Guest post: mistakes men make in formal settings

It's nearly time for the Oscars and last week we had the Baftas (we don't count the Brits because very few people are formal there). But what errors do blokes make when it comes to smartest bib and tucker? My thanks to Mytuxedo.co.uk for offering these six tips.


The wedding of the year has arrived. The dress attire is morning suits. This consists of a jacket with tails, and striped formal trousers, a dress shirt and a dove or beige waistcoat should be worn.

• MyTuxedo.co.uk is finding, however that many men are hesitant about stripy trousers. While it may not necessary be your cup of tea, morning suits traditionally always require striped trousers and not adhering to this dress code would definitely ensure that you look ridiculous on the day. 
• For every man that thinks it is a wise decision to wear a pleated shirt with a waistcoat, please don’t! The combination off too much pattern and material in the chest area is too much and is not a wise choice if you want to make an excellent impression on other people. 
• It is not okay to wear a coloured waistcoat with a white dinner jacket either. It makes too much of a statement and when it comes to formalwear, you want to look suave and subtle to make the right impression. Traditionally with a white dinner jacket, wear a white Marcella waistcoat, a white bow tie and black trousers.
• Dress shirts can also cause confusion with many people as well they are not aware that they need to be a looser fit then a normal shirt. This is for allowing you to tie the button at the top. So before you decide to return the loose fitting shirt for a smaller size, take this into consideration and if you are still unsure, opt for a slim fit dress shirt instead. 
• One rule that should always be considered when it comes to formalwear is patent dress shoes. Of course, you will realise that trainers are a definite no but so are ordinary black shoes. If you have a specific formal wear dress code to adhere to, then you must wear shiny patent shoes as well. On the day, make sure they are nicely shined and buffed and do not have any scruff marks. This final touch will ensure that you look your very best on the day. 

This guide will hopefully ensure that you look great at any formal event but just in case you need any more style advice, then visit MyTuxedo.co.uk for great tips and excellent formalwear 50% cheaper than the high street!

I think we can allow them the plug at the end - useful stuff, my thanks once more.

New year, new suit

Flickr: Matt512

First off, a Happy New Year to all readers and I hope you had a great Christmas. Everyone is now back to work of course, so it may be time to think about a new work suit (and no, the picture isn't of my dog although she's the same breed).

The question is what to look for. In terms of business suits, a bit of tradition never did anyone any harm. All but the slimmest people do well to go for darker colours, and ideally these should be in blocks rather than loud patterns. I'm currently quite drawn to suits that look as though they're a solid colour but when you get close there's a subtle Prince of Wales check like my blue number, or a thin, subtle pinstripe like the one I'm picking up on Thursday.

Two buttons is classic and will suit most builds; if, again, you're very slim you might get away with three buttons but if like me you're a little 'broader' (euphemism alert) I'd suggest sticking with two. Skinny collars and skinny ties will work only if you're skinny yourself, otherwise they end up working as a contrast and showing your own well-upholstered proportions in a poor light.

If you want a bit of fun in spite of being businessy, have a think about a lively colour for the lining. People do see it when you take the jacket off or when you move around, so you might as well go for something less than dull; if you're looking for a tailored suit you'll be able to choose something individual. The weight of the cloth is important; you might find something warm a bit comforting right now but you're likely to regret this as the weather gets milder. I have a blue 'winter' suit which seemed a great idea at the time but I barely use it as most of the year it's too hot.

Contrasting stitching is a good way of picking detail out that makes your suit individual without being ostentatious. When I'm having things tailored (and it doesn't cost as much as you might think) I normally opt to have the cuff buttonhole stitched to match the lining. I once went for this on the lapel buttonhole as well, which was a bit of a mistake as it limits the ties I can wear and look reasonable.

Watch out for other 'fun' bits as well. Ages ago on this blog I went for a morning designing suits with A Suit That Fits. It was fun and I liked the John Steed/Avengers look of the velvet collar I'd put in. So, being an incredibly sensible and wise person, I ordered the suit later - and have hardly worn it. I just don't get invited to the 'showy' occasions on which an ostentatious feature like that is going to work, and would have been better off opting for a standard collar that doesn't stand out.

It's all about what works for you and above all the context in which you're going to wear the thing. You can always liven it up with a fun tie from someone like Victoria Richards, a firm favourite, or Duchamp, of which I'm also rather fond (although if you see something reduced on the Duchamp site at the moment, do check it against prices of the same product from John Lewis in the sale - I'm finding the discounts are deeper there in the January sales).

