Where to Wear Wedding Suits After the Wedding
Who says wedding suits are just for weddings? Of course some people wear suits to work but even if you don’t, here are seven unexpected places to rock a suit.
So you got this suit for a wedding. The wedding’s over. Now what? For those who wear suits to work on the regular, the answer is simple: you mix that bad boy into your rotation. But if you’re not someone who wears suits to work, are you now just stuck with something to take up space in your closet, like that Ab Roller you got when you planned to have six pack abs by Christmas? Of course not. Here’s our list of alternative uses for a suit besides wearing it to work.
1. To an Upscale Dinner
Above: Gray Windowpane with Shadow Check Custom Suit (Sold Out)
Whether a jacket is required by the restaurant or not, a suit can class up your dinner tremendously. Your date will feel special because you took the time to bring your style A-game and the host/hostess will be less inclined to seat you by the kitchen. Being well-dressed makes you a bit of eye candy for passersby and other diners. Seating you up front is like the restaurant saying “Look at our clientele. People with all-around good taste eat here.”
2. For a Night at the Theater
Above: Blue Gray Birdseye Custom Suit
When was the last time you took in some drama that didn’t include the White House? While Hollywood seems to be stuck on comic book heroes, there’s something out there for everyone in the theater, from the Broadway production of Hamilton to your regional theater’s production of Hamlet. Combine dinner (see #1 above) and a show and you’ve got a recipe for a great date night. Do it in a suit and you’ve got a recipe for a “spirited” ending to date night (wink emoji).
3. While Traveling for Work
Above: Navy Blue Custom Suit
Upgrade your style, score an upgrade. The elusive airline upgrade is less elusive for those who dress well. Why? Much like a restaurant seating well-dressed diners in full view, social signaling happens on an airplane. With so many passengers walking by First Class to get to Coach, airlines are eager to show their customers that their First Class is, in fact, full of classy folks.
4. To a Parent Teacher Conference
“Looking like you give a rat’s ass about your job sets the tone that you expect the teacher to give a rat’s ass about teaching your kid and you expect your kid to give a rat’s ass about school.”
Sure, if you work from home, you can roll up to little Johnny’s classroom in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, but is that the impression you want to make on your kid’s teacher? Looking like you give a rat’s ass about your job sets the tone that you expect the teacher to give a rat’s ass about teaching your kid and you expect your kid to give a rat’s ass about school. That’s a virtuous cycle of rat’s asses.
5. When Fighting a Ticket
Above: Graphite Gray Pinstripe Custom Suit (Out of Stock)
People judge books by their covers. Judges are people too. So if your mission for the morning is lowering the number of points on your license, don’t show up to traffic court in your favorite “Grab a Heine” Heineken T-shirt. (Note: based on what we’ve said above, you’d think that dressing inappropriately casual would help you get out of jury duty. It doesn’t, trust us.)
6. When Drinking With Friends
Above: Blue Windowpane Shadow Check Custom Suit & Blue Shadow Stripe Custom Suit
No, we’re not advocating you put on a suit to watch Monday Night Football at your local sports bar. But for a bar where the walls are not covered in TV screens and athletic paraphernalia, a suit is a strong way to set yourself apart from the crowd (think Clooney and Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven).
7. To a Jazz Club
“…Many of today’s jazz artists and aficionados wear tailored clothing at the clubs.”
Our friend @aclincolnofficial sporting a navy 3-piece suit in the club.
Jazz is one of the few musical styles where wearing a suit to a show is not only reasonable, it’s fitting. The iconic jazzmen of the 40s, 50s and 60s (the one name guys like Dizzy, Miles and Coltrane) all made wearing a suit seem incredibly cool. The tradition lives on and many of today’s jazz artists and aficionados wear tailored clothing at the clubs.
So the choice is yours. You can get the most out of a wedding suit, or you can think of it like a novelty T-shirt that reads I Was in Ken Johnson’s Wedding and All I Got Was This Stupid Shirt. Your call.
Wondering if a suit’s the smart move for an upcoming event? Leave us a comment below and we’ll drop some suit knowledge on you.@aclincolnofficial
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My daughter is getting married in July. I want a light fabric suit such as Fresco, but I am worried about the color. I am bald and have a very light complexion. What fabric and color do you recommend for a suit.
Hey Tim, Fresco wool is a great choice for a summer wedding. Since you have a light complexion, we recommend you stick with a light color suit that doesn’t contrast against your skin too much. Our Light Gray Fresco Suit is actually one of our wedding best-sellers and should look great with your features. Cheers!
Need to find a good tailor for the wedding suit. The suit should be fit on your body, for this, you should find your tailor who can suit my outfit correctly. Thanks a lot for this beauty Enjoying article with me. I appreciate it very much!
All of the suits above are made-to-measure by Black Lapel, so you’re in the right place, just click on the links.
First, thank you for your web site. My son is finally starting to want a more polished presentation. We do not live in a metropolitan area. He is athletic and very slim, 5’6″, 125 lbs. He likes the vest over blue jeans look. I have been trying to give him lots of classy options. My question concerns needing advice about what kind of looks vest wearers can work with. He has a sharp silk vest with a royal blue background with silver dragons on it. I purchased the material as a remnant from a tie maker. Can something like this be worn with a classic pair of dark blue jeans and a crisp, tailored, starched white shirt.
You’re on the right track, Cecilia. The dark blue jeans and crisp, tailored, starched white shirt are a good starting point for a lot of casual outfits. It’s a classic look that works especially well on young men with a vest. In fact, that’s basically the outfit we used to show off how to wear a vest casually.
As for the vest itself, an older gent might look a little odd in something as bold as a royal blue with silver dragons vest, but it sounds like he’s a young man who can pull off something like this, so we say go right ahead.