Style Scenario: Summer Wedding, Smart but not Stuffy

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. It’s warm, you want to look good, but you don’t want to treat someone else’s big day as your own personal fashion show (it’s seriously bad form). We’re tackling 3 different summer wedding scenarios in as many days. Today features the inbetween. Not crazy casual, but the groom won’t be in a tuxedo either. You’re going for styled, but not stiff. 

The Suit: J. Crew Factory Slub Linen Jacket & Pant – $226. The groom will probably be in a wool suit of some sort, so the step down in formality would be something in a casual, summer fabric. JCF’s new slub linen works perfectly here. Was just on sale for under $200. Fits great, moves well, and is easy to tailor.

The Shirt: Banana Republic Stretch Poplin – $35.70 w/ BRFOLD40 ($59.50). They’re light, they’ve got some noticeable stretch, and they don’t have some scratchy, stiff-as-a-board non-iron finish to them. Yet they don’t wrinkle too terribly either. And skip the tie. A summer wedding like this is the perfect excuse to go tieless. Let the groom & groomsmen wear their neckties that match the bridesmaid dresses. You can go open collar. Grey suite + white shirt too stark for you? Wear a light blue or a gingham shirt.

The Pocket Square: TheTieBar Cotton Blue & White Gingham ‘ $10. Just a bit of color. Totally safe.

The Collar Stays: Alloy Collar Stays – $9.95. If you want a collar that’ll stay upright all night, but don’t want to mess with magnets, get some alloy collar stays and put a slight bend in em’.

The Watch: Orient Producer White Dial Automatic – $175 w/ youtube30. Yes this thing gets a ton of mentions, but it’s worth it. Great looks, a dependable movement, and some color thanks to the blue hands. Stands out just enough, and the perfect anchor for a tieless suit outfit. Full review here.

The Socks: Polo Ralph Lauren Argyle Socks – $14.98 ($30). A lot of guys tend to match their socks to their shoes. A better strategy is to match your socks to your pants. That ends up making your legs look longer, and thus, you a bit taller. The argyle there is a nice, bold pattern, but in tonal shades.

The Shoes: Calibrate Cusano Double Monks – $130. Sleek, lightweight, and should be easy to dance in. Just make sure you air them out for a day or two before wearing (review here explains why).

The Sunglasses: Cole Haan Polarized Pilots – $34.97 ($125). If you’re lucky enough to live near a Nordstrom Rack store, you probably know that they can be a gold mine for reasonably priced, not totally crappy sunglasses. If you don’t live close to a Nordstrom Rack… there’s always the web.

The Belt: UNIQLO Stitched Edge Dress Belt – $19.90. Slightly more casual, but still suit-worthy. And cheap enough that you can buy that bridesmaid (or groomsman) a drink.