Les Richards Style Advice on What to Wear to a Summer Wedding

It’s that time of year where all of us have a grocery list worth of friends tying the knot. If you are in the wedding the attire is pretty simple. In order to help out the groom, you should go to a store that makes custom suits and get a jacket measurement, waist measurement, neck measurement, sleeve measurement, and an outseam measurement at the very least. However, most of us are just attending the wedding and this article is for you.

There are two very popular suit options that work great for a summer event. A light grey or light blue suit is where I would start. Jack Victor has a light grey and a light blue pinstripe that would serve as a great template. There are some other brands that have great affordable options in those color palates like H&M, J. Crew, and Banana Republic. At the higher end of things, there are great light grey options available in Versace and for light blue try Etro or Tom Ford.

The shirt and tie for a wedding can be fun. Light color suits match anything and pastel colors in blue, lavender, and pink are a great look. We recommend mini-checks in any pastel color. Check out brands like Hugo Boss, Facconable, and Ted Baker for great checks and multi-color vertical stripes. The tie to match should be either a solid in a brighter color, a stripe in a color that matches the shirt color, or a miniature pattern.

The shoe and belt should match and the shoe color should be lighter if possible. Black matches both light grey and blue and so does brown, but the color of choice is tan. Some people call this color cognac or British tan but nonetheless it is the shoe color. Allen Edmonds makes a few great options. Check out the Strand and the Flatiron in what they call Walnut. Mezlan has a few great options as well, but then again so does Alden, Boss, Cole Haan, and several others. As always if there are any additional question feel free to email us. 

Stay Classy.

Top 5 Items that should be in every man’s professional wardrobe

5. One Pair of Dark Jeans…Dark jeans are the casual Friday go to. They are the easiest thing to match because you can wear black or brown shoes and anything up top. I recommend either AG or Citizens for a good pair. I know those brands run near $200 a pair, but they are made here at home and they feel like sweat pants they are so comfortable.

4. Two Button Down Shirts…Everyone looks clean in a nice white button down. It also seems to be the shirt women are most attracted to, but my sample size is small (1). The other color is a toss up, but I recommend a solid blue. The shirts should fit correctly to support a tie if necessary. Through the sides the shirts should fit your body’s shape and not have too much excess material. Its amazing how getting a shirt that’s just an inch or two more fitted (if you are accustom to wearing a tent) will make you look significantly thinner.

3. Two Accessory Sets…I’m grouping shoes into accessories because they really are. A lot of men could care less how what’s on their feet matches what’s on their body. A lot of men should start caring a lot more. Is it true that women look at shoes? I have no earthly idea. However, I do know that looking put together requires the whole look not ¾ of it. So, you need two shoes (black and brown), two matching belts, at least two pair of dress socks, and optimally two watches to match the whole look.

2. Two suits…Everyone wears suits. The last wedding I attended there were a hand full of construction workers, a golf pro, and at least one truck driver. Now those are three of the first occupations that will tell you they do not wear suits, but occasions come up. We suggest a solid navy and a solid grey. You have now created four outfits. You can wear the suits as they are or you can “break the suit” and wear the navy jacket with the grey pant and visa versa. Also, grey and navy are the best for interviews and in today’s iron curtain job market there will likely be a second interview where you will want a different suit.

1. One Jacket…There are certain areas of the world where this does not apply. Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and the majority of other major metropolitan areas are not those areas. I recommend a rain coat with a liner. If you are going to have one jacket it might as well do everything. A rain coat without the liner is light and keeps you dry. With the liner, the rain coat becomes a winter coat and even repels snow. Most importantly, rain coats can be worn just as professionally as an overcoat over the suit.

images from Ben Sherman, Faconnable, Allen Edmonds, Cole Haan, Citizens, Jack Victor 2013

Fashionable Father's Day Gift Ideas

Gift ideas for Fathers Day can be tough. If your dad is anything like ours, he always says he doesn’t need anything. If you are thinking clothing, my suggestion is to think about what he can use in either daily work life or leisure. 

source

Does your dad golf? There are countless brands like Golf by James Warren, Faconable, Puma, Oakley, Nike, etc. Does your dad fish? I would suggest Tommy Bahama or something in a light linen in any color including pastels. Does your dad like to party? There are countless brands that offer contrast color and cuff or mixed media options like Robert Graham. Does your dad wear a suit and tie everyday? I would not suggest buying dad a suit unless he wears one brand and one size and has forever, but a tie is always a great gift. I recommend small patterns and stripes because every man can wear them. 

