Style Scenario: Summer Wedding, Dressed Up

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. Dressing for summer weddings can be tough. Today’s scenario is for the most common, and most dressed up weddings. The ceremony will be outdoors, or, in a (poorly ventilated) church. The reception will be held after in a nearby hall. One of the groomsmen (or the groom!) might pass out from heat stroke.

The Suit: Suitsupply Napoli Grey Plain – $399. First, today’s outfit is highly similar to yesterday’s. And that’s not a problem. In fact, you could easily wear the Suitsupply from today for yesterday’s scenario, and dress it down with an open collar and monk straps. But doing the reverse (wearing a linen suit to a very dressed up wedding) might not look quite right. Better to go with a dressed up fabric, like a smooth wool, but keep it spring/summer appropriate with the lighter shade. Charcoal or almost-black navy? Avoid if you can.

The Shirt: Nordstrom SmartCare Herringbone – $42.90 ($69). Yes, it IS a traditional fit. But it’s also on sale. Use those extra savings to get it tailored (even their tailored fits can run a little loose). And that ultra-pale shade of blue is perfect. Meanwhile, Nordstrom’s dress shirt quality is fantastic. And that very, very small pattern will add a little bit of depth up next to the suit fabric.

The Tie: TheTieBar Cotton Walkover Stripe – $19.00. A laid back pattern with a traditional pattern. Available in 2″, 2.5″, or 3″ widths.

The Forehead Shine Preventer: Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 – $24.00. Pricey, but this stuff works. Unless you’re sweating buckets, your forehead should stay relatively shine free. Plus, the SPF 15 will help you avoid a sunburn if the ceremony is outdoors.

The Belt: J. Crew Classic Plaque Belt – $32.70 w/ SALETHERAPY ($59.50). Caution! Read those reviews. Even though J. Crew has been selling a version of this belt for many, many years, it seems like this current version doesn’t hold as tight? Tread carefully. Whatever medium to light brown dress belt should work just fine here. No, it doesn’t have to perfectly match the shoes.

The Shoes: Mercanti Fiorentini “Burn” Lace-Up – $149.95. It’s a derby (open lacing) but that’s more than fine for a warm weather wedding. Great shade, made in Italy, and experience with DSW’s M.F. brand is that they’re lightweight & comfortable. Does go on sale from time to time.

The Socks: Banana Republic Luxe Ombre Dot Sock – $12.50. BR’s socks do pretty well at staying up on your calves, even while moving around. (Electric slide anyone?)

The Watch: Seiko SNDC31 Classic Chronograph – $144.23. 40mm in diameter, a dependable quartz chrono movement, and suit worthy, even though it’s a chronograph.

The Sunglasses: Warby Parker Blue Lens “Upshaw” – $145. A splurge for sure, but… those blue lenses. They are polarized too. You could always go with a much less expensive, and still plenty sturdy pair of Original Pilots from American Optical.