Can I wear a bowtie with a "Lounge Suit"?

[devoto_perdido]

Dear All,

I have been invited to an afternoon reception hosted by the Embassy of a certain Eurasian republic, and the dress code is stated as "Lounge Suit".

I plan to wear a dark navy wool suit, powder blue shirt and aubergine tie, black oxfords, socks and square undecided.

I wonder if it's appropriate or acceptable to wear a bow tie instead of a neck tie. I would almost certainly be the only person there wearing a bow tie (these guys dress like the Men in Black for business purposes), and I'm happy to be distinctive and memorable but I don't want to be a laughing stock or a freak.

Can anyone advise me, or point me to some photos of successfull bow tie with "lounge suit"/business suit combos?

Best,

Devoto

 

[Blackhood]

While a bowtie is perfectly acceptable for use with a lounge suit, the fact you've had to ask if its OK, leads me to believe you lack the confidence to pull it off.

Bowties require a certain Joie de vivre to pull off. Maybe an Embassy meeting isn't the place to experiment?

 

[Ich_Dien]

Don't feed the troll.

 

[ShoesYouCanUse]

I don't see why not. That would be a very smart look.

Best regards,

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Ich_Dien

Don't feed the troll.

Why do some people assume that every poster with <1000 posts is a 'troll'?

 

[Metlin]

That would entirely depend on the image that you're trying to convey, and your personality. Otherwise, you'd just come across as &quot;stuffy&quot;.

 

[Allen]

Well, as previously mentioned, there is nothing wrong with it, but you have to be confident. Just act as if it's the most normal thing on earth. All rules point out that a bowtie is a proper replacement for a neck-tie(even with morning dress, you are allowed to replace the necktie with a bowtie). Judging by the nature of the event, I would say that people over there know those rules(at least they should know them) and will have nothing against your attire.

 

[devoto_perdido]

I definitely don't lack joie de vivre, but I am surrounded by highly critical individuals. I am mindful of the fact that at this embassy event there will be countless shiny black suits with shiny thin black neckties and, yes, black or white socks. I have an opportunity to trade on the fact that I'm English, and therefore, a lost cause.

Ok, bowtie it is then (I'm still thinking Aubergine or similar).

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Allen]

Originally Posted by devoto_perdido

I am mindful of the fact that at this embassy event there will be countless shiny black suits with shiny thin black neckties and, yes, black or white socks.

If people there will be wearing white socks with black suits, you are pretty safe with wearing whatever-the-hell you want

 

[devoto_perdido]

Dear All,


Thanks for your comments and advice! This outfit is taking off. The bowtie is navy blue with a small floral patter with red, dark green and gold in it. The tie actually looks a very dark green from a distance.


So pocket square? With a normal tie I would go large-print hunter green paisely or similar, but with the bow tie it looks very studied.....Perhaps I should balance the bowtie with something very very plain in the pocket?

Devoto

 

[hendrix]

something with a purplish hue would be nice. maybe purple with white dots or something? or purple paisley if you wanna go crazy. I like green and purple together, and purple should be fine with the navy too. Might be a little over the top...

 

[Bowtiedlad93]

Of course it is just keep it simple and don't over do it.

 

[GBR]

Of course - if you have the character to go with it. Asking suggests you have not and you should also consider the suitability of the event. An embassy event probably is not if as I suspect you are not known there.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Bowtiedlad93

Of course it is just keep it simple and don't over do it.

Is this the return of BowTieLover?!

 

[stinsonbass]

Originally Posted by devoto_perdido

Dear All,

I have been invited to an afternoon reception hosted by the Embassy of a certain Eurasian republic, and the dress code is stated as "Lounge Suit".

I plan to wear a dark navy wool suit, powder blue shirt and aubergine tie, black oxfords, socks and square undecided.

I wonder if it's appropriate or acceptable to wear a bow tie instead of a neck tie. I would almost certainly be the only person there wearing a bow tie (these guys dress like the Men in Black for business purposes), and I'm happy to be distinctive and memorable but I don't want to be a laughing stock or a freak.

Can anyone advise me, or point me to some photos of successfull bow tie with "lounge suit"/business suit combos?

Best,

Devoto

I did a similar thing recently with a navy suit but I was wearing a white dress shirt with light blue cuff links and a paisley light green/blue/pink paisley bow-tie & pocket square. I can post a picture if you want

(The event was a formal dinner with no specific requirements concerning the dress code basically just formal) Oh and yes I was the only one to wear a bow-tie except for a friend of mine who had an orange one which was very very disturbing