We pretend that weddings are all dresses all the time, but unless you are having a two-dress wedding (in which case, #awesome. Two dresses are definitely better than one), someone in your wedding is wearing pants. And even more likely, they’re wearing a suit. The wedding industry likes to pretend that choosing a suit is like choosing produce at the grocery store: it’s all basically the same and you’re just looking for a good deal on something that isn’t bruised. But that assumption plays into all kinds of sexist stereotypes about weddings. Namely, that if a person isn’t wearing a dress, they probably don’t have a lot of opinions about what they wear, and if they do, their opinions don’t matter anyway.
Gross.
So! If you do care about what you wear when you get married, and you’re renting a suit or tux, how do you personalize it? Does it have to be matchy-matchy? Do you need to coordinate with your wedding party? How do you avoid looking like you’re going to the prom? The short answer is it’s all in the accessories, and something as simple as a tie can change your whole look. For example, this:
Can become this:
But if you don’t wear suits on the regular, trying to figure out what to choose and where to start can be daunting. Which is why we’re partnering up with Generation Tux this year to shed some light on suit style. (For previous installments, check out Four Things You Need to Know About Suits and find out how to measure yourself for a suit or tux and what you need to know about renting suits online.)
With Generation Tux, you can rent a tailored-to-measure suit, including shirt, tie, shoes, and accessories for only $150. GenTux will even coordinate your wedding party’s rental deadlines so you don’t have to. Plus, with their real-time interactive style studio, you can see exactly what your suit options will look like together before you ever place your order. So today we used the Generation Tux style studio to show you ten different ways to wear a suit, from formal to casual to quirky and everything in between:
A new take on an old classic: If you’re opting for a tux, but want to keep things modern, opt for navy instead of black and pair it with a black skinny tie for extra now-ness. I’m sure it breaks some fashion rule my grandparents invented, but I promise it works. Midnight Blue Peak Lapel Tux ($95), Black Satin Skinny Tie ($10)
A little bit of color: If you don’t want to look matchy-matchy, but still want to add color to your outfit, choose a vest in a solid and a tie in a pattern that has a little of your vest color in it. Your outfit will coordinate, but not in an early Destiny’s Child kind of way. Gray Sharkskin Notch Lapel Suit ($95), Bright Pink Vest ($10), Orange Oversized Plaid Pre-Tied Bow Tie ($10)
make it Monochromatic: You don’t have to get fancy with color, though. Different shades and intensity of the same color looks polished and put together (I mean, hello, right?). Navy Blue Notch Lapel Suit ($95), Blue Camo Tie ($10)
Tan isn’t just for summer: Most of the time, tan suits are reserved for summer (lighter colored fabrics = less sweaty you). But with the addition of darker accessories, you can totally work a tan suit in cooler weather, for a more casual vibe than the traditional black or navy suit. Tan Sharkskin Notch Lapel Suit ($95), Black Polka Dot Tie ($10)
Pastels can be neutrals: Bright colors can feel like a lot if you don’t normally wear them. Pastels and muted colors are much friendlier though. You can mix and match without overwhelming your suit, and they’re basically neutrals, so they’ll go with anything (see: Exhibit A and Exhibit B). Gray Sharkskin Notch Lapel Suit ($95), Gray Sharkskin Tailored Suit Vest ($10), Charcoal Diagonal Dobby Bow Tie ($10)
Go bright and blue: On the other hand, if you do want to go for bright colors, black can sometimes make for a stark contrast. So for something a little less intense, opt for navy or grey instead. Navy Blue Notch Lapel Suit ($95), Navy Blue Tailored Suit Vest ($10) Bright Pink Pre-Tied Tie ($10)
Don’t Underestimate the understated: Sometimes we think “casual” and associate that with “not a suit.” But you can keep your suit more casual by sticking to more matte fabrics for your suit and accessories or by foregoing accouterments like a vest. Charcoal Notch Lapel Suit ($95), Red Gingham Skinny Tie ($10)
Mix hard and soft: Pattern mixing is usually next-level outfit stuff. But a good way to get started is to mix hard and soft. Like the crisp lines of this tuxedo, with a floral tie (see also: striped shirt and floral tie or checked vest and paisley tie). Light Gray Notch Lapel Tux ($95), Light Gray Tailored Suit Vest ($10), Pink Etched Floral Skinny Tie ($10)
Keep it simple: The fashion etiquette council will probably revoke my membership for this, but I’ve got a soft spot for the tie-less tux. Because look (see also: Kravitz). It’s equal parts dressed up and dressed down, plus if you dislike the physical constriction of formal wear, and still want to appease your loved ones, you can be like, “Look ma, I’m wearing a suit!” without anything around your neck. Black Shawl Lapel Tux ($95)
Kick it old school: Sometimes the most modern look is the most old school one (because, right?). I mean, if Drake can rock a grandpa sweater and my grandmother’s actual glasses (I was wondering where those went), you can rock a white suit jacket and a bow tie. White Shawl Lapel Suit ($95), Lilac Vest ($10), Lilac Buffalo Plaid Pre-Tied Bow Tie ($10)
Still struggling to figure out what to wear to your wedding? Generation Tux has an entire page of styled looks to help you get started. You can rent an entire outfit for just $150, or if you want to even more options, you can rent just a suit or tux for $95 and add accessories from anywhere else, including your own closet. Because getting married and wearing a suit shouldn’t be synonymous with being camouflage. Unless that’s what you’re into.
This post was sponsored by Generation Tux. Generation Tux offers modern, stylish suit and tux rentals starting at just $95 for a suit or tuxedo rental, or $150 for the whole outfit including shirt, shoes and accessories. Plus, Generation Tux will coordinate your wedding party so you don’t have to. They even offer on-call tailoring in case your measurements change before the wedding. Basically: they got this handled. Click here to register your event and get started today!
