[jilgiljongiljing]

Guys, I'm clueless. All my life I've managed to get by wearing either jeans or shorts with tshirts and casual shirts, with the odd full sleeve shirt and formal pants. The most I've ever done is wear a sports coat, with kakhi's or jeans.

Now I have to attend my wife's boss's wedding reception and I don't know what to do. Its an evening reception btw.

Wow do I sound like a total nerd. For those who are wondering "What he doesnt know what to do for a wedding???", I haven't attended an American wedding or reception. Back when I was in India we just wore whatever the hell we felt like for a wedding as long as you are wearing pants, you're good

The invite just says no jeans. I don't have a suit, I lost the coat, but still have charcoal black pants and kakhi's, a brown sports coat and a black corduroy sports coat. I'm not sure if I should just go out and buy a suit, or if I can just buy a blazer and pull it off. Or better still, manage with something I already have.

 

[Kirosia]

I wear khakis, a dress shirt, and possibly a tie. Although I've only been to Asian-American receptions, and people sometimes come in tank tops or whatever. Even wore an oversized leather jacket over a regular long-sleeved shirt once.

 

[mark2410]

ask your wife and wear whatever she tells you too

be prepared to have to buy things

 

[Bullseye]

Obviously this:

(You might try to rent a suit)

 

[West726]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ask your wife and wear whatever she tells you too be prepared to have to buy things

This is spot on. Your wife knows more about your boss, his social status (yuck), etc., so I would think that she could help.

That "no blue jeans" line is a good clue, though; sounds like anything besides that is ok. If I had no more information at all to go on, I'd go with kakhis and a dress shirt, and take the blazer until you get there and see what the party looks like as you exit the car -- dump the blazer if you need to. In my book, no matter what, you're wearing a dress shirt. No need to go higher on the fashion list than jcrew or Banana Rep.

My sole qualification here is attending so many of these things that I can't even count anymore.

 

[tenzip]

You cannot go wrong with a decent suit. If the reception is a bit casual, take the jacket off and hang it over your chair back, and stuff the tie in the jacket pocket.

And they come in handy from time to time, weddings, funerals, baptisms, graduations, whatever. It shows you care enough to take the time to present yourself nicely.

 

[Canuck57]

I always wear a suit, better to be over rather than under dressed.

 

[fuseboxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ask your wife and wear whatever she tells you to be prepared to have to buy things

words of wisdom

 

[krmathis]

Suit, with a colorful shirt and tie.
As mentioned above, you would rather be over- than under-dressed.

 

[Townyj]

Prada dress shirt or Ralph Lauren Polo, some nice slacks and black dress shoes

 

[Uncle Erik]

Go pick up a suit. Don't buy a new one.

Go to a thrift store or a secondhand clothes store. Find a suit that fits reasonably well, but go for slightly large. Take it to your local tailor and have it fitted, then cleaned and pressed. With any luck, you can pull this off under $100, and you'll have a suit you can wear to weddings, funerals, interviews, and other formal occasions.

Look for a suit in charcoal or navy wool, with a conservative cut. This will last for years and years. Pick a white dress shirt and a conservative silk tie - go for solids, small patterns and stripes. Darker colors are good. Also see if you can find a pair of used black dress shoes. The plainer the better, and get a black belt to match.

Also, if you know your measurements, you can get terrific suits for cheap on eBay. I recently picked up a grey wool pinstriped suit that was almost an exact fit for about $60. The same thing new would have been $1,200 or $1,300. A couple of brands you can't go wrong with are Hickey Freeman and Brooks Brothers.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Thanks to all for helping out.

I'm leaning towards getting a suit. My wife says get a new one...so I'm gonna get a new one

Uncle Erik, that was what I was looking for, some details on colors and combinations. Thanks a ton.

I am gonna go with a charcoal black suit, I have a nice offwhite dress shirt and one pale lavender dress shirt. I have a feeling that might go well with the red tie that I have. I'll have to try them out to see how they look. Haven't touched them in years.

I'm gonna stick to getting a custom stitched one or a store bought new one for now, the next time I can maybe look for a used one, or on Ebay.

 

[elbuzzard]

 

[coredump]

You better check and see if that shirt fits. Most my dress shirts don't fit after a few years. I think mine shrink...or I get bigger.

Charcoal gray suit with a white shirt works with about anything. I usually go for fun colors when going to a wedding. Ties can age fast so don't be afraid to buy a new one. I've found that even $10 Kmart dress shoes look good with a suit.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

What to wear to a wedding reception

Clothes.