All Work And No Play...

"I am through with working. Working is for chumps." --Bart

"Son, I'm proud of you. I was twice your age before I figured that out." --Homer

 

Your whole life isn't business casual--sometimes special occasions call for a bit more than the office does.  Most recently for me was an evening at the Metropolitan Opera with my fiancee.  I don't have a black tie ensemble, and I see that less and less at the opera with the exception of opening night gala's and such.  But I can use my wardrobe built for business to look appropriate for a nice of culture.  And I'm starting with a two-button single breasted suit in a medium gray worsted herringbone pinstripe.  A nice three season weight, and versatile enough to look great in the board room or the ball room.  I like that this suit is very traditional--standard with lapels, roomy cut, double pleated pants and one and a quarter in cuffs.  Sleek, slim modern suits are cool, but I think it takes some extra fabric (but not baggy) to do elegance right.

To dress this up, I think the first step is a white shirt.  White is always the dressiest choice, especially with a spread collar, french cuffs, and french front (meaning no placket).  The dressiest fabrics are lightweight, smooth shirtings like Sea Island cotton or broadcloth.  But these also wrinkle easily, and tend to be somewhat transparent--the weight is nice for summer, but I don't think they deal well with perspiration.  So my choice is royal oxford.

 

The tie is what really gets this outfit spruced up.  For a dressy occasion, I suggest a solid or semi-solid (such as a pin dot pattern) tie in a formal material such as woven silk or satin.  For summer, though, I think a grenadine weave--an open silk weave, similar to knitted silk, but with a subtler texture and more sheen.  Since I'm out at my leisure, I chose medium blue that's appropriately classy but still fun.  If I had any concerns about color being frowned upon, navy always looks great with gray.   

To finish things off--I'll deal with shoes and socks a little later--a silk pocket square.  A navy silk square with a nice floral print does the trick.  Not too matchy with the tie, not too flashy, but coordinated with everything. Silk rather than cotton or linen is nice because its a tad more formal and incorporates a different texture.

And of course the Met was fantastic.

N.M.C.