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Q: My fiance and I are doing a destination wedding. I am looking for ideas for groom beach attire. Any thoughts? I was thinking possibly beige pants/white linen shirt. (BG, via email)
A: First, congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Whatever you do, and wherever it is, it will, no doubt, be fabulous.
Here at the store, we’ve had a lot of experience doing weddings, and lots of those are beach weddings, any time of year, in Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and the South Pacific and so on. Your sense is on target: the basic premise of a beige bottom and white linen top is a good start. However, one needs to ask oneself some questions: how dressy, given the inherent informality of a beach affair, do you expect this to be? Will the shirts be worn tucked in, or loose? Will it be barefoot? Will there be hats worn? How old is the groom? Do you want it to be casually elegant or casual and laidback? Funkier than that? What will the bride wear?
Even without the answers to those questions, let me say that combinations can be varied. Summer time, and all the time in a warm climate, brings out colours of all type. Brights, citrus, and pastels; plains (solids) or fancies (patterned, striped etc) are also commonly seen. For instance, a soft blue shirt with long khaki shorts is a Bermuda look. A Hawaiian shirt replete with palm trees or pineapples, worn with silk or linen pants, is very much the Hawaii wedding with the luau afterwards. A beige suit, barefooted, with an open neck shirt, is not out of the ordinary either. I’ve even seen flip flops and a suit, and somehow, on the sand or at sunset, it all works. The decision is based on the feel of the ceremony, the comfort level for apparel for each wearer, and level of formality one desires.
The store carries a huge variety of summer wear, and I suppose a consultation with one of the associates would be in order. This would give you and your soon-to-be husband more ideas, and help clarify your thinking.
Regardless, not knowing when your wedding is planned for, you ought to purchase the groom's attire sooner, not later. This because the clothes maybe impossible to find, depending on what season of the year the wedding is. In other words, spring and early summer are the when the best selection is available.
Please don't hesitate to drop by, email or call for more assistance should you need it.
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Q: What would a 27 year old MBA student like for a June birthday present? I'd like to get him some smart/casual clothes. (This is my son, slender to average- maybe average build, and about 5'9".) (KM, via email)
A: With regard to smart casual, this is probably where most of the new purchases go. This because of new 'rules' that seem to apply to business, as a result, I believe, of the new kinds of businesses there are that didn't exist 10 years ago.
For smart casual, I'd suggest a shirt like Stenstroms from Sweden as a starting point. These are terrific shirts, and can do double duty. In fact, as I type this, I'm wearing such shirt. Tie on, or tie off, they look great. From there, I think a pair of pants in a 5 pocket style (think: jeans) in a non-denim fabric is comfortable, familiar but a bit less weekend-ish that denim proper. A topper might be a merino vee neck sweater from Italy, which would look great with the Stentroms shirt, or cool with jeans and a tee shirt underneath. And if he's going out somewhere, we've got some very hip, lightweight outerjackets in nylon from Tumi (the luggage maker), or Andrew Marc New York.
Really, there's so much to talk about, I think a store visit might be in order. However, whatever I can do for you, let me know and I'll try to make it happen. |
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Q: Phil - why are Robert Graham shirts so coveted? (JJ, via YouTube)
A: Robert Graham has single-handedly altered the men's sport shirt industry, that's why. Everyone who make sport shirts for men is now reinterpreting (read: knocking off) the Robert Graham look at one level or another. For the sake of authenticity, Robert Graham is the go-to guy for this type of apparel, so he's, well, busy.
Shirt designer Robert Stock had originally partnered with a UK based digital print expert. The two of them got together, Robert and Graham, and used Rob's stylistic approach along with computer generated digital printing to come up with patterns for jacquard weaves and printing as well as intricate plans for embroidery on men's shirts. The fit of the shirt is trim and fashionable, but not so trim as to keep everyone out the game. The shirts are made in India, in one of the factories Robert Stock has used for years, where embroidery is completed to a very high level of finish indeed. And voila! The Robert Graham story. |
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Q: What is smart casual? (LR, via email)
A: Smart casual is a term one hears here from time to time, but is more commonly used in Great Britain. Basically, it means dressy, but not as dressy as a suit. In practical terms, this means polished shoes, a crisp sport shirt or dress shirt with no tie, and perhaps a sweater or a sport jacket. Pants need to be immaculate. Trousers, such as pressed chinos would do well. Denims may not be appropriate at all (call it as you see it when you get the invitation) but if they are, one needs to wear darker, clean cut denims, that are neither torn nor abraded. No scuffed shoes, no flip flops, no shorts or other normally accepted BBQ wear. |
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Q: What is Black Tie with Miniatures? (LR, via email)
A: Black tie with miniatures means two things: wear a tuxedo, and, if you have, one can also wear military or civilian order medals (decorations) in miniature. All medals come full size and in miniature, and it's these miniatures that your query refers to. In Canada and the U.S., black tie (dinner jackets) is the norm for formal events, and these events, announced 'with miniatures', allows for the wearing of your medals. FYI, in the UK, and Europe, white tie (evening wear) is considered ‘formal' and normally one would only wear medals and orders (decorations) when the invitation calls for white tie, and of course, the miniatures themselves. Oh, and so not to appear gauche, a maximum of 6 medals should be worn. |
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