New to suits and would like a second opinion.

dreamspace said:

The vast,vast majority of people today know "Formal" as suit and tie.
If they mean Tux, they either write "smoking/tuxedo" or "black tie". And even then, the later can also just mean "Dark suit and black tie or bowtie", I've experienced this countless times. Even showed up in Tux to a "Black tie"...turned out to be the only one in a Tux that night.

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How very true.



Quadcammer said:

op, give that shirt to the nearest homeless person you see cause its plain awful
the pinstripes are gonna look a bit off, but that ship has sailed
return the shoes.

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if the OP posted an actual pic of the suit and it was bad I would agree... but he didn't post a pic of the actual suit, just one that he thought may look similar to it...


In any case.. Formal Attire is either Tux or Black suit, white shirt, black tie.

Only a moron would say 'Formal Attire' and expect people to arrive in grey or pinstriped suits. You put 'Formal' down because you intend for tux/black tie



Saturdays said:

if the OP posted an actual pic of the suit and it was bad I would agree... but he didn't post a pic of the actual suit, just one that he thought may look similar to it...
In any case.. Formal Attire is either Tux or Black suit, white shirt, black tie.
Only a moron would say 'Formal Attire' and expect people to arrive in grey or pinstriped suits. You put 'Formal' down because you intend for tux/black tie

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Actually technically "Formal" means white tie/morning suit, originally it was Semi Formal that meant you should wear a tuxedo/dinner jacket. But that is besides the point, the fact is probably 90 percent of the worlds population would put down "Formal" expecting people to show up in a suit and tie of varying colors (business attire). Its just the changing of the times, I'm sure there was a period when Formal came to mean black tie to the general public and you had the old guard saying "only a moron would say formal attire and expect people to arrive in a tuxedo"



jeff13007 said:

Actually technically "Formal" means white tie/morning suit, originally it was Semi Formal that meant you should wear a tuxedo/dinner jacket. But that is besides the point, the fact is probably 90 percent of the worlds population would put down "Formal" expecting people to show up in a suit and tie of varying colors (business attire). Its just the changing of the times, I'm sure there was a period when Formal came to mean black tie to the general public and you had the old guard saying "only a moron would say formal attire and expect people to arrive in a tuxedo"

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So you're saying in the current time, "Formal" is to mean white tie/morning suit? I was raised for it to mean black tie/dinner jacket....

Then again, never attended a 'Formal' event before 6 pm...



Saturdays said:

So you're saying in the current time, "Formal" is to mean white tie/morning suit? I was raised for it to mean black tie/dinner jacket....
Then again, never attended a 'Formal' event before 6 pm...

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Thats my point, they never really changed the dress code definitions, its just people have come to have their own understanding of it. You might have been raised for it to mean black tie/dinner jacket but majority of the people today take it as "business attire". But if we are going by strict dress code definitions then yes even today "Formal" means white tie/morning suit. Even a quick google search would come up with the same definitions. How people understand it or their own interpretation is another story though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_code_(Western)



Quadcammer said:

um, what? formal attire is formal attire. suits are not formal attire. this is not really up for discussion
op, give that shirt to the nearest homeless person you see cause its plain awful
the pinstripes are gonna look a bit off, but that ship has sailed
return the shoes.

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Whilst formal might be taken to mean 'Black Tie' it is an unhelpful term these days given that some would take it to mean chinos and not jeans. You would need to judge by what you know of the person sending out the invitations or simply ring them and clarify.

If one means 'black tie', it is preferable to say so.

'Formal' strikes me as a very bad term, and I'm glad it's never used in England. It's either Black Tie or Evening Dress.
Formal Attire can mean either White or Black Tie, so I can't see why anyone would put that on an invitation. The East Coast élite of the USA are a strange bunch.



jeff13007 said:

Thats my point, they never really changed the dress code definitions, its just people have come to have their own understanding of it. You might have been raised for it to mean black tie/dinner jacket but majority of the people today take it as "business attire". But if we are going by strict dress code definitions then yes even today "Formal" means white tie/morning suit. Even a quick google search would come up with the same definitions. How people understand it or their own interpretation is another story though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_code_(Western)

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Yeah, I see your point.

I've been to "black tie" events where people definitely weren't dressed in traditional evening garb. It is common here in the US to be a remarkably amount more casual than what I think should be the norm for formal.

I don't think I've ever heard of anyone in States do an event in the "Formal" White Tux or Morning Dress, unless it was some sort of joke on the fact

Quadcammer said:

quite frankly, I'd rather not attend events from hosts who cannot understand the meaning of formal.

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You sound absolutely insufferable, and demonstrate such a lack of social and emotional intelligence that I can only assume you fall somewhere on the autism spectrum.

Saturdays said:

So you're saying in the current time, "Formal" is to mean white tie/morning suit? I was raised for it to mean black tie/dinner jacket....
Then again, never attended a 'Formal' event before 6 pm...

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Your misunderstanding is a prime example of how cultures tend to interpret the more classic definitions differently. Formal has traditionally meant white tie, and semi-formal to mean black tie/tuxedos. But even you have had it bastardized in your life experience so that to you, "formal" has come to mean tuxedos. The vast majority of society has had it bastardized one wrung lower, so that "formal" seems to mean "lounge/business suit" to them. It's unfortunate, but it's the state of affairs these days. We who value tradition must adapt accordingly when necessary (e.g., when a wedding invitation says "formal" but you know for a fact the wedding party is wearing navy suits and all guests will be in similar attire). To thumb your nose at this and defiantly show up in white tie regalia just makes one look silly, and ensures that you will be less likely - even if every so slightly so - to continue to receive invitations in that social circle.



BackInTheJox said:

You sound absolutely insufferable, and demonstrate such a lack of social and emotional intelligence that I can only assume you fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. 

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From your response, it's clear that the same goes for you.

yywwyy said:

From your response, it's clear that the same goes for you.

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Haha, the all-too-expected "no, you are" response. Classic.