Right, it's New Year and I'm off to the gym for the first time in about ten months. And I'm happy to note the shorts still fit, which is not a bad start to 2013.  

Bespoke suit, bespoke lining..?

Sometimes there's an idea that sounds fun on paper but when you see it, you just wonder why you would. That was my feeling when I saw the bespoke linings launched by my first tailor, A Suit That Fits (sponsored link, anyone buying a suit through it will be rewarding me indirectly).

The principle is simple. You get measured for a suit in the usual way of course BUT you upload a picture to the website and they put it onto the lining, much as in the illustration on the right. Click on it for a bigger view if you like. You need to click on disclaimers confirming that you own the rights to reproduce the pictures - no doubt sneaky unlicensed Lady Ga Ga or 007 logo pictures (we've all been sloshed at the computer, come on) will be intercepted. Endearingly, the spokeswoman at the launch said "we're trying to avoid comparisons with Boots" or words to that effect - putting us all in mind of Boots, immediately, of course. This is the Boots where you take your picture in and they put it on mugs, tee-shirts, whatever.

But a suit lining? I find my other tailor, King and Allen, a bit restricted in that way if I'm honest; you get a plain lining and that's that. The paisley and jacquard offered by ASTF can be very appealing, but for me this is a little OTT. The spokeswoman said they found it worked well for wedding suits, and if that's who's buying it, fair enough. It's probably not for me, but if people are responding, good luck to them!

Are bow ties cool? Doctor Who returns...

Photo: Credit: BBC/Todd Antony/Adrian Rogers Copyright BBC

Tune into the BBC this evening or in the very near future and you're going to find the trailers for the new season of Doctor Who starting up. This is of course a cultural milestone (and yes I'll write something about the Olympics soon) and leads to a major, major style question: Are bow ties cool? You can click on the picture for a larger image.

This is actually not a straightforward question. There are a few things the good Doctor does that aren't actually all that cool but he and actor Matt Smith get away with them. Take bow ties anywhere other than somewhere formal. He, and predecessors Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee, got away with these spectacularly (in the sixties you'd have seen more of them anyway, when Troughton was in the role). By now, wearing them without a tuxedo you tend to have to be pretty damned young to get away with them and have them "ironically". Or you're playing a 900-year-old Time Lord. Conversely, my continuing inability to tie a bow tie is most certainly not cool. I told you it wasn't straightforward.

This isn't all Smith does that won't work elsewhere, though. Take braces. As you'll see from the pic, he wears them and he wears them well. You need an ironing board flat stomach to get away with those or they start looking like a contour map of your gut.

I like Harris Tweed jackets. My wife doesn't. What I do know is that they have to be carefully cut - it's appallingly easy to end up looking a bit charity shop and a bit pretending-to-dress-middle-aged-without-realising-you're-actually-pretty-old. In fact I'd say anyone who, like me, woke up in January 2010 and found themselves old enough to be Doctor Who's dad should probably steer clear unless the cut is seriously flattering.

Trailer for the new series appears below for anyone who's interested:

Duchamp and T-Lab sales

Two of my favourite clothing suppliers have sales on at the moment. Let me add I have no affiliation or vested interests here - I get nothing if you buy a single tie or t-shirt, or the entire stock, it makes no difference at all to me.

First, Duchamp. A fine tie maker is how I'd describe this company; I bought a white shirt a couple of weeks ago and the arms are a bit long, serves me right for not going tailor-made (or indeed putting weight on and having a thicker neck than a man of my arms-length normally would). Everything is 50% for the moment because they're running down their excellent summer collection, not that you need to worry about the styles going out of fashion. Think sumptuous, think thick silk ties, think patterned pocket squares. I find the trick is to pick out one piece you like. The picture of the model here is a good example. He's younger than the people for whom I write this blog and can get away with a bit more dandifying than some of us; the tie as the sole interesting feature, or a plain tie and the pocket square, would work better than the whole ensemble in my view. I've gone for a couple of darker ties, a single pocket square and a couple of shirts including the aforementioned white one - and a textured white for parties.

I must remind myself sometimes that this blog is supposed to make money eventually, not cost me a fortune.

You can find what's in the sale at their various premises - I liked the one in Westfield in Wood Lane although the shop in Regent Street left me curiously cold - it's finished online but to get an idea of what they do and find outlets you can click here.

Meanwhile the more casual among us might remember I've written about T-Lab before now, good quality T-shirts, nice designs, nothing OTT but a bit more interest than plain white or a colour. They have a sale on and until 19 July you can click on their website here and get 20% off everything. My own favourite of the moment is the GBR shirt (pictured) which is sufficiently GBR-ish to make a good option for the Olympics but not so in-your-face that it's going to date immediately. Also cheaper than officially licensed Olympic kit...

