Chuck in Washington, DC is a great friend of ours. Known him for 20 years back when we waited tables together and he was the drummer in our first band. And he’s getting married in September. He came to The Guys to get some guidance on what type of black suit to buy for the big day.
Q:
I’m going to wear a black suit for my wedding. Any thoughts? Also what do you think I should do about shoes?
Chuck
A:
There are really two types of black suits – the more traditional classic kind that you can get at Brooks Brothers that you can stand the test of time for 30 years and never go out of style. Or the slimmer and more modern silhouette suit found at H&M and Club Monaco. Possibly cheaper than Brooks. Problem is they may go out of style because they’re cut very lean. Not to mention they fit pretty snugly. You kind of have to have a 22-yr old slim-waif body to wear those off the rack.
If you go to the Brooks Brothers Outlet they sell the suit as separates – meaning you can buy the jacket and pants separately if your drop (# of inches between jacket size and pants size) is more or less than the standard 6”. In other words if you wear a 42 jacket and 36 pants you can buy the suit off the rack. But if you’re a 42 jacket and a 38 waist (or a 32 waist ya fitness stud!) then you want the separates so you can buy it off the rack with minimal tailoring.
All in all, Brooks should be about $400 in total and the others should be more like $200 to $250. Me? I’d go Brooks Brothers Outlet so you can have it to wear when your kids get married! The others are better starter suits and you my friend are no starter! Neither am I.
For shoes, I would suggest looking at Johnston & Murphy or Cole Haan or Allen-Edmonds for quality black lace up oxfords that will last for a long time. You can also try the discount department stores like Filene’s Basement; you might find a good grab – I have many times. Shoes are moving away from the square toe look of the early 2000s and moving more toward a somewhat pointier toe, which actually looks better than stubby square toed shoes.
See ya at the wedding mi amigo!
Also, remember to wear a pockets square. The smallest little thing that can make a huge difference and that most guys forget about.
Schmidty
http://www.ManVsStyle.com
The best thing is to stick with classic styles. They are timeless, will never get dated, and look good on most men.
You choose whether the classic or the other one but there are few things you need to consider before purchasing any of two, the body, complexion and the height are should be consider if the suits is appropriate on your style. Double breasted tuxedo is also great but since this is for wedding black suits is the best.