can make some guys look like small time mobsters if you aren’t careful, unless it’s a subtle pinstripe.
The most important thing you can do with a suit is to have it properly altered so it fits you right, though. A properly tailored $300 suit looks light years better than a $1000 suit that only sort of fits.
Incidentally, my mom used to say that only black people wear black suits. Clearly that isn’t true, but it’s true that most of the black suits I see are on black people. Of course, that might be because white people don’t know how to dress up for funerals anymore.
I’d probably go with charcoal.
Also, as far as fit, you’re going to need to get it altered pretty much no matter what. I would try Calvin Klein, though; my husband is shorter than average height and has disproportionately broad shoulders, and their suits pretty much fit him off the rack, whereas every other brand he tried would have had to be giant (and thus have substantial alterations) to fit his shoulders.
Wearing black (jacket and pants) and white (shirt) is not terribly original but it’s classic. It’s what I’d wear and if I chose to only have one suit, I’d go with a black one because it can be used for anything.
Have you thought about bringing black dress pants of yours to the shop and trying to match them with a black jacket? It’s certainly not the most formal way to do it but if you only wear a suit once or twice a year and that the attention is not on you, it can be good enough.
Remember that a suit is supposed to be fitted. Check the work of the taylor while you’re still in the taylor’s shop. I’ve had bad experiences at a few where they botched the job and seemed to figure most clients trust the adjustments to have been properly made.
This, especially if people know that you don’t do formal very often.
The OP is correct in that black isn’t the greatest color to wear to a wedding, but let’s be honest here: guys get a pass on minor fashion “mistakes” that women don’t.
How about picking the suit color you like and getting it tailored to fit. That’s what most people do. Rarely does anyone buy a suit to fit off the rack.
Usually black, grey or blue are fine for mens suits. Single breasted. Double breasted tends to look very 90s.
I never really liked the pinstriped suits with what looks almost like chalk lines of pinstriping. It seems more like a late 2000s investment banker’s affectation.
Black suits are fine, but they can look a little somber (ie Reservoir Dogs, funeral dirctor or CEO of Megacorp International). That’s easily offset with a brightly colored tie.
Don’t wear Crocs. You’ll look like a jackass. Typically black dress shoes with a matching black belt are what you want.
Agree with this wholeheartedly. My #1 go-to suit is black. My navy double-breasted suit was fine a while back … but my wife tells me that it now reminds her of something a fussy sea captain might wear (the buttons are gold :o ).
Black suits can be “loosened up” not only with vividly-colored ties, but also with non-traditional dress shirt colors such as red, green, or purple**. Slightly more conservative is a black suit with a French-blue shirt.
*** WARNING! A lot of people hate the black-suit-colored-shirt look. IMHO, while it’s not really cutting-edge in 2011, it is somewhat iconoclastic. You have to try it for yourself and see if you’re comfortable with what you see in the mirror. Jewel-toned dress shirts are much more appropriate for “social wear” and less appropriate for Wall Street. The look also fits in better in places like L.A., Miami, or New Orleans; and less well in the Northeast ir Midwest.*
Grey suit; much more versatile and easier to accessorize.
Black is too special, and insanely difficult to match color tones to. The Dope doesn’t seem to have an “Ask the Person Who Went to Art School” topic, but if it did, that’s what the advice there would be. Don’t even think of pairing black pants and a black jacket bought separately.
Word to all up-thread advice about fit.
If this suit is to see many years of service, think “classic”, not “currently fashionable”.
The Reservoir Dog look is hot, so don’t be dissuaded, if you can pull it off.
Go with black-it is always fashionable, even with the gay boys. Just think: Fashion people never agree on what’s ‘trendy’ but, they will always say that black goes with everything, and is a classic, even though they may whine about it, because their clients are pimping their own tones this year.
Think Robert DeNiro in Heat, in his bank robbery scene. You will swear by black the longest day you live.
DB is always a classic. If they are not in fashion, the fact that you wear one will make people think that you follow your own drummer, instead of using Justin Bieber or Eminem or whatever tool is trending right now, and that will be the fashion.
If you do go with a black suit with colored shirt, ties, make them very sedate, not red, or yellow, or bright green!
This will give you the Eurostud type of look.
Also, gray, in suiting, has various multi shades, as does blue, which may clash. Doesn’t usually, but, your choices of complementary shirt tie combos are more limited than with black.
Tell everybody that black is the new black. Very few people, I’m sure, have the fashion sense/IQ to dispute you. If all else fails, you can tell the people at the wedding that black is the traditional mourning color, and get great laughs from the bride and her family!
Best wishes,
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This is AWFUL advice. Double breasted suits look terrible on a lot of people - really, you need to be traditionally “carrot shaped” to carry it off - broad shouldered, slim waisted. Otherwise, there’s the penny ante gangster again. Double breasted adds weight to your middle parts. Can your middle parts handle it? Some can, some can’t - it’s definitely a fashion choice and one that you need to be aware you’re making.
Black is your basic suit. If you are going to spend money on one suit and get it altered properly go with black. You can use a black suit for anything from a wedding to a funeral to a job interview. You can change the look with a tie and or a colored handkerchief in the pocket
I am surprised: I’ve always been taught that a black suit was the norm. I’ve worn other colors, but it always felt like I was going retro. And whenever the preacher wears a different colored suit, he’s always told he’s dressing “black.” Not that there’s anything wrong with actually being black, but it seems odd to pretend to be if you are not.
But we are a fairly homogeneous culture, and we are always at least a couple years behind in fashion, so maybe these people don’t know what they are talking about.
Do they not? I see an enormous number for sale, and would think tailored suits to be too expensive for many (me for instance).
As for the OP, I hope a black suit for a wedding is okay, as I’m planning to wear one to a wedding in July. I’m planning to jolly it up with a fantastic shirt that I’m yet to find. I know the groom’s entourage are wearing grey morning suits, and I just want to avoid looking like a lurking hitman, if possible.