Guest Blog by Master Dandy
Shopping can be stressful at the best of times, and for many suit shopping can be very daunting. Here are my 5 top tips for you to help reduce that stress and turn it into an enjoyable experience that will have you looking perfect for your special day.
1. Start looking six months to a year before the big day-
For many often the choosing the cake comes before choosing the perfect suit.
We always suggest looking for your suit 6 months prior to the wedding, this can vary depending on the time of year you are getting married as new collections tend to land in shops seasonally, Autumn/Winter can land from august-October with spring/summer landing from January- march.
If your wedding lands between seasons it is sometimes good to look earlier than the six months to avoid limiting your choices. Leaving plenty of time to get your suit sorted, means you can enjoy the experience, get everything looking pukka and allows a bit of room for any hiccups.
2. Make an appointment with a consultant-
This may be a slightly biased tip, as a tailoring specialist, but we see it all the time, couples have gone around general menswear shops on the high street and struggled to find exactly what they are looking for whilst having the frustration of not having the full attention of a sales attendant.
Specialist suit shops generally offer private appointments/consultations with specialist who can spend time going through all the options to find the perfect attire to suit you and your groomsmen. To help them it is always good to take colour/fabric samples that you need to work with.
3. Trust your tailor-
We are all different shapes and sizes, with different requirements and sizing can be exceedingly misleading. Assuming you visit a specialist suit shop, you may possibly be disheartened to be put in sizes you weren’t expecting.
DON’T BE, tailoring sizing is a slightly different to your normal day to day clothing.
Sizing also varies between brands. Chest sizing is generally pretty close; however the most misleading measurement is for trousers, Having what we refer to as a ‘true measure’ with trousers, trousers will often be 1”-2” smaller than your ‘true measure’ and jeans are smaller still which can confuse matters.
4. Expectations and alterations-
Following on from the previous tip, many have expectations of a suit fitting perfectly straight off the shelf. This is not always the case, if you imagine we are all unique in shape and size, with a garment made to specific sizes. It can sometimes be like trying to find a square hole for a round peg, which will never be right.
A good tailor will size you according to key areas, such as biceps, chest, thigh’s, calves and waist, this will dictate the sizes needed and often will need alterations.
This is to ensure the suit looks immaculate and fits YOU like a dream.
Fit is really important in tailoring, you want to look like it was made for you and not like you are wearing your dads’ old suit.
5. To hire or Buy-
A misconception with tailoring is that suits are more expensive to buy than hire, when actually they are two very different things. The hire industry suits are mostly very traditional, with their newer, more popular styles often costing up to a few hundred pound per person to hire.
Where-as with buying suits, you can now get full three-piece suit for as little as £150, with a wide range of choices which allows you to create the perfect outfit that expresses your personal style. It also allows you to have the suit fitted perfectly and you are able to wear it again & again.
Supplier Credits:
Photography – Boho Chic Weddings
Venue – Thicket Priory
Cake – Where the Ribbons Ends
Stationery – White Orchid Print and Design
Dress – The Bridal Affair
Flowers – The Watering Can Florist
Hair & Make up – Nicola Whitfield MUA
Design, planning & Styling – Your Fabulous Wedding
Jewellery – Star Box Wedding
Table Linen – Extra Special Touch
Menswear – Dandy Threads
Chairs – MS Galaxy Europe
Male Model – Master Dandy
Random facts:
Leaving the bottom button undone of your waistcoat, this was introduced by a rather portly king, after too much food his waistcoat was uncomfortable, so he undid the bottom button, allowing his belly some much needed room.
His loyal subjects soon followed suit by doing the same and it became an etiquette of dress over time.
Working cuff detail,
In the past, A sign of refinement as a gentleman, would be functioning buttons on their jacket sleeve to allow them to roll them up and crack on with work (often doctors and surgeons) as taking your jacket off was an absolute no, no and only something that an uncouth man would do.
The best man,
Originated in Anglo-Saxon times, when a groom would abduct his chosen bride he would have to defend himself from the understandably alarmed bride’s family, to help him conquer them, he would take his closet and strongest friend.
Written by Master.dandy
Dandy Threads
Supplier Credits:
Bridal – Stephanie Moran Couture
Styling – Pamella Dunn Weddings
Flowers – Fleuradamo
Photography – Victoria Baker Photography
Stationery – Raspberry Toast
Cake- Where the ribbon ends
HMUA – Make up Artists Yorkshire
Tableware – Extra Special Touch
Millinery – Hannah Lauren
Videography- Studio Lester
