Wearing a suit to fancy upscale bars. Good idea?

[iloveshirts]

What do you esteemed gentlemen think of wearing a suit (like I'm wearing in the image) to upscale bars? Is it a good idea or a very bad one?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[BPL Esq]

Under what circumstances? If you're going out to the bar by yourself to have a couple drinks and see where the night takes you, sure. However, if it's 'upscale' but no one else wears a suit, you might stand out in a way that isn't necessarily positive, even if you are objectively well-dressed. If you're going out in a group and everyone else is dressed more casually, you might feel odd and they might agree with that assessment.

If I were you, I'd consider a sportcoat/blazer with odd trousers unless the bar you're thinking of is urban and attracts a suit-wearing crowd.

 

[iloveshirts]

Under what circumstances? If you're going out to the bar by yourself to have a couple drinks and see where the night takes you, sure. However, if it's 'upscale' but no one else wears a suit, you might stand out in a way that isn't necessarily positive, even if you are objectively well-dressed. If you're going out in a group and everyone else is dressed more casually, you might feel odd and they might agree with that assessment.

If I were you, I'd consider a sportcoat/blazer with odd trousers unless the bar you're thinking of is urban and attracts a suit-wearing crowd.

Thank you for your reply. The sport coat/odd trousers is a very good suggestion. What do you think to suit sans tie and patterned shirt but one which is not OTT?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Thank you for your reply. The sport coat/odd trousers is a very good suggestion. What do you think to suit sans tie and patterned shirt but one which is not OTT?

why a suit with no tie? The sport coat, slacks outfit is made for that.

As for wearing a suit or anything else, it depends on the occasion. The same decision making process should work for any venue.

 

[BPL Esq]

Thank you for your reply. The sport coat/odd trousers is a very good suggestion. What do you think to suit sans tie and patterned shirt but one which is not OTT?

As @Phileas Fogg mentioned, you would likely be better served with the jacket/odd trousers combo if you're giving up the tie. It also gives you a bit more opportunity to play around with textures and patterns than suits typically do. Dressing down a suit oftentimes comes out badly, whereas you can easily look good in a nice sportcoat/blazer with some medium gray trousers or some chinos, a crisp white or light blue shirt, and some nice loafers. If it doesn't clash with a patterned jacket, you could swap out the shirt for something with a tasteful pattern.

 

[dieworkwear]

I often wear suits to nice bars. So do some of my friends. I think it's pretty natural, although I don't know what it's like in other areas. It's true that many people at the bar will likely be dressed down, but I don't think wearing a suit to an upscale bar looks out of place. It's just an opportunity to wear something nice and have fun.

I recently bought a mohair-wool suit just for the purpose of getting drinks. Mohair is nice because it has a slight sheen that I think looks good under artificial light.

Mine is this olive wool-mohair suit seen here.

 

[iloveshirts]

why a suit with no tie? The sport coat, slacks outfit is made for that.

As for wearing a suit or anything else, it depends on the occasion. The same decision making process should work for any venue.

Thank you for your reply. I think your right, a suit without a tie does look a bit incomplete

 

[iloveshirts]

As @Phileas Fogg mentioned, you would likely be better served with the jacket/odd trousers combo if you're giving up the tie. It also gives you a bit more opportunity to play around with textures and patterns than suits typically do. Dressing down a suit oftentimes comes out badly, whereas you can easily look good in a nice sportcoat/blazer with some medium gray trousers or some chinos, a crisp white or light blue shirt, and some nice loafers. If it doesn't clash with a patterned jacket, you could swap out the shirt for something with a tasteful pattern.

Thank you once again. I always thought that a navy blazer and grey trousers look a bit odd or off but maybe my fashion sensibilities need retuning. I will try this look out for sure so thank you!

 

[iloveshirts]

I often wear suits to nice bars. So do some of my friends. I think it's pretty natural, although I don't know what it's like in other areas. It's true that many people at the bar will likely be dressed down, but I don't think wearing a suit to an upscale bar looks out of place. It's just an opportunity to wear something nice and have fun.

I recently bought a mohair-wool suit just for the purpose of getting drinks. Mohair is nice because it has a slight sheen that I think looks good under artificial light.

Mine is this olive wool-mohair suit seen here.

Its great to meet someone else who likes to wear suits to bars. What sort of reactions do you get from others when you dress like this?

 

[bicycleradical]

I often wear suits to nice bars. So do some of my friends. I think it's pretty natural, although I don't know what it's like in other areas. It's true that many people at the bar will likely be dressed down, but I don't think wearing a suit to an upscale bar looks out of place. It's just an opportunity to wear something nice and have fun.

I wear suits to nicer bars when I'm out in DC. Less swanky places, I would not don a suit however going to places like the Del Frisco's, it is not strange.

 

[dieworkwear]

Its great to meet someone else who likes to wear suits to bars. What sort of reactions do you get from others when you dress like this?

I haven't received comments like that in a long time. Meaning "why are you wearing a suit?" I think it's easier to wear tailored clothing as you get older, and especially so if you've been wearing tailoring for a while. People both expect you to be in tailored clothing as you get older and they may be used to seeing you in a tailored jacket.

I live in the Bay Area, so even swanky bars and restaurants will be full of people in casualwear. That said, if it's an upscale setting, people make an effort in their dress, no matter their preferred style. I think it's natural in those settings to wear a suit or sport coat.

 

[dieworkwear]

To the OP, if you want to wear a suit to an upscale restaurant or bar, consider getting a casual suit. So not your usual plain worsted navy that looks like you came from the office (or you're heading to the office).

If you're just starting to build a wardrobe, a causal suit can be a bad purchase because it sits somewhere between a formal suit and sport coat. Most men will find they get more use out of a sport coats because the world around them is so casual. Casual suits are too casual for the office, but too formal for many casual settings. I think they're great for special nights out -- and sometimes I wear them just because I want to -- but they are very specific.

A tan gabardine, olive mohair-wool blend. taupe cotton, tobacco linen, etc can all be good "going to get drinks" suits. I've worn tobacco linen and taupe cotton suits to get afternoon drinks with friends. I bought the olive wool-mohair mentioned above for evening events.

 

[lordsuperb]

Its great to meet someone else who likes to wear suits to bars. What sort of reactions do you get from others when you dress like this?

Unwanted kisses from married women.....

 

[iloveshirts]

Unwanted kisses from married women.....

Wouldn't mind a bit of that haha

 

[Keith Taylor]

When I see a person wearing a suit in a bar (either upscale or casual, like my own local) my first thought isn’t “My, that gentleman looks well dressed” but “that guy probably came straight from the office”.

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, and it’s often the truth, but I feel the message it sends isn’t that you made a conscious choice to dress up but that you didn’t have time to go home and change, like an overworked Tokyo salaryman getting a skinful before the last train home. I think a sport coat and odd trousers comes across as a more deliberate effort to dress well. It also gives you more options to mix and match, keeping your look fresh if you regularly visit the same bar.

I am, however, a big supporter of dressing up to the bar, so if your wardrobe is limited go with the suit and enjoy. One of my favourite hobbies is throwing on a tie and revelling in any admiring looks my haggard, married and neutered ass can attract. Helps me forget that I’m rapidly ageing