Good quality, reasonable prices, I've bought items from both of these myself. And I do assure you once more I get nothing for saying so.

What to wear on stage - a new comedian writes

Flickr: Doug Hay

Some of you who follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, friends on Facebook or anything like that, might have noticed the messages saying I'm having a go at stand-up comedy on Monday evening (9th July, Dirty Dick's on Bishopsgate opposite Liverpool Street Station, 5 minutes as one of the open mic slots, which start at 7pm). It's a long story that started as part of a course in sharpening my general presentation skills.

So tempting to think "right, get an outfit together to fit the blog, something a little bit humorous, a bit edgy perhaps" - then I got a corporate gig during the day, there won't be time to nip back and forth home to change, so 'suit' it is. The tie, if I'm wearing one for my meeting, will come off and that's about it.

But then, that tends to be what most comedians wear anyway. Have you seen Michael McIntyre recently? Or not recently? He always looks completely sharp and is very well tailored. His shape has changed substantially over the years (he's currently looking pretty damned healthy) and everything is always an immaculate fit. Jack Dee, too, has always opted for the 'sharp' look and mostly tops it with a tie. He is also a tricky shape as a small man; my guess, once again, is that he goes bespoke.

Younger comedians are a bit more variable. Russell Howard goes for jeans and t-shirt. Russell Kane would make a suit look conspicuous with that hair - and it's not just the younger variety, Paul Merton's shirts on "Have I Got News for You" could give EastEnders' Alfie Moon a run for his money.

So I'll be aiming for 'inconspicuous' for three reasons. First it pays to be age-appropriate unless you're as talented as Paul Merton. Second, I'm only doing it for five minutes, you think I'm going to dress up? Third, if it did go any further - and that's not the aim - I might as well start with a look that's not going to make me shudder in future!

Shopping for duty free tailoring

Flickr: Hakan Dahlstrom

OK, here's an idea. I've done some business travelling recently and as such been in a few airports. One thing that occurred to me whilst doing all this was that it would have been good to know where the best Duty Free shops are so I could plan a bit before leaving. So, here's a brief summary of my recent notes - anyone wanting to add their own destinations and comments would be more than welcome. I'm excluding spirits and tobacco because that's not what this blog is about - of course all the usual duty free stuff is available.

London City Airport: Tiny as you'd expect from a small airport but a good selection of Boss shirts (not to my taste), Mont Blanc pens and accessories for the rich and I bought a nice Dunhill tie for my meeting (at which nobody wore ties so it's unworn). This was £62 as I was travelling just outside the EU.

Gatwick North Terminal: Under modernisation, sports gear, Harrods, Kurt Geiger shoes, no doubt there will be more as works progress.

Gatwick South Terminal: Fat Face, Boss, Kurt Geiger, several others - remember to check the retail prices outside the airport as many people have a perpetual sale on.

Heathrow T5: Vast shopping experience if you have the time, dominated by Harrods which has most of the designer brands you'd want - Hilfiger, Polo, just about everything. Also several designer shops opposite.

Copenhagen: Actually bigger than Heathrow T5. We're talking Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Hermes with their own shops and a couple of menswear shops with a selection including LaCoste and others.

Luxembourg: Small but perfectly formed - as long as you like Boss and Lacoste in the menswear department. I was thinking about Polo Ralph Lauren shorts, the shape of which seems to sit OK on my body - and there were none.

Istanbul: Less of the clothing, just one or two shops, but an extensive selection of scent (as most of them have) and a Mont Blanc shop to go and drool over (I do like Mont Blanc pens, why the hell I can't develop cheaper tastes I don't know).

Milan Lenate: Are you kidding, it's Milan! Superb shirt shop caught my eye, if only I'd needed some shirts. Sadly I didn't. Also good shoes and suits - does anyone really buy suits duty free, though? Not easy to return goods I'd have thought.

Newcastle: Believe it or not you can buy duty free in internal flights, look, don't stare, I didn't know. Mostly sports gear and the usual drinks and stuff, but some nice watches at a better price than average.

Zurich: Curiously little in the tailoring department unless I walked straight past it whilst looking for my wife's cosmetics, which is entirely possible.

Please note this is not intended as a definitive guide - I wasn't specifically looking to write this entry when visiting most of these over the last 12 months or so, and may well have overlooked items. I'll welcome corrections and of course additions as comments and will add to and update this entry - leaving a note and link to say it's updated as and when.

