Light Suit vs. Dark Suit For Warm Evening Events

Ask A Woman: Summertime suits – Light at Night?

If you’ve got a question that needs the female treatment, chances are you’re not the only one who wants to ask it. Beth is our source for the answers. From opinions on men’s style to decoding the sometimes mysterious ways of women, she’ll take on a different question every Thursday. And don’t worry, your identity will be protected too. Click here to get to know Beth, then get in touch with her by sending your question to: askawoman@dappered.com
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Beth:

First off, thanks to you and all of the folks at Dappered that give me a reason to log on in the mornings. I have two weddings, that I know of, that I will be attending this late spring/ early summer. I have been considering getting a suit for them. I am a fireman and a welder on the side, so I don’t often get the chance to wear a suit. My problem is which color to get. I like the look of khaki suits, but I am questioning how appropriate that would be at an evening event. My other thought is a navy suit due to its sheer versatility. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

– Ty

Hi Ty,

Nice to hear that Dappered is the reason you log on in the mornings. I log on to find out how many emails I sent the previous night after that third glass of wine. But that’s a story for another time. Pass the Advil, and please try to speak quietly.

Don’t get a khaki-colored suit. Get the navy one. And BOOM goes the dynamite! Man, that was easy. So who wants to go get a Bloody Mary? You know, hair of the dog?

No one? Fine, fine, I’ll do a full column. I’m not inviting any of you squares to my birthday party.

First, let’s establish the color we’re speaking of. I am going to operate under the assumption that you mean a true, light khaki color, one that is beige or taupe or cream, not brown or olive green. A light-colored suit can look modern, and it’s seasonal for summertime. But, you absolutely cannot wear it during the late fall and winter, so its use is limited. I’m sure at some point in the future, you’ll have cause to wear a suit in the cooler months, so you might as well get a suit you can wear year round, yes?

LLBean Light Colored Suit — Dirt magnet, limited use, & awesome.

Another reason to avoid light-colored suits is that they get noticeably dirty in a hurry. And by in a hurry, I mean that they get dirty just walking down a city block. Your light-colored suit will pick up lots of dirt around the leg, and if you get within ten feet of a glass of red wine, your goose is cooked. Which means lots of dry cleaning. Because this column is devoted to hard-hitting journalistic standards, I called up Jason at my (well not my) local haberdashery and asked him how often one should dry clean a suit:

“We recommend rarely to never.”

Really?

“Unless you have a stain that you can’t get out, you should very rarely dry clean your suit. If you need it freshened up, just get it professionally pressed.”

Dry cleaning vastly reduces the life of the suit, another reason that a light-colored suit is not a great investment. Incidentally, none of this has to do with the fact that you’re attending an evening event. There’s nothing wrong with a light-colored suit at an evening wedding in the summer. Summer is inherently a more casual season. The women at the wedding will be showing more skin because of the warm weather, and more skin always means more casual. (This is why you’re not required to wear a tie to see the dancers at the Lusty Lady.)

Buy the navy blue suit. You can wear it year round and you will rarely have to pay to clean it, which will make it last longer. That’s what she said.

-Beth

Got a question for Beth? Send them to: askawoman@dappered.com

Hi James,

Well your email lit off an explosion of conversation, debate, and even math. You mention boxers, briefs, and tighty whiteys, but since tighty whiteys are briefs, I wondered if you meant boxer briefs. Our fearless Dappered leader tried to explain it to me by referencing the ACTs and making the analogy that all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares. I had a flashback to staying up late the night before all of my standardized testings and doing productive things like playing hacky sack (an unfortunate reference in a column about underwear, yes?) and eating a whole package of Oreos, instead of reviewing flashcards.

Yes, women care about men’s underwear. Because I’m tired of saying things like, “Women’s preferences in physical attributes/hair line/underwear are as diverse as women themselves,” I did a survey of all my best gals, so that I could bring you the most accurate, most authoritative information possible. Unfortunately, there was no such authoritative answer. My lovely ladies were split half and half, boxer brief and boxers. I regret to inform you that no one picked the humble brief. (Though not entirely relevant, I must report my favorite response, from S.R.: “Real answer: boxers; funny answer: neon cup.”)

This is why we like boxer briefs: they’re tight, so they shows off the goods, but they’re a bit of a graduation from the briefs. Plus, the boxer brief emphasizes the thighs in a way that boxers, with their free-wheelin’ and dealin’, neglect. It is a special joy of women everywhere to see a tight garment hugging the muscular quads and hamstrings of a man.

This is why we like boxers: they’re casual and manly. The sight of a man in boxers makes women think about seventh grade, when we noticed for the first time a guy’s boxers sticking out from the top of their jeans, and we thought to ourselves, Yessss, I like this development. Boxers are also forgiving if you have chicken legs or doughy thighs.

Finally, a word about briefs, since these are your preference, James. Nothing wrong with briefs, and they can be sexy; after all, they’re form fitting, which is part of what we like about boxer briefs. But they can also hearken back to childhood if you’re not careful. If you go with briefs, choose a flattering cut (nothing too high or too low on the thigh), and a solid color. Wearing tighty whiteys will make people wonder if your mother sent them to you in a care package.

To close, I’d like to leave you with this new vocabulary word: manties. As in, male panties. You’re welcome.

-Beth

Comments

Simeon Duong says

March 31, 2011 at 10:06 AM

Just wanted to mention that region also has big pull on this one. In Austin, TX, we hit 90 degrees last week (In mid-March!). And as much as a love my navy suit, khaki is just more comfortable/appropriate.
Loki says

March 31, 2011 at 12:48 PM

Yes, esp if it may be his only suit, the navy suit is much more versatile.
Ben Sawyer says

March 31, 2011 at 2:30 PM

all suits aside, great post, great links. nice to get some humor in the morning
Yakov Hadash says

April 1, 2011 at 4:11 PM

there’s always dark khaki.