Well, you asked for it and here it is – the alternative wedding outfit from last Friday. Double-breasted suit from Graham Browne filling in for the absent Anderson & Sheppard, with Lobb shoes.
My daughter is pulling the face she normally does when asked to give a big smile.
The boutonniere is not exactly small, despite my previous post but one, but when it emerged that I was going to wear a flower, several others became keen and white roses from the front garden were everyone’s flower of choice. So a white rose it was, setting off the white shirt and hankerchief rather nicely, I think.
Oh, and before anyone even dreams to suggest an alternative, the shirt cuff showing on each arm is identical and the right sleeve falls perfectly. It’s just the position of my arm, ok?
Perfect in every way.
May I ask what glasses do you wear?
Congratulations on an very well written blog.
Thank you. The glasses are from Francois Pinton.
Very nice indeed.
What kind of knot is that in your tie? It has the shape of a four-in-hand but it is massive in a way I cannot achieve with a four-in-hand.
The knot is a four in hand, I don’t like any form of windsors. The Tom Ford tie is a little wide (10cm) making the neck a little wider and so the knot longer. It is also a heavy silk with a good weight lining, both making the knot wider.
I hope that helps.
What color/type tie is that? Is it a silk dark grey tie?
Overall, very good but I suggest that roses should be worn in bud and the cabbagey types such as this are not as good as tea roses.
The tie is a Macclesfield/Spitalfied, ie a silver tie created by a small checked or geometrical pattern of silver and black. It was traditionally known as a wedding tie.
I agree on the rose, as mentioned in my previous post. But when the mood takes a crowd…
What fabric is this coat made up from? Smith’s Botany?
Yep. I wore it again yesterday and it still looks great, three years later
Simon,
First of all, as a long-time reader of your blog, thank you for all of your efforts producing such a varied and valuable range of content.
Secondly, I am getting married in August and I had a question regarding choice of shoes. I notice you are wearing black in the above photograph and was wondering if there are any hard and fast rules (or, for that matter, any loose guidelines) as to the selection. I too plan to be wearing a navy suit, and though the wedding will be an outdoor civil ceremony, we are asking guests to dress formally. Should I also elect to wear black, or would a complimentary shade of brown be similarly appropriate? Additionally, as a perennial wearer of traditional Oxfords, would it perhaps be a good idea to consider monk-straps to provide just a touch more contrast to my usual appearance?
Many thanks in advance.
Hi Alec,
There are no rules – it’s merely a question of how formal you want to be. And a wedding is normally a pretty formal event. I’d go for black. Monks will also be more casual than Oxfords, but only slightly so. Might be a nice touch.
Simon
Hi again Simon,
A couple of additional questions if you don’t mind;
I can’t quite tell from the photograph if your pocket square features any detail and I was wondering if plain white would be the order of the day for a wedding or if a subtle pattern that doesn’t deviate from the colour of the rest of the ensemble is also acceptable?
Also, I recently picked up a very nice navy tie with small concentric white circles, barely larger than pin dots, creating an affect that I think qualifies as a ‘Macclesfield’, from Drake’s factory shop (thanks for that recommendation by the way – it’s a lovely little outlet with great staff) that matches the navy of my suit perfectly. Is navy with navy really appropriate for a wedding though or should I ideally be looking a a shade of grey or silver?
Many thanks again.
Hey Alec,
The hank is plain white. Generally the order of the day with weddings should be simplicity and restraint, hence the colour palette overall. You could go for a subtle pattern, but I would keep the emphasis on subtle, and I’d still generally prefer plain white.
Tie sounds nice – it’s the weave that makes it a Macclesfield, but it may well be. I would suggest going with grey, either in tie or suit, to avoid the look overall being too dark. But if those are your favourite and sharpest things, nothing wrong with it at all.
Simon
Thanks Simon – appreciated as always.
I’m coming to this post very late but have one observation on sleeve lengths that may be useful when having RTW altered.
I have one shoulder slightly lower than the other. This means the sales clerk or tailor who is marking the sleeves for alteration needs to mark each sleeve individually.
I have noticed that some clerks and tailors only mark one sleeve as a shortcut and this has left me with one sleeve of correct length and one not. Simple but I learn as I go.
Simon,
I have been invited to an Indian wedding in London. The invitation states that guests should wear either traditional Indian attire or ‘colourful’ clothing. If going for the latter option, what would you recommend? I am loathe to invest in a colourful suit (which I would probably only wear once), so was thinking of a bright odd jacket such as your purple cashmere one. However, I’m not sure that an odd jacket would be formal enough for a wedding. The normal rules of ‘restraint’ and ‘simplicity’ (to which you refer above) seem not to apply here. Any advice you might have would be most appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
Wow. Very hard to know as I’m not familiar with the customs. I suggest you ask a male member of the wedding party for advice
Simon,
Would you say that this suit has a “flared skirt”? I have notice that my suits made by GB don’t “hug” my hips at the bottom of the jacket (ie that there is a slight distance between the side of the hip / thigh to the jacket). My suit jackets by Steed on the other hand seem to “hug” the hips all the way down.
