Shoes and shirt advice!

Skuxx

Hey everyone, first time poster to the forum, please be nice to me!

I have a wedding to go to in July and in looking for a bit of advice!
I have a grey 3 piece suit and I'm looking to get shoes shirt and a tie to go with it!
I was thinking maybe brown or tan brogues? I'm open to all possibilities on the shirt, I kind of like to wear something that's a little different!

My girlfriend is a bridesmaid at the wedding and they are wearing pink, not sure does this make any difference to what colors I should wear!

Any advice or tips would be great, I can post a picture of the suit if needs be, I don't know exactly what shade of grey, it's quite dark!

Thanks!

lizzyman

Skuxx wrote: »

Hey everyone, first time poster to the forum, please be nice to me!

I have a wedding to go to in July and in looking for a bit of advice!
I have a grey 3 piece suit and I'm looking to get shoes shirt and a tie to go with it!
I was thinking maybe brown or tan brogues? I'm open to all possibilities on the shirt, I kind of like to wear something that's a little different!

My girlfriend is a bridesmaid at the wedding and they are wearing pink, not sure does this make any difference to what colors I should wear![

Any advice or tips would be great, I can post a picture of the suit if needs be, I don't know exactly what shade of grey, it's quite dark!

Thanks!

If it was me, I'd do the grey suit with a white shirt, dark blue tie and a crisp white linen pocket square:



Walnut brown shoes:

dee_mc

I agree with Lizzyman, particularly about the shoes.
Don't wear anything to match your girlfriend, you're not a groomsman so you should avoid fitting in with the colour theme!

Skuxx

Super guys, thanks a million! I really like the shoes idea to!

Peregrinus

If it's a three-piece suit you do not want a strongly-patterned shirt; it needs to be understated. To indulge your taste for "something that's a little different" you can go to town on the tie. The colour contrast that matters is between the tie and the suit; your only requirement of the shirt is that it shouldn't clash with this, or distract attention from it.

Brown shoes with a grey suit? You rebel, you! Whether this works is going to depend on the shade of grey in the suit, and the shade of brown in the shoes. Black shoes would be the safer option but, hey, live dangerously!

eviltimeban

I'd ditch the brown shoes, and if it's a lighter grey, that leaves black out too. The solution? Burgundy. I have a pair of burgundy Grenson shoes and they are perfect for when I want to wear a lighter colour than black. I've sort of gone off tan shoes totally now, and I don't really like them with grey suits either.

A light blue shirt goes really well with a grey suit, and matched with a navy spotted tie could be perfect, a la the below:



That's a look that would be, IMHOI, totally ruined by a nasty pair of tan shoes. Go with something like these:

meeeeh

I think it a little bit depends what shade of gray you have. If it is very dark grey (charcoal) then I actually prefer white shirt. Or even some shades of light grey could work.

Oh and +1 for burgundy shoes. Or black. If it is dark grey as you say then I would avoid tan shoes.

Skuxx

Thanks for all the replies! I really like the idea of a navy tie with a crisp white shirt! I wore tan shoes with it before and they were definetly too light but it was last minute and I hadn't anything else!

Here is a picture of the suit, it's quite dark, not sure is it charcoal though!

eviltimeban

Yes those shoes don't work. I'd go for brogues or Oxfords. It looks reasonably dark (though that could be the picture) so you could get away with black shoes, but make sure they are polished to a high standard (it's a wedding after all).

A few tips: don't do the bottom button of your waistcoat.

If you are wearing a white shirt use a white pocket square in a TV fold, or a "puff".

Look up different tie knots to get a really good shape on the knot - I personally prefer a four-in-the-hand as you get a nice dimple and it suits most ties, wider or slimmer.

Check your sleeve lengths - the shirt sleeve in your pic looks a little long, and the jacket sleeves a little short. Nice collars on the shirt though!

Once you've chosen your shoes make sure your trousers sit with a single "break", and don't gather around the bottom. Bring them to a tailor and get them to take them up a little. If you're in Dublin I recommend Danny Geoghegan on Wicklow Street, one of the best and also the most affordable.

Best of luck!

lizzyman

Definitely wouldn't wear those slip on shoes with a suit.

With that dark a grey you want shoes somewhere in the walnut to cognac to burgundy shade, anything that has a slightly reddish tint to it.

You could also do a brogue in a rich chocolately brown suede like this but maybe a bit darker.

eviltimeban

Here's another example of working the light blue shirt in:



Orange tie looks good here, I'm a fan of orange patterned ties to be honest and have several!

One thing I will say is, summer wedding - potentially warm - three piece suit - potential for sweating your balls off the whole day.

Skuxx

What would ye think of something like this....

lizzyman

Wouldn't be my cup of tea Skuxx. They'd look very 'dead' under a grey suit

meeeeh

No. And I wouldn't go for suede shoes either. For me it is better to spend a bit of money on decent conservative pair that will last you for a while.

Imo majority of men can find a tie that will work with the suit. Pocket square is nice but you will be perfectly fine without it, however shoes that don't work can destroy everything. Shoes in the picture are nice but I am not sure they would work with the suit and you don't know if they won't be 'so out' next year. You don't strike me as someone who wears a suit often so I would pick something that is a safe bet for couple of years.

Skuxx

meeeeh wrote: »

You don't strike me as someone who wears a suit often so I would pick something that is a safe bet for couple of years.

Haha that's for sure! Suits are once or twice a year at most! I'm used to being covered in oil and grease at work everyday so matching colours and shoes wouldn't be a regular thing for me!

eviltimeban

The style of the shoe is OK, but not the two tone. Just stay away from tan, I think that's what most of the advice you're getting here is saying.

meeeeh

Skuxx wrote: »

Haha that's for sure! Suits are once or twice a year at most! I'm used to being covered in oil and grease at work everyday so matching colours and shoes wouldn't be a regular thing for me!

Oh I didn't mean it in a snobby way. I would just advise to buy a type of shoe you can also wear to the next funeral that you need to attend. If you were rotating a few pairs of shoes and wearing them daily then a bit more flamboyant pair makes sense but for something you wear twice a year a more conservative type is better.