So, what have you found recently on any business or pleasure travels whilst in the duty free shop?

A (pocket) square world

Older readers will notice the Michael Bentine reference in that title. That's irrelevant - today I've been considering the pocket square. For a young relative's birthday recently I was dragged screaming - sorry, taken around Liberty's, and in the menswear department I noticed the patterned pocket square is making a comeback. There are some nice ones available from Richard James of Savile Row as well.

While I was growing up the pocket square - or "handkerchief" - was pretty much out of fashion, for the dandy only. I'm quite pleased to see them back. There are a number of ways of wearing them; folded flat and seen only as a line above the breast pocket in the so-called Presidential Fold works well in formal settings, as does the triangular folded-to-a-point and the three point (peak in the middle and two peaks either side). The latter two look a bit waiterish for my tastes - every respect to actual waiters but if I'm dining in a restaurant I'd rather not be asked for the wine list.

My own preference is illustrated in the picture, with thanks to A Suit That Fits for thje picture. Fold in half, bring the corners to the middle, fold the top down a bit, fold that bit down a little on either side, stick in pocket and squish. A Suit That Fits also has the good sense to offer matching squares with the linings of its suits, so you hardly notice you're spending money when you buy one. The other tailor I use, King and Allen, doesn't offer this but it designs its breast pockets so that they can be turned inside out and made to look like pocket squares; I tried this once with my pale grey suit on television and it looked exactly as if I'd turned my pocket inside out.

So - do readers wear these squares? And if so, how?

Declaration: The above links are completely without affiliation except for A Suit That Fits; if you buy a suit through this link you will get a £25 discount and I get £25 cash. This has not prejudiced their inclusion in this blog entry.

A Suit that Fits hits John Lewis

I've written in the past about a few tailors - I went and visited my current supplier, King and Allen, only yesterday. My introduction to having stuff made to measure, though, was with A Suit That Fits (order a suit through that link and I get a voucher - I mention this in the interests of full declaration). And they've done something interesting by getting a concession area in John Lewis in London's Oxford Street.

If I'm honest, this is a slightly odd one in my opinion. If I go into a shop to buy something I tend to want to walk out with my purchase. This clearly isn't the way the operation works. Also if I'm in most retail premises I tend not to want to need to make an appointment. The model from A Suit That Fits, however, remains appointment only - mostly because they expect to take an hour measuring you up and going through the various fabric and style options with you. I can see how you wouldn't want passing trade with a business like that.

This is why I find it's an odd fit within a busy department store, particularly when the business has a permanent office just down the road off Regent Street. Nevertheless the branding's a bit of a coup for the company and will no doubt confound several of the competition. The publicity says you'll get a bespoke suit for prices from £299; technically this is true but the limitations on style and fabric will be pretty severe at that price, I'd expect to pay around £500 for something better, and wait around 6-8 weeks before it's wearable unless you're an awkward shape in which case you may need more than one fitting.

There's no reason not to wish them well - but I'd welcome readers' comments on whether you'd be comfortable making an hour-long appointment in a busy department store in London.

Discounted tailoring for LifeOver35 readers

OK, back from holiday and I'm in a position to offer a 25% discount on tailoring. It's from Clements and Church and it's easy for you - just enter the promotional code CC76937235 during the checkout process online and they'll lop off twenty five pee in the pound for your first order.

Suits, jackets, ties, cufflinks, less formal stuff like denim and even umbrellas - they've offered this to LifeOver35 readers to celebrate (or market) the launch of their new e-commerce site.

I'm grateful for the offer and would be interested to hear how any readers get on. The offer is open until 14 May.

Declaration: just for clarity - LifeOver35 isn't getting a cut of this, there's literally nothing in this offer for us bar goodwill, we're highlighting it only because readers may be interested.

Some nice Chess pieces

To Mayfair and the launch of a new designer brand. Chess London started selling good quality clothes with good fabrics at the end of last week. For the moment it's online only, and the first howler is that they don't appear to have reserved the chesslondon.co.uk domain alongside chesslondon.com - anytime they want a seminar on online presence I've written books on the subject...

No matter. The clothes look very good and with prices like £130 a shirt they'd better; clearly this is good in comparison to the top-end designer labels but when online tailors will make something  to measure exactly for a similar price the quality had better sing out.

