Hi all I’m a long time reader and first time poster. I appreciate the diversity and soundness of thought in these forums.
I have an incredible suit like nothing else I’ve ever seen, I always thought it was a suit, and now I’m starting to think it could perhaps pass for a tuxedo or at least pass at a black tie event. I even think it might be more formal than my tuxedo. I’d like your opinions on this unique piece and what your thoughts are about wearing it with bow ties and/or to black tie events. I don’t want to be “that guy” trying to pass off a black suit as a tux, but…
The suit is Emporio Armani 2013 S/S. I bought it in Milan at the flagship at the end of Via Montenapoleone (Via Manzoni) where they often have things there you won’t see anywhere else. In fact, this suit was never in a runway and I’ve never seen it anywhere else. It’s a two piece single-button peak lapel suit. Black matte, but it has black satinish prince of wales check design throughout that you only see when the light hits it right. I changed the Armani buttons out for gorgeous piano gloss polished black real stag horn buttons from Grunwald.
I bought it instead of a tux for my wedding suit because 1) we got married before 6pm, 2) but with a dinner after 6 in a 3) Piazza overlooking the sea in Liguria (a formal dinner but the seaside not the most formal of places). In that way it needed to traverse day and evening wear, wedding wear but near a beach, with 99% of the guests being well-dressed Italians. I wanted to dress it up a bit so against the rules I added a vest I bought down the street from the EA store, at the GA store, which matches almost perfectly the satinish check in the suit, making it look almost like the shiny check is coming through from the vest. I changed the buttons out to match the suit buttons.
You traditionalists will cry faux pas on that move to make it a three piece, but it worked so well together matching and it allowed me to add my great grandfather’s pocket watch with my wife’s great grandfather’s matching chain. Plus it added formality. Everyone loved it anyway and I felt 10 feet tall in it. Here are pictures with enhanced light exposure to see the detail, since normally the pieces are very dark black http://ift.tt/1kFN6WV
If no satin lapels then it’s not a tux I thought. But I have a mohair tuxedo, double breasted (seen here: http://ift.tt/1NEoEfb) which does NOT have satin lapels or anything glossy on it besides a pant stripe (also not a must on tuxes). But that tux is somehow still a tuxedo and sold as a tux- just because of wool buttons I guess? My suit has more satin than my tuxedo- is it more formal? Is my suit just a tuxedo with the satin spread out into the plaid and the vest instead of the lapel?
I have a proper pointed black grosgrain gucci bow tie, a red and a black butterfly faux pony skin bow ties with matching pocket square (like in the picture of the tux), the red one here with pocket square: http://ift.tt/1kFN6WX), and a faux pony skin and silk necktie (seen here: http://ift.tt/1NEoBQL).
Obviously the bow ties are fine with the tuxedo, but I felt strange wearing any of them with the suit as a two or three piece, because I felt like maybe it seemed I was trying to pass a suit as a tuxedo. I just wore the pony skin necktie with the suit, or last year I went to a gala in the suit as a two piece without a tie and with a shiny Italian modal scarf somewhat like how Will Smith presented the Academy Awards, except my scarf was better ;-) (http://ift.tt/1kFN6WZ).
So- What are your thoughts about wearing the bow ties with the suit and/or going to galas and such with the suit instead of the tux sometimes? Can you wear solid bow ties with suits (seems so: http://ift.tt/1NEoEfd)? Does it appear I’m trying to pass the suit off as a tux if I wore the bow ties with the suit? Is this check suit actually a tuxedo or a pseudo-tux?
Or maybe this just isn't clear cut because so many fashion lines are being blurred these days, in which case, I appreciate your thoughts and comments on the aesthetic. Obviously I’m more interested in what looks good than what the rules are, when the two points diverge. If possible, I’d like to be mixing and matching these two suits at formal events since they are often with some of the same people.
Grazie mille!
Conundrum: is this a suit or a tux, a black-tie passable suit, or even more formal than my tux?
I have an incredible suit like nothing else I’ve ever seen, I always thought it was a suit, and now I’m starting to think it could perhaps pass for a tuxedo or at least pass at a black tie event. I even think it might be more formal than my tuxedo. I’d like your opinions on this unique piece and what your thoughts are about wearing it with bow ties and/or to black tie events. I don’t want to be “that guy” trying to pass off a black suit as a tux, but…
The suit is Emporio Armani 2013 S/S. I bought it in Milan at the flagship at the end of Via Montenapoleone (Via Manzoni) where they often have things there you won’t see anywhere else. In fact, this suit was never in a runway and I’ve never seen it anywhere else. It’s a two piece single-button peak lapel suit. Black matte, but it has black satinish prince of wales check design throughout that you only see when the light hits it right. I changed the Armani buttons out for gorgeous piano gloss polished black real stag horn buttons from Grunwald.
I bought it instead of a tux for my wedding suit because 1) we got married before 6pm, 2) but with a dinner after 6 in a 3) Piazza overlooking the sea in Liguria (a formal dinner but the seaside not the most formal of places). In that way it needed to traverse day and evening wear, wedding wear but near a beach, with 99% of the guests being well-dressed Italians. I wanted to dress it up a bit so against the rules I added a vest I bought down the street from the EA store, at the GA store, which matches almost perfectly the satinish check in the suit, making it look almost like the shiny check is coming through from the vest. I changed the buttons out to match the suit buttons.
You traditionalists will cry faux pas on that move to make it a three piece, but it worked so well together matching and it allowed me to add my great grandfather’s pocket watch with my wife’s great grandfather’s matching chain. Plus it added formality. Everyone loved it anyway and I felt 10 feet tall in it. Here are pictures with enhanced light exposure to see the detail, since normally the pieces are very dark black http://ift.tt/1kFN6WV
If no satin lapels then it’s not a tux I thought. But I have a mohair tuxedo, double breasted (seen here: http://ift.tt/1NEoEfb) which does NOT have satin lapels or anything glossy on it besides a pant stripe (also not a must on tuxes). But that tux is somehow still a tuxedo and sold as a tux- just because of wool buttons I guess? My suit has more satin than my tuxedo- is it more formal? Is my suit just a tuxedo with the satin spread out into the plaid and the vest instead of the lapel?
I have a proper pointed black grosgrain gucci bow tie, a red and a black butterfly faux pony skin bow ties with matching pocket square (like in the picture of the tux), the red one here with pocket square: http://ift.tt/1kFN6WX), and a faux pony skin and silk necktie (seen here: http://ift.tt/1NEoBQL).
Obviously the bow ties are fine with the tuxedo, but I felt strange wearing any of them with the suit as a two or three piece, because I felt like maybe it seemed I was trying to pass a suit as a tuxedo. I just wore the pony skin necktie with the suit, or last year I went to a gala in the suit as a two piece without a tie and with a shiny Italian modal scarf somewhat like how Will Smith presented the Academy Awards, except my scarf was better ;-) (http://ift.tt/1kFN6WZ).
So- What are your thoughts about wearing the bow ties with the suit and/or going to galas and such with the suit instead of the tux sometimes? Can you wear solid bow ties with suits (seems so: http://ift.tt/1NEoEfd)? Does it appear I’m trying to pass the suit off as a tux if I wore the bow ties with the suit? Is this check suit actually a tuxedo or a pseudo-tux?
Or maybe this just isn't clear cut because so many fashion lines are being blurred these days, in which case, I appreciate your thoughts and comments on the aesthetic. Obviously I’m more interested in what looks good than what the rules are, when the two points diverge. If possible, I’d like to be mixing and matching these two suits at formal events since they are often with some of the same people.
Grazie mille!
