Semi-formal wear

[Mike C.]

Here is my situation, any help would be tremendously appreciated. I have two two upcomming events i need to dress for; our business school's "Formal", and a sorority's "Formal." Now, the thing is no one dresses "Formal" for these events, it's at best "semi-formal." Remember we're college students, not socialites. Attire ranges from plain suits to others wearing just a shirt, tie, and slacks. Being the stylish guy i try to be, i want to be a cut above the rest. My ideal outfit would be a skinny black suit in the style of Dior or Gucci. The problem is that my parents just bought me a expensive custom made navy business suit, so i can't ask them for another $1000 suit and i don't have the cash to drop on such an item.
Do you guys have any suggestions on what would be appropriate? Any jacketless shirt/tie combos, or should i just wear the business suit. The reason i don't want to wear my suit is because it is a business cut (fuller body, not as tapered on the sides, plus it's navy). Whoever can tell me where to get a quality skinny suit for around $400 wins. Thanks guys.

 

[Valmont]

There is a label from Denmark called 4YOU that makes some rather stylish suits in the $300-500 range. They target mainly college students and others in their late teens early twenties so you'll find that most of their suits have the tapered more trendy look you mentioned. Other stylish but not overly expensive brands would be ZARA or Chinque (I believe its german and they do make some very nice suits with a reasonable price tag).

 

[Mike C.]

I posted the original message a while ago and have found the suit i was looking for. I bought a skinny black Valentino suit yesterday at Century 21 for $250.. A great find, plus two Purple Label ties for $30 each and two silk Purple Label p-squares for $5 each...
Now my question is, how do i get the pants hemmed at the bottom, cuffs or no cuffs? My suit is exactly like the suit in the Gucci ad (March GQ, p. 29) so im thinking no cuffs, but aren't sure if this is always the case for skinny black suits.

 

[European Interloper]

Don't get them cuffed, cuffing makes you look shorter and is less of a classic look. Make sure the hem falls over the bridge of the shoe when standing, as this ensures a good fit in any position. What color shirt are you going to wear?
Black suits are morbid, so make sure you don't wear a matte black tie. Also, you can wear any cuff links except for gold, as gold with black is slightly too ostentatious... Look at what it did to Versace Jeans Couture, for christsake. What kind of shoes do you plan to wear? Kurt Geiger makes some great, cheap stuff, they sell for between £100 and £600 here, which is damn good pricing.. Can you get KG in the US?
--European Interloper

 

[Mike C.]

Thanks European Interloper:
I have two shirt/tie combos im thinking of wearing. You guys please help me decide.

First i have a white Burberry shirt (pointy collar, not button down) which i would wear with a metalic Gucci tie (Look in the Gucci ad, its the same tie). Secondly, i have a black Boss shirt (subtlely spread collar) paired with a skinny black- tiny white polka dots RL Purple Lable tie (i think this tie was in GQ Janurary issue where they featured the black suit look).

As for shoes, i plan on wearing a pair of black chelsea boots. The only problem is i don't have these yet and need them for friday nite (April 19). I plan on spending $200-$300 for the shoes, so any suggestions. I want the Church's but they aren't sold in NYC. Both shirts i have are not french cuffs, so i dont need to worry about cuff links.

The occasion is my girlfriend's sorority's formal, so i want to look as sharp as possible, should i go with the all black or the white shirt??