New to suits and would like a second opinion.

[Duplici Fertili]

Greetings!

As you can see I am new to these forums but have been stalking them for the past few weeks as I attempt to build a adequate wardrobe for the business world.

Withing two weeks I will be attending a formal event in which I would like to look great with the suit I have purchased. I need a second opinion since I am still very new and have yet to build a sense of "style"

I will be wearing a navy blue pinstripe suit very similar to the colors in the image below. I don't have an image of the actual suit since a tailor is making some alterations. If anything the suit I have is a bit darker than the one shown in the image.




The shirt I will be wearing, please excuse the poor image quality and money mess.



The shoes




Shoes are a very dark Navy Blue made from Ostrich leather. I liked them when I saw them

I will be taking a picture when I have everything on since I am aware it's a bit difficult to see if it all fits together with just images.

Thanks!

 

[Duplici Fertili]

I didn't want to blow three grand on a suit and shoes without even knowing my style so these are not top of the line items.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[bellyhungry]

What kind of formal event is it? What part of the world is it taking place?

Can't say anything about the suit since you don't have it yet. I hope it does not look shape like the one in the pic.

Return the shoes and get a pair of plain oxford.

Return both the shirt and tie. Get a white or blue shirt and a dark hue solid color tie in black, charcoal, or navy.

 

[Gonzo]

Tie is fine but a pinstripe suit isn't really appropriate for a wedding IMO.

If you've only just started building a wardrobe, read Styleforum 101 and then get a solid suit instead. It'll be a lot more versatile. Same principle (versatility) applies to shoes and shirt. Otherwise, until you build up a decent rotation of clothes you'll be known as the guy with the striped suit and funky blue shoes.

 

[lroberts208]

I have to agree with first having solid suits to build your wardrobe. pinstripes would be most appropriate for business rather than for weddings or parties.

 

[Jeff M]

Good call on the navy, I don't like the pinstripes though, for the same reasons mentioned above. I think the tie is ok, but I agree with bellyhungry about the shirt and shoes. I'm not really a fan of shoes that have patterns like that (croc skin, whatever), a bit too flashy for my tastes.

If you must have some sort of pattern on your shoes, maybe go with something like this:

But the plain oxfords are much more versatile and will be a much better choice for just starting out.

 

[connor09]

Iwouldn't on pinstripes just yet. It's always the go-to suits like navy or charcoal grey that matter first in starting to build your wardrobe.

 

[dks202]

Better check the invitation again. "Formal" means tuxedo and tuxedo only, no options.

 

[Singlemalt]

Better check the invitation again. "Formal" means tuxedo and tuxedo only, no options.

Maybe in an elite situation or historically it means that, but for the majority of people formal means suit and tie. The person organizing the event may have used the word 'formal' to indicate this. I would phone up the event organizer or another person that could give you more info and go from there.

 

[Quadcammer]



 
Maybe in an elite situation or historically it means that, but for the majority of people formal means suit and tie. The person organizing the event may have used the word 'formal' to indicate this. I would phone up the event organizer or another person that could give you more info and go from there.

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.

 

[staxringold]



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.

Welcome to SF!

 

[Quadcammer]



Welcome to SF!

damn right

 

[FlyingMonkey]

um, what? formal attire is formal attire. suits are not formal attire. this is not really up for discussion

What matters is what the person who wrote the invitation means by 'formal' and how their guests understand it, not what you, I or anyone else thinks it meant historically, or indeed should mean.

 

[Quadcammer]



What matters is what the person who wrote the invitation means by 'formal' and how their guests understand it, not what you, I or anyone else thinks it meant historically, or indeed should mean. 

awesome, except that most people with even a few operating braincells understand the meaning of formal, and realize that is more formal than semi-formal or black tie optional.

So, if the person who sent the invite is a moron, perhaps a suit is ok. If he/she is not a moron, plan on black tie.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

awesome, except that most people with even a few operating braincells understand the meaning of formal, and realize that is more formal than semi-formal or black tie optional.
So, if the person who sent the invite is a moron, perhaps a suit is ok. If he/she is not a moron, plan on black tie.

If you want to talk about intelligence, the intelligence required to deal with this situations is first of all the social intelligence needed to realise that it is the host of any event whose view counts. So the first thing that anyone should do when receiving an invitation whose instructions one cannot be certain of, is to confirm with the host what they mean. The one thing you don't do is assume that 'formal' means what you think it does and turn up in black (or indeed, white) tie when everyone else is just wearing a lounge suit - or vice-versa. You can insist that everyone else is a moron apart from you all you like, but you'll soon find that the numbers of invitations you receive might start to become disappointingly few.