Shoes are another easy gift. Sneak into Dad’s closet and check his shoe size and get him some Sperry's or a new pair of running shoes. An easy way to handle gifting apparel and shoes for your dad or any other special person in your life, is sneaking into the persons closet and checking out what their sizes are. Next, Flag Day. 

Sperry Top-Sider

                                                           

Robert Graham

Faconnable

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Suits 101 - Men's Suit Lapel Styles

VIA WSJ

Men’s fashion is normally a slow moving beast, but today things are starting to speed up. The dress code for work has gone casual and the closet has been filled with unstructured suits and sport coats. News happens in a far away country and we can report it via Twitter before its in the hands of CNN or the Huffington Post. So if this means men’s fashion is starting to react a little quicker we should be telling you what’s next. 

In suits, the next big thing is a wider lapel. I want to stress that just the LAPEL is getting wider and not the suit. Pleats and larger jackets have been seen on runways for brands like Burberry (Prorsum) but this will not go main stream. Slim fit, two button, side vent is the template. However, a ticket or hacking pocket and a wider lapel are certainly welcome to the party. 

Most lapels are between 2 ¾” and 3 ¼” wide. Now lapels up to 5” are in stock and in style. Tom Ford would tell you that this is old hat and for him it is. The wardrobe team for the popular show “Suits” would tell you the same thing (See Harvey Specter). However, everyone else is just getting on board with wider lapels, 3-piece suits, and double breasted jackets.

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Suits 101-Matching with your Classic Suit Colors

via GQ

People often ask what matches with navy, grey, or black. The simple answer is everything. The long answer that always follows involves proving to people that everything, including pastel colors, match. Think about a suit like the paint on your car. The paint is on the outside and now you get to choose the interior (shirt and tie). Black Porsche, black rims, yellow calipers, red seats. What I just described is outlandish, but the colors work because the backdrop, the paint, is basic. 

via Getty and RCFA

In suiting, solid black, grey, and navy are the most basic options. Navy and grey are the real winners though. The reason why is unless you are at the height of confidence (not fashion) you should not wear black and brown together. However, blue and grey can be worn with brown and black shoes and therefore with almost anything. This is also the reason why we suggest people purchase either a grey or navy suit for their first interview or first suit. So, for our sake and your own, stop asking what matches grey and navy and start thinking about what you would like to wear. 

Stay Classy.

Italian Suit Sale Going on Now!

The Prom Suit

via GQ 

Prom is right around the corner for millions of young Americans. Gentlemen need to be dressed well in order to match their date, but specifically matching their date is a thing of the past. If she wears a blue dress you do not need to wear a blue vest and blue tie. A classy black and white tuxedo or suit combination will always work. Here is what we recommend

• Classic grey, navy or black suit. 
• Fitted shirt in solid white or blue or a pastel gingham check.
• A solid, small pattern or striped tie that picks up color in the shirt.

Invest in a Suit, Don't Rent

Renting a tuxedo is costly as previously mentioned in a post below. A tuxedo rental with shoes can cost upwards of $200, but normally costs between $125 and $175. For the same price, a young man can buy his shirt, tie and probably a better shoe than you can rent. The suit should set you back a few hundred more, but thinking long term, it will be beneficial to purchase.

A Good Suit Will take you from Prom to College/Internship Interviews

Senior prom normally means college starts in the fall and local schools like Drexel have co-op programs that will require freshmen to have at least 1 suit. So buy a solid navy, grey, or black suit. Any of these options will work for prom and interviews later on. Suits should act as a template. Once you have your basic suit you can really step out with your shirt and tie combination. It is prom and therefore color is key. You can also get away with the crazy suit (someone will wear duct tape). However, this article is for the modern, enterprising young man who has the foresight to realize that a sharp suit and tie combination are classier than a grey tuxedo and a purple shirt. So wear a suit or tux and dress classy and clean. Throw in a pocket square. Think Justin Timberlake “Suit and Tie” not LMFAO “Party Rock Anthem” and you will be the one “they” swoon for (whoever they is). 

Stay classy young gentlemen.

via www.socialprimer.com