Linen suits in earthy, pale colors are a great idea for summer weddings and other dressed-up, outdoor affairs. They’re cool, comfortable, and gentlemanly. You just need to be careful of one thing: looking like a literal sack of potatoes. Linen is a fabric that will rumple and stretch out the second you call your Uber, so the cut and fit of the suit is everything. I chose mine from Antony Morato and I paired it with a black T-shirt and a pair of camel boats.
When it comes to suits, nothing beats the staples. And by staples, we mean black, navy and grey. Navy and black have always had a general popularity for their adaptability, but grey also emerges as a worthy suit colour choice. In fact, grey suits have become more prevalent in street style, their versatility especially appealing to the younger market. For something clean, understated and classic, a grey suit does the trick. However grey can also be tricky to perfect. Done right grey reads youthful and modern; done wrong it will leave you looking outdated and frumpy. To style formal light grey suits, keep in mind that it is all about contrast. With your formal shirts, a crisp white shirt is failsafe paired with a black tie or a scarf, but do not fear to experiment with other colours. A muted powder blue complements light grey and other pastel tones can work well also. Balance out your silhouette with a slimmer tie to modernise your look. Don’t forget that accessories are crucial to pulling together an outfit. Find a unique patterned pocket square and fedora to make your suit pop and stick to silver watches, tie bars and cuff links to align with the grey tones of your look.
Have you always thought velvet is too glitzy for you? Too Liberace-esque and so best left in the closet? Think again because this suave and swanky fabric is too good to keep under lock and key. But to look good in velvet means wearing it right. Here’s how to look super sharp in this most luxurious of fabrics.
Velvet only looks classy if it’s good quality. Avoid velvet made from synthetic fabrics, such as those produced in polyester and nylon. Products like these look cheap and nasty and don’t wear well either. Real velvet, woven from silk or cotton, is the only choice for gents with style. It oozes quality and authenticity and as long as you look after it, will keep you looking great for years. Velvet has that smoking jacket feel and a lot of people like it because it has a bit of a vintage look. Velvet looks best when you choose one smart, tailored piece worn with contrasting fabrics. Velvet materials are very seductive, so wear it with macho attitude.
Casual velvet? Yes, sir” says Benjamin Fitzgerald at Dmarge. For less formal wear he says a velvet jacket makes a great alternative to a leather jacket. Velvet blazers play a melodic rock ballad without all that metal and unnecessary zip detail. For a dressed down look, pair your jacket with a plain t-shirt, simple silk scarf, dark trousers and a pair of Chelsea boots. I suggest you wear your velvet jacket with a denim shirt for a shabby chic outfit that still oozes style. For more formal wear, I suggest you to team velvet with a roll neck sweater for a jazzy, shirtless look.
Among the many classic menswear staples that have gone in and out of style only to see a resurgence in popularity recently, the history of the double-breasted jacket is particularly interesting and unexpected.
When you think of a double-breasted jacket/suit, what’s the first thing to come to mind? My guess is either a stodgy 80s or 90s banker-type or a wide-shouldered caricature of a mafia boss. Either way, it’s all formality and rigidity, right?
THE DOUBLE-BREASTED JACKET WAS ORIGINALLY BANNED BY MANY BUSINESSES AS INAPPROPRIATE OFFICE ATTIRE.
But that’s where your assumptions would lead you astray. In fact, the origins of the double-breasted jacket go back to a distinctly casualstyle called a ‘reefer’ jacket.
Like most all men’s jackets, the reefer jacket was born in the sporting world. Originally very casual and usually worn as outerwear, in the late 19th century it was associated with gents heading to tennis matches or other country affairs, and was in fact banned by many businesses as inappropriate office attire.
THE DOUBLE-BREASTED JACKET ORIGINATED IN THE SPORTING WORLD AS A CASUAL GARMENT CALLED THE REEFER JACKET.
Yet, over time, the double-breasted jacket was slowly adapted into a more formal piece – a shift heralded in large part by the Duke of Windsor (who led many style trends of his time). However, even when he started wearing the style to official public outings, it was originally seen as gauche and poor taste (or rebelliously counter-traditional, depending who you ask).
However, just as the recent wave of menswear enthusiasm has brought the more simple and versatile single-breasted suit back into the casual wardrobes of stylish men, the double-breasted suit has made a more widespread come-back as well. It’s a bold move, but the payoff can be a striking and distinctive look.
Thanks for reading.
Received an invite to a swanky party? If so, then you’re going to need to know what to wear. Although black tie events can be daunting, they’re not as scary as they first appear. So, here’s our black tie guide, with all you need to know about what to wear to a black tie event.You may think that black tie dress is the most formal look you can wear. However, this is actually white tie dress code. Fortunately for you, not many people still wear white tie dress, which means that black tie has become the standard dress code for formal social events. Wearing black tie can be a fun, but sometimes expensive, style to get right. So, carry on reading for all our best tips.
Black Tie Event
Very simply, a black tie event is a formal evening event or party that takes place after 7pm and involves men and women wearing a specific ‘black tie’ dress code. Black tie events are social functions that are generally more formal than a run of the mill party or business event. You wouldn’t wear the suit you wear to work to a black tie event for instance.
An example of a black tie event would be along the lines of a ball or a corporate business party. Unless you’re James Bond you probably won’t go to too many black tie events. However, it’s still important to know what and how to wear black tie dress code, for those instances when you need to whack out the bow tie and spruce up.
Black Tie Event Dress Code
Many of you may be think “what is a tuxedo?” or “what is black tie?”, well, the black tie event dress code, known as cravat noir in France, is a semi formal evening dress code. It originates from the western, British, men’s evening wear of the 19th Century. You would usually only wear a black tie dress code at events that take place after 7pm. A black tie dress code is less formal then a white tie dress code that involves a man wearing a tailcoat jacket with a starched shirt, waistcoat and white bow tie. Black tie dress code however, is more formal than business wear. It typically involves a man wearing a white dress shirt, a black bowtie, an evening waistcoat, a dinner jacket in which the lapels are a different shade to the rest of the jacket, and a pair of black oxford shoes. You may know a dinner jacket from its American name, tuxedo.
Today, the majority of us think black tie dress code as being very formal. However, when men first began to wear dinner jackets, in the Victorian era, it was originally a much less formal item of clothing in comparison to what upper class men wore everyday. Therefore, it was originally a less formal alternative to a tailcoat. However, declaring it inappropriate to wear in mixed company, not many men wore black tie dress. It wasn’t until after the First World War that the dinner jacket became the principle form of evening wear for men.
From the moment i saw this suit I went completely crazy. Last week I visited the Dimitris Petrou atelier. The jacket's pattern felt to me really cool, young and edgy. The classic, cropped, blue pants that was paired with me make it feel really unique. So I choose them for a big event that I have to attend to. Of course i compared them with a classic Santoni double monk pair of shoes. What are your thoughts about it? Do not hesitate to contact me for more details about the suit, the materials and the way you can make it yours!