Groom's Suit Tips
from
Mickey Lambert
A guide to looking good and feeling comfortable in
the right groom's suit
Wedding magazines always focus on the bride's dress,
but make sure you don't forget to think about the
groom's suit as well! After all, an uncomfortable
man in an ill-fitting ensemble doesn't make for
happy memories, or good wedding pictures. Guest
author Mickey Lambert speaks man-to-man about
getting the groom's suit to fit well, be
comfortable, and of course, be properly
accessorized.
A groom's suit doesn't have to make you look like a
penguin anymore. With new designers, new cuts, and
new looks, guys can look both classy and unique on
their wedding day. Here's some hints and tips for
looking great on the greatest day of your life.
MAKE SURE IT FITS.
Do you really want to remember your wedding day as
the one where you split your pants doing the
Electric Slide? I didn't think so.
To avoid this embarrassing scenario, make sure you
try on everything a week before the wedding, to see
if it still fits. That way, in case you're sporting
a new pair of highwaters or you feel like you're
wearing a straitjacket, there's plenty of time for
last-minute alterations.
Another part of ensuring a good fit is getting it
right the first time. Make sure you get measured for
your waist size, inseam (the length between the
crotch of your pants and the bottom of the leg), and
jacket size. Make sure that you are measured around
the upper arms and thighs as well, especially if you
are a beefy or muscular guy.
More fit facts:
-
Your suit jacket should fit well and give you a
full range of motion, both buttoned and
unbuttoned. Remember that you will be dancing,
hugging, and shaking hands. Make sure you are
not constricted.
-
You should be able to fit one finger between the
collar of your shirt and your neck, but no more
than that. The shirt cuffs should not ride up
when you stretch your arms. If you are wearing a
button-cuff shirt, the cuffs should break
exactly at the wrist; if it's a French-cuff
shirt, the cuffs should break about 1/2 inch
further.
-
Your vest should button comfortably and hit just
below the waistband of your pants. If you are
wearing a vest to a summer wedding, make sure it
has a full back, so that you are still looking
good when the jackets inevitably come off.
-
Pants should break over the instep, about 1/3 of
the way down the shoe.
DRESS RIGHT FOR YOUR BODY TYPE.
You want to look dashing and debonair in your duds,
not like a kid getting swallowed up in his dad's
sportcoat. If you're a shorter guy, stick to
single-breasted jackets – double-breasted jackets
will give you that drowning-in-fabric look and make
you appear smaller. If you're bigger around the
middle, wear a lower-buttoning jacket rather than
one with a higher placket. It will give you the long
silhouette you're looking for.
STAY COMFORTABLE.
While this is a formal occasion, you need not spend
your honeymoon nursing the blisters from your shoes,
or spend a July wedding sweltering under heavy wool.
Make sure you can walk around in your shoes, and
pick a fabric for your wedding suit that matches the
season and the climate. If you're a guy who sweats
easily, consider getting a second shirt to change
into halfway through the day. That way, you'll stay
looking crisp and cool.
KEEP IT TASTEFUL.
Today's formally dressed man shies away from the
frills in favor of a more tailored, classic look.
You're going for Cary Grant in An Affair to
Remember, not Tom Hanks in Big. With that
said, you have plenty of opportunities to express
yourself in your choice of suit. Depending on the
level of formality and time of day of your wedding,
you have a wide range of options. If you're having a
formal daytime wedding, you may want to forego the
standard tux for a dapper morning suit, with a
cutaway jacket, gray pinstripe trousers, and an
ascot. Or, if you're getting married in the summer,
you could opt for a white dinner jacket instead of a
standard black jacket. Let your formalwear dealer
know what season and time of day you'll be getting
married, and they'll likely offer you more choices
than you even knew you had.
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