Welcome to the Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we're going to talk about Cocktail attire for men.
If you receive an invitation that asks for Cocktail attire, the proper thing to do is
simply to adhere to it.
But what does it really mean?
Most of the time, this dress code is used for wedding invitations so let me go over
what you should wear if the dress code is cocktail attire for a wedding.
First is you want a dark gey to mid-grey suit.
Preferably solid, you can also have a light pattern, a glen check or a shark skin but
with solids, you're always right.
If you must, Navy works as well.
Two, you should have a white dress shirt, maybe off-white, you can also have maybe a
white collar shirt with a striped body but it should be somewhat formal.
Do not wear brown shirts or purple shirts or turquoise shirts, that just looks awful.
Next up comes the neckwear, you should definitely wear a tie.
Maybe a bowtie can get away with it but usually for the wedding, stick with the tie because
you don't want to take attention away from the bride and groom.
Ideally, what you can wear is a colored tie with a small pattern like the one I'm wearing
right now in purple with some paisley or you can wear a solid necktie like the one here,
you want some texture like a knit tie like this one is good or maybe you can also wear
satin if it's an evening event but I would usually stay away from that and go with something
a little more textured.
If you don't know how to tie a tie, please check out our series on how to tie a tie.
Since this is a more festive event, you want to go with a pocket square.
If you have a white shirt, a white pocket square works.
If you have a different colored shirt, use a different kind of pocket square.
If you don't know how to fold a pocket square, check out our video where we show exactly
how to do that.
For shoes, you should preferably go with black dress shoes, that means leather sole and neatly
polished black cap toe Oxford is ideal.
If you must, you can also get away with burgundy, try not to go with tan shoes or anything like
that.
No sneakers, no trainers, black men's dress shoes please.
What's really important is that you wear over the calf socks because you never want to expose
your hairy calves to the public so make sure you get over the calf socks that ideally match
your trousers and then you'll be just fine.
If you want to add a dash of color, you could also use socks that are slightly contrasting,
maybe taking up the color of your tie but that's a little more advanced so it's up to
you.
Make sure you have a good clean hair cut , trimmed at the back.
If you have a beard, of course you want to be well groomed and it's all suppose to look
neat.
Never wear a tuxedo when the invitation states cocktail attire because that's simply overdressed,
it's wrong and it's not an option so if it says "black tie optional", you can wear a
tuxedo but when it says "cocktail attire", stick with a suit.
Weddings are a personal thing so if you go to an artist wedding, and he's very colorful,
of course you can add more color as well.
Just remember, this is their day.
Leave the pinstripe suits at home, don't use flashy ties or accessories.
Just keep it simple, wear your suit, be respectful, and let them shine.
If you go to a wedding that is extremely casual, don't get all super dressed up, maybe in that
case, a blazer without neckwear and a pair of khakis is a better way to go because again,
you do not want to outshine the bride and groom.
Now what you wear when it says "cocktail party" for a "garden party" or for an actual cocktail
party, if it's in the afternoon, maybe after work, you can certainly add more colors.
If you come straight from work, maybe just bring another tie that you can exchange that's
a little more lively and maybe a pocket square or a boutonniere flower.
Simply add that special character, you should never just show up in your regular business
suit.
Always try to create a little something extra.
If it's a cocktail party in the evening, you can wear darker suits, maybe try to go with
darker ties and have white pocket squares in darker shades.
Again, no tuxedos but maybe a boutonniere to make the whole thing pop.
If it's an event during the day like a garden party, I think a stroller suit will be extremely
nice.
If you want to learn more about this garment, check out this article.
As a general rule, you should always keep in mind that more patterns, more colors make
things stand out more so ideally, if you're not quite comfortable yet, just start with
one accent piece, either you have a bolder color jacket or you have a strong red or yellow
tie.
Don't try to mix it all together, try to go one accent piece at a time and if you feel
more comfortable, maybe you can add two but never overdo it.
Chances are, you already have the core pieces like the jacket, suit and the shirts in your
wardrobe but if you want to create a unique look with that boutonniere, pocket square
and tie, check out our selection of Fort Belvedere things, everything you see here, is available
in our shop and much more.
Take a look and if you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, make sure to sign up
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Thank you for watching.