Style Scenario: The Affordable Kentucky Derby Party Outfit

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. The Derby is on Saturday, and it’s as good a reason as any to throw a party. The guys get dressed up, the gals wear dresses and big hats, and it’s a fine time. Here’s how to look the part while still having a few bucks left over to go to the window with (even if the “window” is a hat placed on a chair in the living room of the host’s house).

The Blazer: Uniqlo Cord Lane slim fit jacket – $49.90 ($69.90). The traditional seersucker look without going whole hog on a suit. Made from cotton, half lined, and cheap. Derby day, in part, is a glorified costume party, so don’t break the bank on something that might not see a huge amount of use.

The Shirt: B.R. Slim Fit Stretch Shirt – $29.75 w/ BRTHINKBIG ($59.50) Lightweight fabric but far from flimsy. Moves really well. Nice for going tieless too, if you chose to do so here. Always on sale.

The Belt: Bonobos Wool Triple Stripe Belt – $38.40 w/ SALEAWAY. Some saturated color to break up the rest of the outfit. SALEAWAY is good for an extra 20% off Bonobos sale items.

The Pants: B.R. Kentfield Pant in Linen/Cotton – $34.75 w/ BRTHINKBIG ($69.50) Featured yesterday over here, but these are the option in warm graphite. Should pull lots of duty this summer. Perfect weight linen/cotton blend. (Code is good for 50% off select styles. Many thanks to Thomas D. in the comments for pointing out these get the 50% cut)

The Non alcoholic beverage: Q-Tonic. On the pricey side, but a nice, lightly sweet & plenty tart way to pace yourself if it’s going to be a long afternoon. Mint Juleps can pack a punch. Drink plenty of water, and pace yourself with these.

The Watch: Seiko Beige Dial Chronograph – $115.00. One of the better looking affordable Quartz chronos out there. Bit of a vintage look to the dial and a nicely sized case at 40mm. Water resistant to 100m.

The Bow Tie: TheTieBar Diamond Tip Warm Grey Chambray – $15.00. A diamond tipped bow tie is sleeker than the standard squared off end bow ties out there, and the grey chambray helps keep you out of Easter Bunny Coloring Book territory.

The Shoes: Aston Grey Blue Suede Lace-ups – $64.95 w/ HEATUP Dead ringers for Banana Republic’s blue suede derby, only much less expensive. Blue is a bit muted, so your feet, while clad in blue suede, aren’t screaming at everyone when you walk in a room. Code is good for $5 off one pair of shoes as long as you’re a member of their email club. Don’t forget to use SHIPR for free shipping too.

The Sunglasses: Original Penguin “The Fryer” 50mm – $78.00. Far from oversized, key-hole bridge, and a lighter than average tortoise shell pattern.

The Reminder: Bring cash! Singles preferably. See #5 over here for how to setup an unmanned betting window at your party. And to avoid fisticuffs, keep it to a buck a name (not $5 or $10… degenerates will ruin the fun).

The 2014 Kentucky Derby airs from 4 – 7 ET this Saturday on NBC.