White tie - how'd I do?

You guys are always saying not to do white tie unless you can do it right. I'll go out on a limb and say that I'm pretty confident.

Vintage sterling and MOP stud, vest button and cufflink set, shirt and collar from Darcy Clothing , vintage waistcoat, vintage coat and trousers.

I took everything but the shirt to Felice Custom Tailoring for fitting. He is excellent. I regret not having taken the shirt to be tailored as well, as I discovered too late that the sleeves were too long, so I had to adjust them with sleeve garters. This worked fine, but whether or not my cuffs were screwed up was at the back of my mind all evening, and I wish it hadn't been.

I had the waistcoat laundered and "starched" at the most expensive and highly recommended place in town -- unfortunately, if they starched the lapels at all, it wasn't enough, so I had to worry about them flipping up, too. I assigned my groomsmen the job of keeping an eye on this.

Besides these two minor snafus, what do you think?



EDIT: you can't see here, but I elected not to wear women's shoes with this. (horror!) I went with a brand-new pair of Stacy Adams Madison boots in black. There is historical precedent for wearing this style of boot at formal events, so hopefully the SF Style police won't come get me.



Krawczak said:

I assigned my groomsmen the job of keeping an eye on this.

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Wait, you rocked a stache like that on your wedding day?

I rock a stache like that every day. It would seem silly to shave it off just to get married.

Epicness of the stache overrules any critique of the fit. That said I think you pulled it off perfectly



Krawczak said:

Besides these two minor snafus, what do you think?

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Congratulations.

If we start by ignoring the daylight behind you and the guys dressed in black tie, the only snafus that I can find is the stud showing below your bow and the fact that your boutonnière is pinned on like a woman's corsage.

It looks like you had fun, though, and that's the only important thing.

Yeah, the corsage was the one fly in the ointment I noticed as well.

I think in a few years you will look back on your photos are regret the mustache. That might just be me.

Yeah, I wasn't too excited about the corsage thing, either. This coat didn't have a buttonhole, however, and I didn't work closely with the florist to design a boutonnière/corsage that looked as though there was. On your wedding day, there are so many people running around doing things and pinning things on you that there's really no way to control everything. Luckily only I and other people like me on styleforum can see anything wrong.

As for the moustache, I've had it for the better part of a decade on and off, and I'm not regretting it yet. One day we will all come to terms with the fact that we look like weirdos to everyone who doesn't know the difference between a four-in-hand and a pratt-shelby and just go ahead and embrace it.

What could be done to avoid the collar stud showing beneath the tie? The collar and shirt were sized correctly and seemed snug -- perhaps I need to just tough it out and wear them they snugger? (is that a word?)

Post a photo w/ the boots.

How would you have designed the boutonnière to conceal the lack buttonhole? Shorter stem?

Looks great man - moar pics!

Mr. Moo said:

I think in a few years you will look back on your photos are regret the mustache. That might just be me.

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I think it is just you (or at least the influence of fashion). A moustache done properly is a thing of wonder. This is a moustache done properly.

So I say, well done, sir!

* I do agree about the boutonnière though. It's a small thing, but details matter when it comes to this level of formality.

NVM. Hope your wedding went well.

For the corsage thing - yeah, I'd have cut the stem immediately below the flower. Even better, I'd have done it with a carnation so that the petals hid the point where the stem "entered" the imaginary "buttonhole". But like I said, the flowers were an aspect of the event over which I had no control.

I should address the "daylight in the background" criticism: (at first I thought it was a critique of the photographic technique, heh) the ceremony started at 5:30 at the end of October, and went through 10:30, so I'd say white tie was appropriate. This photo was taken as I was arriving at the venue.

I'm going through my photos looking for one that shows off the boots well.

All I see is the moustache.

Bravo.

Has it been decided that the groom one level of formality higher than groomsmen is inappropriate? I notice Vox mentioned it. I guess, I'd take your word over most.

Looks really good overall to me! I'm going to school for Music Education and am looking forward to having an excuse to wear white tie in a few years, but do you guys think it would be weird if my students were only in black tie?