by bels » Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:42 am
5 times a year is a lot, but it's a bit of a sketch proposition to "invest" as chances are that your adult life will have 5 opportunities to wear full on black tie ever. You'll probably end up going to whatever event requires black tie less as your studies kick into a higher gear too.
SuitSupply looks decent, though it's super dinner suit ish and you can't really dress it down due to the amount of satin, which put me off. I feel like a peak lapel, one button suit in a dark colour is a better proposition than serious satin covered dinner suit because you can also just wear it with a normal tie for evening lounge suit occasions (which can be as numerous as you want in life really, evening in a fancy restaurant etc etc).
It's terrible to say it, but I think midnight blue is also a bit better than black because it's more "versatile". It's a shitty tightrope to walk. On the one hand the thing that makes black tie so special is the fact you can only wear it to black tie events, but on the other hand who can afford to splash out on something that never gets worn, and is getting worn less and less as the years go by?
I'm very happy with my peak lapel no satin suit, but it was kind of a huge extravagance that I couldn't recommend a second year uni student bought into. Plus if I had my time again with the pier wu sale prices I would just buy her double breasted suit and wear that with a bow tie to black tie events, which would be cool as fuck.
COS sometimes do a tuxedo ish option in their winter collection, but it will probably have some non standard effect, like no breast pocket and skinny minimal lapels. I think their stuff looks cool but if you want to get traditionalist about it then it doesn't really cut the mustard.