A Gentleman’s Guide to Dressing for the Occasion

Dressing up for occasions is the art of choosing the right outfit, accessories, and style to match the gatherings and ambiance of the event or occasion. After all, you make efforts to dress up just to keep yourself comfortable, confident, and presentable. When it comes to special occasions, your presentability depends on the event you’re attending. As simple as that!   

Here are some simple tips and guidelines for men to get ready appropriately based on the type of occasion.   

  1. Wedding occasions
  2. Semi-formal occasions
  3. Formal occasions 
  4. Cocktail parties
  5. Funerals or condolences 

Wedding occasions

Wedding attire for men totally depends on factors like the type of wedding (formal or informal), the venue of the wedding ceremony, whether a dress code is being followed or not, the theme of the ceremony, the time of the wedding (morning, noon or evening), and most importantly, who you are (groom, groomsmen, or father of the groom, etc.)  

Another factor that greatly influences your attire for wedding occasions is the time of the year. Each season has its own suit style, choice of colors, fabric, and a lot more. For example, winter weddings need double-breasted thick woolen suits for insulation. On the other hand, summer weddings need  

Semi-formal occasions

Examples of these occasions include dinner with business leaders or VIPs, casual business gatherings, or semi-formal meetups. You cannot take it for granted on these occasions, as semi-formal also means formal. Therefore, maintain your formal suit but without a tie. This is the simplest semi-formal attire. Based on your profession, you can dabble with some new attractive shades instead of the usual neutral ones. If smart casuals are fine, a pair of jeans and casual blazers will complete your attire.   

Formal occasions 

Formal occasions need the utmost attention. Be it choosing the fabric, slacks, suit color, stripes, necktie, pocket squares, fitness, belt, shoes, etc., everything needs validation, whether or not they are suitable for formal occasions and whether they look professional and sharp. 

Solid dark-colored suits in grey, blue, or black are the perfect ones for these kinds of occasions. A regular fit formal suit should be the most comfortable one, even if you’re participating in a day-long formal event or gathering.      

Cocktail parties

Suits are recommended for this kind of occasion, and definitely not tuxedos. If you want to keep yourself safe with the attire, go with the usual black blazer and white button-down shirt. If you want to try something new, play with different colors, slight patterns, and unique accessories. But ensure you do not overdress than the host of the party.   

Funerals or condolences

A black suit with a white tie could be the most conservative way of dressing up for a funeral-like occasion. Never choose light-hued suits, as they may be eye-catching. Always stick to dark hues like black or navy blue. Forest green is also a great choice when it is subtly styled without flashy accessories. 

Apart from these, occasions like festivals, aristocratic events, beach parties, etc., have some basic guidelines. So, ensure to follow them to fit into the occasion and the gathering!