Is this just a stylistic difference or a quality difference in the cutting?
Thanks,
S
Just a stylistic difference. Personally I tend to prefer a little flair, but it’s something that has to be balanced with equal proportions in the top half as well
Hi Simon
Great photo, look great.
I have a challenge for you, something that really annoys me. I used to follow another blog called Gentlemans Gazette. On Facebook they ask people to submit photos of themselves and then other followers comment.
The thing that annoys me is that no matter how good you look someone always has something negative to say, however minor it is from telling someone their tie is a third of an inch too short, or their pocket square isn’t tucked in the pocket enough etc.
I know you are extremely busy but would love to see you do this.
Best,
Joel
Thanks Joel. So you’d like to see something like that, but without quite so much negativity?
It would be interedting, however, I think that would take away from your blog. I may not have been clear with what I was asking.
You’re regarded by many as one of the most stylish men out there, you don’t need telling, what I was getting at is that I would love to see you submit a photo and see what some of those people think.
Oh, I see. Not sure I’ll be doing that – happy to keep things on PS. If they want to read it here they can
Does it matter if black or dark brown dress oxfords with navy blue suit for guest on wedding day? Your suggestion?
It depends on the wedding couple and dress code, but black will always be safer
I am curious if wearing very dark brown wingtips with a navy suit is acceptable? Would this combination (if acceptable) be appropriate for a wedding? I am a guest for a friend’s wedding and would be interested to know your thoughts.
Hi Michael, nice to hear from you.
Yes, dark-brown wingtips with a suit is fine. The rule of thumb with formal clothing like this is that the shoes should be at least as dark as the trousers, so you do want it to be a very dark brown. But if it is, that’s not a problem.
The combination might be a little casual for a wedding, but it entirely depends on the wedding – on the dress code stated by the organisers. There is no set formality for a wedding these days, so it’s very much up to your friend. I would ask him what others are wearing. Remember, with any important event like this, the first goal is to compliment the host by dressing suitably. Not to stand out by wearing something you personally love.
More on weddings in the guide here.
S
Hi Simon,
What do you think of wearing a navy pinstripe suit (this cloth: https://www.batemanogden.co.uk/Product/938) as a guest to the wedding? It is in the afternoon and fairly informal. The groom will be wearing a French blue suit.
S
I guess the risk is it looks like an office suit. If it’s quite informal you could dress it down in some way – eg by wearing a denim shirt underneath?
Hi Simon,
Loving the content, I wish that there was similar content for us Aussies.
My own wedding is coming up in mid-April next year – This means it will be Autumn here in OZ. I live in Victoria where it will be getting cooler (10-13 degrees cel). Our wedding starts at 4:00-4:30 pm and will go into the evening. The dress code will be cocktail.
My fiance loves me in a blue suit and has asked me to dress accordingly – who am I to say no to my future bride?
My plan is to have a 3 piece single-breasted suit made up in navy blue (subtle herringbone pattern) with a 3.5″ peak lapel and piped pockets and a Milanese button hole. I am planning to wear this with a matching collarless vest, a crisp white french cuff shirt, a white cotton handkerchief and a Drake’s black grenadine tie.
The typical Aussie thing for a country wedding is to wear black RM Williams boots even when dressing up and as much as I’d love to, I’m wondering if I should be wearing my pair of black Ferragamo Derbys.
I would love to know your thoughts.
Thanks in advance
Hi Cameron,
Nice to hear from you. The outfit overall sounds really nice, I would only caution on the suit, to have a really dark navy – not the bluer colour many go for with weddings – and possibly eschew the herringbone. It’s a tiny thing but the texture would be a little less sharp. Consider a silk grey or dark navy tie with a little pattern too, perhaps. Black can look a little funereal.
I’d definitely wear shoes, ideally a black oxford.
Thanks for your thoughts, Simon.
I was wondering, do you think a double-breasted vest could bring up the formality? This means I would get a lot more wear out of the suit after the wedding too as I could wear it as a two-piece.
I have since found that Drakes do a silver grenadine tie so may look into that. Appreciate the comment re: shoes also.
Yes, great idea. Particularly having one made – the only issue is for a DB vest you really need high-waisted trousers, and I’m not sure if that’s your style