Dressing up for formal occasions can be tricky, especially when you are required to come in a two or three-piece suit. When you aren’t sure what to wear and how other attendees would dress up and show up at a business setting, your safest bet would be to blend in by wearing a classic black suit like the one which I featured here before. You couldn’t possibly go wrong with it.
Things are a bit different though for certain occasions like proms, balls and weddings. During these types of events, your primary goal is not necessarily to blend in, but more of to stand out. These are the occasions where the most important thing for you is to look more edgy and more fashion-forward than everybody else.
In times like these, my go to suit is one which has a modern look – one in which the suit jacket has a different and contrasting color with its pair of trousers. I’m talking about a suit like this one which Exclusively His made for me.
My inspiration for this kind of suit is Star Magic Ball, an annual cotillion where the biggest stars of local TV station ABS-CBN would dress in style wearing the latest collection of the country’s top designers. At the most recent Star Magic Ball, I got hooked to the black and white combination of the top and the bottom that a number of actors wore, so I asked my tailor at Exclusively His to make a suit for me that incorporates these two colors.
For this look, I didn’t want a snowy white suit jacket, so I chose a cream-colored suit jacket for me and paired it with a midnight black pair of dress pants.
I wanted to match the cream-colored suit jacket with another white-shaded dress shirt. But to make sure that the suit jacket can be easily distinguished from the inner dress shirt, I picked a snowy white long-sleeves with black buttons. As you’ll see here, the contrast between the different parts of the attire is very pleasing to the eyes.
The next thing I had to do was to accessorize. I was picking between a necktie or a bow tie (which you’ve probably seen me ask readers here on Facebook) and based from what I’ve seen, a bow tie perfectly matches the suit.
I also bought myself a pocket square (the handkerchief-like insert on my left chest) to break the monotony and breathe life into the whole ensemble. That, along with a black pair of sunglasses puts the suit to a whole new level.
Exclusively His suggested a one button suit with slim lapels. As you’ll see here, a single button holds the left and right parts of the suit together.
You unfasten the button of the suit jacket when you’d like to sit down and would want to feel more comfortable. For my pair of shoes, I picked my all-time favorite Oxford shoes from Bristol.
Unlike classic suits which are very strict when it comes to do’s and don’ts and are bounded by all sorts of formal dressing rules, modern suits are a bit more relaxed and often pushes the limits of styling.
Classic suits are often cut for a regular fit, but modern suits like this one follows the trend of slim fit and is more edgy when it comes to combining colors. If you want to dress to impress at your upcoming wedding, prom or graduation ball, this modern suit from Exclusively His will make you stand out.
Disclosure: This men’s fashion feature is a collaboration between Pinoy Guy Guide and Exclusively His Tailoring.
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9 comments
Hi Chris,
Please dont tell me you just cuffed your pants hem inwards. You’re tall you can opt to no break for your pants even with little showing of your socks.
Hi Hiei, nope, I didn’t. They measured the length of the pants with a little crease at the bottom. Though I also like your suggestion of cropped to show off the socks a bit.
Okay na sana but the break in the pants ruined your outfit.
I agree with the first comment, you should have opted for a “no break” as it would have looked cleaner amd more streamlined.
The break (even though minimal) made you look shorter and gave a “lousy” appearance at the bottom.
Just my 2 cents. ?
Also, while I admire your desire to be fashionable with a white coat, I felt it was more like a desire to stand out rather than be stylish. Classics are classic for a reason. They are stylish and never go out of fashion. You can actually stand out better having worn a well-put tux or slim suit. It doesn’t always have to be unique, amd while it is good to experiment, not because movie stars were able to pull it off, doesn’t mean one can.
You had an excellent jacket, but together with the rest of the attire, In my opinion, it wasn’t well-put. Stylish dressing is about creating an overall effect, something which was not accomplished by the stark color contrast of your attire. It wasn’t harmonious, and the loose pants (plus the break) didn’t help at all.
As for the accessories, The bow tie was there to anchor the look but I would have opted for wool or linen, as the silk/satin tie you chose was too “shiny” for your attire.
Thanks again. ?
Hi Allan!
Yes, if you read the first few paragraphs of this blog post, the intention of this suit is to try something that is more of a stand out, instead of the usual classic look.
I agree with you that the break of the pants can be improved. Thanks for all your suggestions! I will keep them in mind next time. 🙂
Welcome to PGG, bro!
-Chris
Hi Chris!
Apart from the break, you should consider using closed lacing for your oxfords as it looks streamlined and natural. The formal outfit you are wearing deserves a formal shoe such as the oxford, and oxfords are supposed to be closed-laced. No exceptions! Remember that attention to detail is the most important thing to consider when you are dressing to look sharp. 🙂
Sorry, I meant bar lacing instead of closed lacing!
Angelo – thanks for the tip bro! I”ll make sure to take that into account next time. 🙂
Any recent pics of you wearing a suit? Lahat po kasi nakita ko from blogs years ago eh puro epic fail. Sana po nag-improve na kayo.