I’ve got a holiday party coming up, the invitation specifies “black-and-white attire”. A clarification went out that that wasn’t to be taken literally (we’re geeks, we use language carefully, and aren’t masters of social convention) but jackets and ties, that sort of thing. I don’t even have a jacket or a suit, I wear a vest and a tie when I need to get cleaned up good. And I thought I’d keep with the black-and-white idea. (The store didn’t have these shoes in stock, bummer.)
So, white shirt, silver tie, black vest, black cufflinks; does that work, or is the cufflink at the end of an uncovered sleeve too distracting?
cufflinks are meant to be seen - they’re a form of jewellry. If you wear suit and cufflinks on a regular basis, you usually have the cuffs on the suit hemmed higher than usual to ensure that the cufflinks show.
Sounds like you are going in costume instead of in formal(ish) attire. That’s not bad, but - really - if you like french cuffs and cufflinks, you need at least a navy jacket. The vest is what makes it a costume.
The only weird thing is wearing a vest without a jacket. A vest isn’t a substitute for a jacket, but there’s no problem whatsoever in wearing cufflinks and a vest together.
I agree with Tabula Rasa that it sounds like you’re kind of going in costume, so I suppose no jacket is okay… but if you were to wear a jacket, I disagree that navy would be appropriate. If you’re wearing a black vest (and presumably black pants) only a black jacket would be appropriate.
What holiday is coming up? You going to a MLK Day party? :dubious:
Second, get a jacket. Your outfit sounds like a bartender or a casino dealer. Sorry, but those things you’ve mentioned aren’t in and of themselves an outfit, they’re accessories.
It’s sort of a combined Christmas/New Year/winter company party. Maybe my company waited so long to find a site that places were all booked up until now.
I never thought of it as a costume. Jackets aren’t bad, they just all look alike to me. Two-buttons or three-buttons; who the fuck cares? A vest was always my compromise between not being a slob and not being everybody else.
So, among the pro-jacket crowd, is there any way to wrest a little originality from the sea of conformity? camel-hair, double-breasted, anything?
Bingo. There are still ways to get a bit more flair out of your standard dress jacket. You could get something like a tux jacket with velvet lapels, or if you can find it you could get something brocaded or something in Sharkskin. Even a western style jacket (which are ultra hip right now) would allow you to conform without looking like a real estate agent.
Welcome to the world of male fashion. You will be assimilated.
I’m having a little difficultly figuring out the type of event we’re talking about here. On one hand, it sounds like a semiformal event. On the other, I get this vibe that the dress code is “nerd dress-up,” like one might expect to see a guy in a kilt, another in a suit, and yet another in some kind of interesting cloak.
If it is the former, I say go ahead and wear your vest. Yes, it’s odd, but my gut tells me that quite a few people may be dressing somewhat unconventionially. If in this case you want to wear your vest and add a jacket, black vests are really only meant to be worn with black tuxedo jackets (or white tails for super-formal). Anything else is weird - blazers, camel hair, blue, grey, anything.
If the event is actually semiformal – in that men will be wearing suits (inc. ties and jackets) and some may be wearing evening dress (tuxedos), as your fashion adviser I’d say your best interest is probably investing in an honest to god suit and dropping the vest. You can still wear cufflinks. You could buy a flashy suit that really stands out, but it’s a poor investment as a flashy suit quickly looks out of date. Boring old navy or grey (or even pinstripe) are boring and will stay acceptable for a long time.
So, yeah, men’s dress is boring. That’s what makes it easy if you’re a schmuck like me who has to wear a suit everyday to work: no thought required. Throw on a boring suit and add a decent tie and that’s all she wrote.
My first thought is to look for something interesting in the collar. If most jackets have rounded collars, look for something more angular, or something like that.
Why not? I’m a bit confused with what “black and white” attire is supposed to mean anyway. White dinner jackets are only for the daytime. Black is evening formal wear.
“Black and white” means exactly that: nobody is allowed in with another color. That includes that silver satin blouse, ma’am, my apologies but you need to go home and change.
If the vest is a “pretty” one (brocade, or with embroidery, or…) then it looks better without a jacket. This nerd chick digs dudes in cool vests a lot more than dudes in suits.
Nuh-uh. White dinner jackets are evening wear that are an option for warmer climates, usually subject to that whole “Memorial Day to Labor Day” rule of thumb. The appropriate dress-up code for daytime events is business dress, unless it is a wedding in which case morning dress is an option.
Does anybody really notice things like that? I’ve never looked at a guy in a jacket and thought “can you believe he’d wear that collar out in public?” I don’t even know which style is in, so I’m not sure what I should be rebelling against.
The exact quote on the invitation is “black/white cocktail attire recommended”, but “nerd dress-up” probably describes what we’ll wind up with. Kilts are unlikely, but not completely out of the question. Not that it would be improper, I just can’t picture any of my co-workers putting that much thought and effort into it.
I really, really, don’t want to be assimilated. So what look says “creative, stylish, original, dressed-to-impress, not-the-bartender, rich, geek among friends”?
I’m a conservative dresser. When I see “black/white recommended” but know that people will be taking liberties, I would wear a charcoal grey business suit that I have with a dark navy tie. (I have a tux but considering the liberties people are likely to take, I wouldn’t wear it to this event.)
Given my bias, your best option is investing in a dark suit, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for you.
Given that black and white is merely recommended, and this is supposed to be a holiday party, I’m going to give a bold suggestion: red dinner jacket. Hard to find, but puts the black vest into play (though I’d recommend black rather than silver tie with it). I’m thinking of the type that looks like a sportcoat, not the bandleader kind with tons of buttons and epaulets and stuff. White jacket would also be an option for a statement, and would be much easier to find.
Show up in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, black fedora with a “stingy” brim and a pair of shades – the “Blues Brothers” look. Whether you’d be going as Jake or Elwood depends on your body type…
I’m a bit confused with what “black and white” attire is supposed to mean anyway. White dinner jackets are only for the daytime. Black is evening formal wear.