For the most part it does. Designer Ali Riaz told me about the quality, about the detailing (and a lot of work has clearly gone into the lining of the jackets) and the fabrics. He cited Holland and Sherry as one of the top-end fabric suppliers the company uses (although once again I have to point out that two of my suits are tailored from fabrics from exactly that company put together by King and Allen, for similar prices to the off-the-peg stuff available here). His view was that every supplier has a basic range and a luxury range and Chess London sells only the top; if I'm honest I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

He was also a little bemused when I asked whether there was a full floating canvas in the jackets, not fully understanding what I meant (here's where I explain it in a previous post). From what I could gather the facing is indeed sewn into place so your jacket won't pucker up if it gets rained on.

And the jackets did look pretty damned good, as did the trousers. Some of the knitwear was a bit young (see the post on mid-life crisis) - if you're reading this blog because you're actually over 35 I'd be a bit careful of some of that.

But if I can find room I might well be in the market for a jacket and couple of shirts sometime soon. It's good to see a British brand starting up to compete with the international set. It's all online at the moment and at last week's launch they were hoping some retailers would turn up. There's every reason to wish Chess London well for the future.

Give away a suit for homelessness

Before and after pictures of the case study candidates below

OK, time for a bit of a change - I'm going to write about suits again but this time it's not about buying one, it's about getting rid of one.

Tailor A Suit That Fits has announced it's teaming up with three charities, Amber, Broadway and Emmaus. These are homelessness charities and they've found that people picking themselves up after being made homeless is difficult partly because of confidence levels when they get into a job interview. They have nothing suitable to wear so they go in nervous and the interview doesn't go well.

So, quite simply, A Suit That Fits will hand over a £50 voucher for any old suit (in clean and wearable condition), men's or women's, that you donate to their offices or those of the charities between now and 26 April. They'll also welcome clean shirts and ties, as well as smart shoes. The scheme is called "A Suit for Success".

Of course this isn't a complete answer to homelessness but if it helps someone who's been affected by it and ended up getting as far as a hostel to get back into the job market it's an excellent start. Details of where to drop suits can be found here.

The tailor has offered some examples of people who've benefited from the charities' activities (I've just cut and paste this from the press release):


Paul is a trustee at Broadway – he is 57 and came to Broadway in 2008


In 2003, Paul was married with two children, and living in London, where he owned his own construction business with a childhood friend. When he caught his wife having an affair with his business partner, not only did his marriage breakdown, but it also signalled the end of his business. When he approached the council for help, he was informed that he was not a priority for housing, and he ended up sleeping on the streets. Due to the trauma of this, Paul started drinking heavily as a coping mechanism. After a long process of rehab, social services put Paul in touch with Broadway. Paul is now an incredibly active member of not just Broadway, but homelessness services throughout London. He is now living completely independently, and looking for a job. 


Jared, aged 20, came to Amber in August 2011


Jared spent 2 weeks living on the streets following a period of ‘sofa surfing’ - being homeless meant he was unable to get a job. Jared says “I recently attended an army selection weekend and interview; for the interview I used the money I had saved since being at Amber to purchase a suit as I wanted to make a good impression.”

Hollie, aged 19, was at Amber from April to December 2011


Hollie was forced out of home because of violence in the household and then was subjected to domestic violence by her boyfriend. Holly says, “Amber supported me through everything; they helped me increase my confidence. Now I have a managerial role at one of the biggest food companies in the world!"

It's a tremendous idea, and I urge anyone who has a suit they no longer use or which no longer fits to consider donating it in this way.

Economy making us slimmer

The people who sent this pic swear it's a lawyer
rather than a model, and who are we to judge?

A travelling tailor in the City has noticed that suit waistlines are getting slimmer - which means two things. First the economy might be disastrous but it's doing our health no harm at all. Second, I am way out of step - but that's not important.

Tailors Norton and Townsend say the average waist size has shrunk from 36 to 34.5in, and chest measurements have gone from 44 to 42.


"The majority of our clients are at executive level who would have seen a business lunch almost as part of their daily working life," said boss Austen Pickles. "But that is no longer the case with expense accounts and lazy lunches out of keeping with the downturn in the economic climate.

"With the emergence of so many different online networking platforms, businesses can often do without the business lunch with its demands on time and finances. It is most noticeable as average sizes drop."

The other thing that's happening is that people are going for lighter-weight fabrics. Pickles believes this is because they want to move about more easily and quickly than they did before.

To be fair this is nothing new. I had my first tailored suit made in the early 1990s and even then the tailor told me that although the classic suit hadn't changed much since the 1970s he'd typically be using lighter fabrics than he used to; that this trend has continued is no surprise.

So is everybody losing weight except me? And have you noticed either tailored or off-the-peg suits coming in lighter-weight cloth?