Age-appropriate Men's Fashion: Formalwear

Age-appropriate Men's Fashion: Formalwear

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Dress codes have long been a topic of debate in men's fashion. Should you follow rules to a tee and risk being boring, or do you play around a bit with your style to make things a little more interesting? The proper answer always depends on various circumstances and the event itself. What you should know, though, is that you should be experimenting less and less with formalwear the older you become as a fashion-conscious man.

Retire the Rentals
If you're past high school age and dressing up formally, nothing in your two- or three-piece shebang should be rented. Looking sharp in formal men's fashion is all about fit and not design, and that's one disadvantage you get from rental suits and tuxedos. Almost always off-the-rack sets, they very rarely fit anybody perfectly, making you end up with overly boxy shoulders, baggy pants and no style points for the evening.

Buy a set for yourself and then have it altered to fit or, better yet, have a jacket and pants tailor-made from scratch. The latter is the best way to get the kind of fit that'll flatter your figure so much, people will overlook the fact that you're wearing exactly the same thing as every other guy in the room. It's the kind of effect every stylish man would kill for.

Practically speaking, getting your own suit is also better than repeatedly renting. Rentals cost you money each time you borrow a set, and you have nothing to show for your cash after you return what you borrowed. Buying a suit for yourself might cost you more right now, but you can use it any number of times after you've paid for it. A good suit has the added bonus of lasting you years, even decades, adding more value for your money.

Experimental Errors
Fudging around with the tried and tested formulas of formal men's fashion is plenty risky for the young 'uns, and should definitely not be attempted by someone your age. Not only is the balance of far-out and fashionable difficult to attain, but deviating from the higher standard of dress is more unbecoming for someone who's supposedly more mature.

Stick to the standard colors of formal attire. Tuxedos should be either black or white, and suits should remain black, navy, gray, khaki, tan or white. Other colors, sky blue, pink and orange among them, should be avoided, unless you're trying to masquerade as a crayon. Excess adornments like embroidery and contrast stitching should be avoided, too.

Don't think that your final outfit will be humdrum and boring simply because you can't fiddle around with the color of your suit. Workday suits, for example, can be done in a different shade of the same color, gunmetal gray instead of the old matte, for example, if you want a little more excitement. Besides, your necktie and your shirt are still there to serve as outlets of your creativity with colors. Use them, not your suit.

Keep It Simple
Too many mature men out there seem to cling desperately to youth with all sorts of added details to their suits that make them look flashy. It's the wrong approach to mature suiting and should not be taken if you want to appear anywhere near your proper age.

Suits are at their most effective as style statement when they're kept subtly understated. Notice how it's the simplest suits from Armani that are the most expensive, while suits with too much padding, too much stitching and too flashy fabrics are a dime a dozen at the department stores. If you want to make a statement with your suit, do it with quality and not with full-on visuals.

If there's one thing that should never be forgotten with suits, it's the fit. You could wear a Salvation Army suit over a necktie that clashes with your shirt, but you'll still look more or less great if your suit fits you well. Stick with simplicity and focus on fit to get a suit that should last you decades' worth of evening cocktails parties.

About the Author:
Hendrik is one of the most published fashion writers on the internet over the last past few years. He is also the founder of online neck and bowtie retailer: Bows-n-ties.com/ - a website offering quality neck ties, bow ties, cufflink sets, and other accessores for men.
He also suggest you look at these Black Ties the elegant and timeless necktie color.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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