16 August 2008

Dear Sable Crow...

My first "Dear Sable Crow," wherein a boy asks what's okay to wear, or a girl asks me to justify what she's already told her boyfriend...

Dear Sable Crow,
Is it ok for a man to wear a black suit to a midday wedding? Does the black exclusion apply to men? I almost just bought a b-eaut-i-ful Canali suit about 5 minutes ago for my cousin's wedding in September but it's black so I became insecure and backed off at the last second. Follow-up question: If it is ok - what color shirt would I want to wear? Go for a light pastel-y type thing to offset it? I'd rather not do white - too boring.
Mr. Flower

A navy suit is perhaps more standard for a midday wedding, but I feel a classic black suit is perfectly appropriate for a September (read: fall) wedding, especially if the weather is cool. I am a great fan of black, and wore a black suit yesterday to work. I’m tired of summer.

I assume it’s a wool gabardine, with no texture. I might suggest pairing it with a monochromatic shirt with a little bit of texture. You’re right to stay away from white. I find with a black suit that an ice-blue shirt works well for my coloring, but I’m sure others would be just fine.
The Canali site is showing my current favorite thing: pocket squares. Try breaking up the black with a pocket square: coordinate it to the shirt to harmonize, or coordinate it with the tie to make it pop. Never match a pocket square. See the guy below (from the Canali site): pocket square coordinates with the subtle blue dots on the tie. It does not match. PERFECT.







But Sable Crow, you say, I've seen many men on the cover of Men's Vogue wear a white pocket square that matches their shirt?

White pocket squares with white shirts are always the exception the match-y rule, and they are usually paired with a patterened, traditional suit (double-breasted even!).

4 comments:

weezermonkey said...

Both Mr. Monkey and I need your help on a daily basis. ;)

Da Fashionista said...

A+. This feels like giving birth to dear abby. An advice star is born...

amber said...

i can dress myself, but when it comes to my husband i'm usually at a loss.

::bookmarking this post for future reference::

Unknown said...

Hear, hear! The pocket squares are great. Good advice. Also, black never goes out of style, even in summer. Wear what you feel comfortable in. As for the Canali site, try this too http://www.gatheringguide.com/ec/formal_wear_tuxes.html and you might find some local stores where you can try the same things on in person. My two cents.