Proper Wedding Guest Style. . .

You might be able to get away with jeans and one of those awful untucked "going out" shirts at your workplace, at the local bowlong alley, or at a bar on Saturday night, but they are not correct wedding attire.

The wedding season is (almost) upon us. With that in mind, here is a vital bit of information for average guys who want to kick up their everyday sense of style several notches. Are ya ready boys? All right fellas, let's go!

Unless it has been specified on the invitation that an upcoming wedding, to which you are invited, has an ultra casual, southwestern, or (God help us) a country and western theme, the correct attire for male guests at a wedding is an understated suit (gray, charcoal, or navy) with a necktie and recently polished and shined leather dress shoes. Newsflash! Weddings are formal occasions. Jeans are not formal wear.

While most people in most places around the world now wear them, and some pairs of jeans retail for an obscene amount of money, their origins are decidedly proletarian and nothing more. They have no place in a formal setting unless of course you are part of a Hee-Haw themed event, and the bride has decided to model her appearance on the late Minnie Pearl.

My knee-jerk suspicion is that, for some bizarre reason, there are an awful lot of people in 2014 who don't know any better. So, let me set the record straight. To all of those average guys out there who don't want to show up for their college buddy's big day looking like a clueless rube, remember this. Please accord the bride and groom, as well as their families, a high degree of respect on this special (and stressful) day. Attend the festivities in the appropriate clothes, that is an understated suit (gray, charcoal, or navy), a necktie, and pair of polished and shined leather dress shoes.

Even if you mistakenly denigrate and dismiss items like these as markers of the much maligned "rich" upper class, set those working class hero principles to one side for a few hours and demonstrate that you have at least a modicum of grooming, sophistication, and good taste. Show that you know what is appropriate and when. Why stick out like a sore thumb with a pathological dislike of formal occasions and attire? There are such people, of course, but that sort of attitude is not the way to win friends and influence people. Instead, suck it up and wear what you should to formal events like weddings. It ain't goin' to kill ya.

Now, say it with me one more time. For weddings, proper male guest attire includes an understated suit (gray, charcoal, or navy), a necktie, and pair of polished and shined leather dress shoes. There now. That didn't hurt, did it?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Avoid Careless Chatter. . .

E specially about the personal details of our lives. There is a lot that OUGHT to be kept more private in 2022 than has become the accepted norm for many. With the conscious and intentional cultivation of classic style in mind, however, we want to avoid oversharing and keep a bit more of ourselves to ourselves. Exactly what personal information and how much of it to keep private seems to be a slippery concept though. Here’s my take based on what I was told and observed as a child and young person at home. Basically, one should keep oneself to oneself in all respects (finances, personal worth, accomplishments, politics, sex, dirty laundry, etc.). As my late father used to advise when we were very small, and I am talking preschool and kindergarten, there were particular subjects that were not discussed outside the immediate family. There is a time and place for sharing certain details of one’s life, but most of the time, those should be played very close to the chest,

I Might As Well Be Spring: The Attire for Monday. . .

C old, blustery, and wet here in Mid-Michigan today although we might possibly have a couple of inches of wet snow at some point. It just started actually. Still some limited cross-country skiing up north at one of the Nordic ski centers we like, apparently, but I have not been able to get away for that. But it is springtime according to the calendar. Attire-wise, I managed to stow the fall and winter stuff and bring out the spring-summer-early fall gear on Saturday. Always fun to rediscover what you have not thought about in several months. Equally satisfying to discover items that have not ever seen the light of day. Such is the case for today's shirt from J. Press (hanging in the closet for a year or more) and the necktie, which (hanging on the back of my tie rack, where I keep all of my repp stripe numbers) for 8-10 years. Imagine that. -- Heinz Ulrich P.S. Believe it, or not, someone actually just used word "please" (rather than the brusk "Can I ge

A Little Sisterly Advice. . .

A s promised, my Washington, D.C.-based sister (she lives within walking distance of The National Cathedral) has sent some photographs of one recent combination of items that are pretty typical of her attire for both work and during her off hours. Without further ado, let's turn things over to my sister for her particular philosophy on how to present oneself in a put-together way regardless of the situation or occasion: As a wardrobe minimalist, and one raised on Ivy Style, every item in my wardrobe has a purpose. Living in the city, and walking almost everywhere, my clothes need to function in an active capacity. While I have a classic style, it is most often married with functional edgy pieces (boots, skinny jeans, etc.). In the past 15 years, I have gravitated to a neutral color palette for the clothing items in my closet and, at present, my wardrobe is comprised of 65% black items, 15% blue (including denim), 15% grey, with the balance most likely white (shirts, tees, p

guyMay 20, 2014 at 4:22 AM
Here in the UK the normal dress code for weddings is either morning dress (please black coats and not grey) or fairly conservative suits. It is a bit like dinner jackets - second hand from charity shops etc are quite acceptable. In fact as far as I am concerned they are far preferable as the material and workmanship is far better quality than some of the modern variants unless you are going to go to the expense of having it made.

My morning suit coat is I believe about 75 years old (!). It belonged to a friends grandfather and was given to me about 30 years ago. It must have been about 40 years old then. I then had the striped trousers made and I team it with a number of waistcoats I have. These depend on the mood and the event. My standard is a fawn coloured one which has mini lapels.

The end result is that the males almost without trying look smart and do justice to the bride. Please though, no top hats!

regards,
Guy

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