Semi-formal outfit...opinions wanted within

[MacMullen]

Disclaimer: I know there are some that see white as the only dress shirt, you'll find most are of my age or near it. Also, the folk in europe have a somewhat different view of fashion. I'm speaking of here in the states, although when on embassy duty I did wear pale pastel shirts even with formal dress with good result.

Mike

I'm Gen-X (I hate that term, but wanted to point out that I'm quite a bit younger than a boomer) and my tastes are more toward the classic style of dress, which includes the white shirt.

The white shirt has always been the basis for dressing up because "white to the face" makes a caucasian man look darker, more tan, even if his skin is very pale. Ecru is also a good choice, so I guess we agree on that.

Browns and shades of green on a white guy tend to wash out the complexion, but look good on a dark skinned person.

That said, light blues and royal blues have the same positive effect on someone with a lighter complexion as a white shirt does.

But, a white shirt all by itself is usually an unfortunate choice (but not always). It's too much white, and needs a jacket or a sweater to knock the glare off. If I don't want to wear a jacket, then I will usually wear a darker shirt, so, there is room in my closet for the non-traditional colored shirts too.

Of course, that's all just my opinion. :mrgreen:

Whatever you choose to wear, be confident in your sense of style and you'll end up looking good. Confidence in what you're wearing is the key. Of course, look at who I'm talking too - a bunch of people who wear the kilt, a garment that takes confidence to wear in the first place, and a garment that inspires confidence in the wearer.

[Alan H]

A tweed argyle is awfully useful, I'd think. Black looks very, very dressy, and honestly ,how often do you wear a black suit? If you have to have only one jacket and it has to brdige the gap between "pretty darned formal" and "just barely warrants a jacket" I'd go with a charcoal argyle.

But tweed is hard to beat.

[GlassMan]

Personally I'm a big fan of Lovat Blue, but I want to get a Charcoal & a Lovat Green daywear as well. Only then will I consider a black argyle.

[Avonlea22]

Well guys, thanks for all of the advice and opinions. The wife and I went out shopping yesterday on a mission to buy a solid, bottle green, tie. None were to be found, but we did happen upon some nice sweaters, and I remember seeing some pics before of kilts and sweaters, and I really liked the look. I don't remember who it was here, other than they were posed with their motorcycle, and I think they lived in Canada, but the look was very sharp. So, I ended up buying a nice Chaps oatmeal/off white sweater, and a dark green dress shirt (that I wanted to get for work anyways). I decided to go with the off white hose, because the darker tan (can't remember the officila color name) looked too dark, and I didn't think my bottle green hose would do it. I used my green flashes, as well.

Here are the pics my wife took this morning:



I got several great comments from everyone at work, and I felt really good with my choice. Overall, the event was casual, and I think I ended up fairly smart casual.

billmcc, thanks a million for the link to the waistcoat. That's definately within budget, and will probably be at my doorstep within a few weeks.