Suit for dinner party

sw17

Hi all,

My girlfriend's parents are inviting me over to dinner at their house for the first time, and I'd like to wear a Craig-era suit. I'm in my 20s and would prefer not to look too ostentatious (especially since I live on the US West Coast, where clothing is relatively casual).

Assuming you had access to any Craig-era suit, what would the clothing experts at AJB recommend? What elements of the outfit would you keep/take out? (Pocket square, watch, etc) Thanks!

JTM

I think a suit might be a bit overkill for a meet the parent's dinner at their house, especially in the middle of a west coast summer. I'd say a nice button-up shirt and a smart pair of trousers/chinos should do the trick; maybe a blazer as well if you want to dress it up a little more.

Buuuut if you are set on a suit though, consider going without a tie—you'd still give a great impression but it wouldn't be "too dressy" or "too ostentatious". Also I'd stick with a solid navy or grey, no distracting patterns.

Timeyswirls

I’d go with a navy glen plaid suit and then depending on your complexion go with a white shirt and blue tie ala Spectre or the blue shirt and black tie ala No time to Die. It’s nice but not too showy and not a tuxedo or something that would be too overdressed.

That’s my number one but if that’s not to your liking I really like the dark charcoal suit from Quantum of Solace with the reddish gray tie and the gray sharkskin suit with a gray tie from the beginning of Skyfall. They’re good looking not too showy outfits with good range due to the colors chosen, they’ll look good on just about anybody.

When it comes to stuff I’d get rid of just don’t bother with French cuffs haha
That was a holdover from Brosnan’s clothes that I never really liked for everyday suiting, every once in a while if you like it sure but until Spectre I think every shirt Daniel Craig wore that wasn’t short sleeve had French cuffs.

Stuff to keep, the pocket square! I actually get a lot of compliments on it since I started wearing one, which I didn’t expect since it’s such an inconspicuous addition. Plus solid white goes with everything and they make pre folded ones that won’t fall down into the pocket if you’re going to get one just for show.


Good luck at dinner, remember to get the right wine for your meats lest you get mistaken for a spy ) -{


Edit: JTM and I have very different views on this it seems haha
In my 20s I wore suits a lot and it was never overkill just complimented on. Biggest thing is confidence, I wore and still wear suits a lot because I like wearing suits.

If you do too and you’re used to it go for it, if you’re not and are worried about being overdressed go with JTM’s suggestion and just do a nice button up without a jacket, though I’d still wear a tie if it were me.

MFisher

Split it down the middle then.. you want to dress up but not too much.. go with the SPECTRE arrival clothing at Blofield's lair.. desert boots, chinos, white shirt, linen / wool / silk blend blazer.. leave the PPK at the house..

sw17

Timeyswirls wrote:

I’d go with a navy glen plaid suit and then depending on your complexion go with a white shirt and blue tie ala Spectre or the blue shirt and black tie ala No time to Die. It’s nice but not too showy and not a tuxedo or something that would be too overdressed.

That’s my number one but if that’s not to your liking I really like the dark charcoal suit from Quantum of Solace with the reddish gray tie and the gray sharkskin suit with a gray tie from the beginning of Skyfall. They’re good looking not too showy outfits with good range due to the colors chosen, they’ll look good on just about anybody.

When it comes to stuff I’d get rid of just don’t bother with French cuffs haha
That was a holdover from Brosnan’s clothes that I never really liked for everyday suiting, every once in a while if you like it sure but until Spectre I think every shirt Daniel Craig wore that wasn’t short sleeve had French cuffs.

Stuff to keep, the pocket square! I actually get a lot of compliments on it since I started wearing one, which I didn’t expect since it’s such an inconspicuous addition. Plus solid white goes with everything and they make pre folded ones that won’t fall down into the pocket if you’re going to get one just for show.


Good luck at dinner, remember to get the right wine for your meats lest you get mistaken for a spy ) -{


Edit: JTM and I have very different views on this it seems haha
In my 20s I wore suits a lot and it was never overkill just complimented on. Biggest thing is confidence, I wore and still wear suits a lot because I like wearing suits.

If you do too and you’re used to it go for it, if you’re not and are worried about being overdressed go with JTM’s suggestion and just do a nice button up without a jacket, though I’d still wear a tie if it were me.

Thanks all for the detailed replies! I'm on the fence on whether to do a blazer or suit, although I hope that the navy check will make it less formal?

JTullock23

First off, I'd ask your girlfriend's advice since she knows her parents well enough to know what they would feel comfortable with. If you show up in a full suit and they are dressed like they work at a Tommy Bahama Retail store you might be over dressed. Here is what I mean.

Having said that, I feel context is important. If your girlfriend comes from money, lives in a big house in a great part of town, the meal planned would be on equal footing to a nice restaurant, and her parents tend to dress nicer when company is coming for dinner then a suit could be in order. If, however, you are going over for Taco Tuesday a suit would likely be over the top. So, I'd weigh your options here. If it is more along the lines of the first example I mentioned then a well-tailored suit would be great. If it is much more of a casual event then perhaps a nicely tailored dress shirt, clean and wrinkle-free dark jeans, dark boots/shoes and a casual blazer, think Rag & Bone or even down to the Men's Wearhouse level, would be nice. I went through this not long ago. Went to Maine from Arizona to meet the WHOLE family. Large family. I did not dress up because it was a cookout, but I did wear a nice button up with nice jeans. Good luck to you!

sw17 wrote:

Timeyswirls wrote:

I’d go with a navy glen plaid suit and then depending on your complexion go with a white shirt and blue tie ala Spectre or the blue shirt and black tie ala No time to Die. It’s nice but not too showy and not a tuxedo or something that would be too overdressed.

That’s my number one but if that’s not to your liking I really like the dark charcoal suit from Quantum of Solace with the reddish gray tie and the gray sharkskin suit with a gray tie from the beginning of Skyfall. They’re good looking not too showy outfits with good range due to the colors chosen, they’ll look good on just about anybody.

When it comes to stuff I’d get rid of just don’t bother with French cuffs haha
That was a holdover from Brosnan’s clothes that I never really liked for everyday suiting, every once in a while if you like it sure but until Spectre I think every shirt Daniel Craig wore that wasn’t short sleeve had French cuffs.

Stuff to keep, the pocket square! I actually get a lot of compliments on it since I started wearing one, which I didn’t expect since it’s such an inconspicuous addition. Plus solid white goes with everything and they make pre folded ones that won’t fall down into the pocket if you’re going to get one just for show.


Good luck at dinner, remember to get the right wine for your meats lest you get mistaken for a spy ) -{


Edit: JTM and I have very different views on this it seems haha
In my 20s I wore suits a lot and it was never overkill just complimented on. Biggest thing is confidence, I wore and still wear suits a lot because I like wearing suits.

If you do too and you’re used to it go for it, if you’re not and are worried about being overdressed go with JTM’s suggestion and just do a nice button up without a jacket, though I’d still wear a tie if it were me.

Thanks all for the detailed replies! I'm on the fence on whether to do a blazer or suit, although I hope that the navy check will make it less formal?