What shirt to wear with a black suit?

TheRealist · 07-07-2009 01:02PM #1

Hi all,

I'm going to a wedding at the weekend, it will be a fairly informal one. I'm thinking I might not bother with a tie, but am not sure what colour/type of shirt to get. Opinions?

Thanks

OldGoat · 07-07-2009 01:43PM

Black is a nutral colour so basically you can wear any colour you want to. Try co-ordinating your choice of colour with your partners attire. Match, contrast of complement her dress with the shirt.

If thats not an option then I would suggest that you avoid any more nutral colours - so rule out white, black or greys. I know thay can look great but without the tie for accent you'll just dissapear.

Blues suggest Business, cool and efficent so I'd avoid those for a wedding. Try something warmer, something that has a little gold/cream through it. Don't go too conservative or you'll risk looking like a waiter. Be bold and brash to counter the sobrity of the black suit.

Tie or no tie you really should wear a dress-shirt - collar & cuffs rather then a t-shirt or a polo.

IMO

dingbat · 08-07-2009 11:55PM

TheRealist wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm going to a wedding at the weekend, it will be a fairly informal one. I'm thinking I might not bother with a tie, but am not sure what colour/type of shirt to get. Opinions?

Thanks

I would preface this by stating that, when attending a wedding, one cannot go wrong by wearing a tie. However, one can certainly go badly, badly wrong by not wearing one. Make very sure (i.e. ask one of the wedding party in advance) that you would not be making a mistake.

In terms of shirt, I would echo the comment that it should definitely be a dress shirt and not polo or tee. I would add to that by recommending strongly that it should have double cuffs and should under no circumstances be able to be mistaken for a "work shirt". Going tieless, you'll want a collar of substance that will withstand the rigours of the day and not flop around limply like a wet fish after a few drinks and dances. You would also be well advised to concentrate on getting it as fitted as possible around the waist (if you didn't find the perfect fit a quick visit to a tailor would see you right) as you would not have the tie to visually divide the torso.

Finally, if you are absolutely adamant that you want to go tieless, I would definitely, definitely suggest donning a pocket square in order to avoid the "stumbled out of a nightclub" look, which unfortunately can afflict the wearer of black suit and shirt sans tie.

Hope this is of some use.

TheRealist · 09-07-2009 03:28AM

Thanks for the replies, very good advice.

enda1 · 09-07-2009 12:41PM

Ireland is so stuck up its arse!

A Summer informal wedding and people wanna wear suits and ties!! At most I'd wear nice shirt and trousers, not a suit jacket though. Its not an interview!

Aidric · 09-07-2009 10:34PM

Just go for the wifebeater.

dingbat · 10-07-2009 12:08AM

enda1 wrote: »

Ireland is so stuck up its arse!

A Summer informal wedding and people wanna wear suits and ties!! At most I'd wear nice shirt and trousers, not a suit jacket though. Its not an interview!

It's a wedding, and "informal" in wedding terms is still a lot more formal than you might like to think. The thing is that it's simply not like a big night out or even a birthday; the pictures taken on a wedding day and the associated memories last for the rest of the happy couple's lives. It's their day, not yours, and the effort is always, always appreciated.

biezo57 · 10-07-2009 12:09AM

yellow should do the job

What shirt to wear with a black suit?

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