Official Wedding Attire Question/Answer/Picture Thread

[msulinski]



Question about ivory tux shirts: My wife's wedding gown will be off-white (ivory), and I have been told that the groom should wear an ivory shirt to match. We are doing all black tie for groomsmen. So, should the groom's shirt be ivory? What about the groomsmen?

Go with white. That is the proper color to wear with black tie. Most shirt makers don't make a non-white formal shirt anyway.

 

[archibaldleach]



Question about ivory tux shirts: My wife's wedding gown will be off-white (ivory), and I have been told that the groom should wear an ivory shirt to match. We are doing all black tie for groomsmen. So, should the groom's shirt be ivory? What about the groomsmen?

White shirts should be worn with black tie. No exceptions. The elegance of the outfit is a result of the high contrast between black and white which would be reduced and somewhat washed out by wearing an ivory shirt. In general matching one's date / bride is not a good idea, especially not with the shirt that you're wearing.

 

[RogerC]

I agree on the fact that matching is a bad idea. However, cream dress shirts have always been correct (and sometimes even more upper-class) than white dress shirts. You should get a decent one though, and that might be difficult.

On sleek Oxfords, try Septieme Largeur's 198 last. Not too expensive either. In a pinch, you could go for their other brand, Markowski, which is even cheaper.

 

[ImTheGroom]

Question about ivory tux shirts: My wife's wedding gown will be off-white (ivory), and I have been told that the groom should wear an ivory shirt to match. We are doing all black tie for groomsmen. So, should the groom's shirt be ivory? What about the groomsmen?

I was told the same thing. You're a different person, so it's not going to look weird for you to wear a different colour. Do not wear an ivory shirt, especially since you said you are doing black tie. Black tie is quite different from the commonly seen wedding tuxedo. Have you read www.BlackTieGuide.com? If not, start there. It's a wealth of information.

 

[ImTheGroom]

I agree on the fact that matching is a bad idea. However, cream dress shirts have always been correct (and sometimes even more upper-class) than white dress shirts. You should get a decent one though, and that might be difficult.

On sleek Oxfords, try Septieme Largeur's 198 last. Not too expensive either. In a pinch, you could go for their other brand, Markowski, which is even cheaper.

Also try John Fluevog Shoes.

 

[pinkformen]

The AE Park Avenue is a conservative shoe and it's certainly not sleek. The problem is that black stitch cap oxfords really are the proper shoe to wear with a suit. I'd keep the shoes conservative and well shined; a slim cut suit will be sufficient for what you want. The tax is a bit more than in the U.S. but $355 is not a terrible price unless you are buying on sale or getting AE seconds.

You can get a decent dress shirt for far less than the example you cited. If you're getting it tailored anyway, even the full retail price of $88 or so for a Brooks Brothers shirt should be pretty doable. Just make sure you get a fit that looks good on you in the shoulders / chest. You can at least partly fix the rest.

Thanks for the clarification archibaldleach.

Is there anything lower budget you would recommend? I would love a pair of AE PA and I am started to see why they are the perfect suit shoe, however, I really don't wear a suit very often. I guess the problem is they would only go with a suit and are not as flexible as a more casual shoe such as the fifth avenues. I am still willing to buy them if they are the right shoe to keep in my wardrobe for the coming decade but with taxes they come out to $410.

Is Brooks Brothers like Moores in Canada?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Newcomer]

Check out pediwear.co.uk. Some Loakes or Cheaneys would be a good alternative to AEs.

 

[pinkformen]

Check out pediwear.co.uk. Some Loakes or Cheaneys would be a good alternative to AEs.

Thanks for the suggestion! It seems like they run quite a bit higher than the AEs and are not available locally (online). Unfortunately I'm in a bit of a time constraint (1 Week)

 

[Newcomer]

Honestly, in that case, just get a pair of Johnston and Murphy Captoes. They will be a-OK, and some are conservatively styled. I will think more on it.

Something like this:

http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/product.aspx?pid=38301

Is it ideal? No. But it will be more than sufficient, and it will last you well.

 

[ter1413]



Question about ivory tux shirts: My wife's wedding gown will be off-white (ivory), and [COLOR=FF00AA]I have been told that the groom should wear an ivory shirt to match. [/COLOR]We are doing all black tie for groomsmen. So, should the groom's shirt be ivory? What about the groomsmen?

I hope the wife-2-be didn't tell you that!

 

[ImTheGroom]

I agree on the fact that matching is a bad idea. However, cream dress shirts have always been correct (and sometimes even more upper-class) than white dress shirts. You should get a decent one though, and that might be difficult.

Not with formalwear; with business attire, perhaps.

 

[Firefox]

Thanks for the clarification archibaldleach.

Is there anything lower budget you would recommend? I would love a pair of AE PA and I am started to see why they are the perfect suit shoe, however, I really don't wear a suit very often. I guess the problem is they would only go with a suit and are not as flexible as a more casual shoe such as the fifth avenues. I am still willing to buy them if they are the right shoe to keep in my wardrobe for the coming decade but with taxes they come out to $410.

Is Brooks Brothers like Moores in Canada?

Thanks a lot!

Hi Pinkformen,

Us Canadians have a bit of a harder time with this stuff because we pay more than they do in the U.S. We can order stuff from the U.S., but then we have to deal with import duties and shipping costs. On the upside, our prices for Samuelsohn-made suits are slightly lower than in the U.S. since they are made in Montreal (but only slightly).

Brooks Brothers is different from Moores; it's a higher-end clothing chain. I believe they only have two Canadian locations thus far (Vancouver and Toronto), but you can order online. However, since most of their stuff is made overseas, you have to pay import duties which can make it prohibitively expensive. Moore's is owned by a company called Men's Wearhouse. They don't get a lot of love on Styleforum, but if your budget just doesn't allow anything else, you can go see what they have that may work. Generally speaking, the quality of their stuff probably won't be as good, but if you find something that fits quite well, it can work. The one truism with clothing is that it's better to have low-quality clothes that fit really well than high-quality clothes that fit poorly.

As far as the PAs, I agree that you may not get a lot of use out of them in the near future. However, if you buy them in a size that fits you very well, they will literally last you for decades of formal-event-use (for weddings, funerals, job interviews, etc). If you are trying to save some money, I would suggest going the seconds route or ordering some from a Styleforum member in the Buy and Sell forums.

 

[RogerC]



Not with formalwear; with business attire, perhaps.

Formalwear as well. Don't take my word, take that of Piccadilly grandees.

 

[chogall]

 

[archibaldleach]



Formalwear as well. Don't take my word, take that of Piccadilly grandees.

In fairness it appears that to the extent cream shirts might be worn on such an occasion, they also must be silk. Some sort of cream colored cotton shirt would not work well as a substitute.