Received my first “lounge suit” wedding invitation last spring. Did not know what “lounge suit” meant. I knew that weddings traditionally called for cocktail attire or formal wear but “lounge suit” sounded like something my high school English teacher would make me decipher.
I asked Google. Ended up on forums about British menswear filled with men agonizing over the proper way to fold pocket squares. I read about morning dress.
About white tie. Feared that British invitations would continue to baffle me.
Turns out I approached the problem all wrong.
Upon first reading “lounge suit” I assumed it meant something comfortable enough to lounge in. I wore a lightweight cotton blazer with matching pants that I purchased from Target’s Goodfellow line last summer. Paired them with a polo shirt because I thought that was elegant enough.
I felt pretty good about myself going into that wedding. Then I saw not one, not two, but almost every other guy in a… suit. Navy.
Charcoal. Dress shirts. Ties.
Proper shirts and ties, people. Lesson #1: British are masters of understatement when it comes to clothing etiquette. When they say “lounge suit” they mean “business suit.” Decided to people watch the rest of the wedding and really take notes.
Here’s what I learned: A lounge suit is essentially business formal attire with slightly more “wedding-appropriate” accessories. Think of it as business suit attire but with more personality. The safest color?
Navy. Nearly half the men at every British wedding I’ve attended since that day are wearing navy suits. Your lounge suit should be comparable to what you would wear to the office.
Fit should be great. Cut should be great. What you shouldn’t wear?
A polo shirt. In fact, unless you work at a startup that has unofficial dress code of Hawaiian shirts, you probably shouldn’t wear a polo shirt with that suit ever. Same thing goes for your pocket square.
I started wearing pocket squares religiously after that first wedding. They aren’t required but every guy I saw at subsequent weddings had one. I bought three generic, white cotton pocket squares off of Amazon for around fifteen dollars and YouTube’d how to fold them.
Simple straight edge fold or puff fold. Easy. Ties can have some pattern but shouldn’t be super loud.
Another thing I learned from viewing other men’s outfits at British weddings. Subtle texture is your friend here. Solid ties are boring.
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After that first wedding, I bought a burgundy knit tie from Nordstrom Rack that I’ve worn to almost every wedding since. Cost me thirty bucks and it’s been worth every penny. Wear shoes that are weather appropriate and polished.
I already owned a pair of brown leather dress shoes that I wore to “nice” occasions but learned two things about them at that wedding. One, they are only okay shoes. And two, they weren’t polished.
I bought shoe polish immediately after that wedding and have taken caring for my shoes seriously ever since. It’s amazing how much of a difference freshly polished shoes can make. Crew socks?
Athletic white socks? No. Dress socks, people.
Invest in a few pairs of dress socks that match your suit colors. Unless the wedding is taking place in the middle of summer, you’ll likely want an overcoat. This wool overcoat from Uniqlo that retailed for $120 on sale for $60 is the perfect level of overkill for most occasions I find myself arriving to.
British weather is unpredictable at best and will often require you to account for rain and/or wind. Umbrella that doesn’t scream ridiculous. Shoes that can get wet and not destroy your suit.
Fabric that can handle being slightly damp without clinging or wrinkling horribly. Oh, and a final note about seasons and “lounge suits.” Summer weddings in Britain apparently still require you to wear formal wear, you’ll just want to wear lighter colors. Winter weddings mean wool suits and overcoats.
Did you know that before that wedding, I didn’t think about what I was wearing to formal occasions? I would throw on something that looked clean and somewhat fit my body’s contours. Now I actually plan out my outfit weeks in advance.
I make sure my clothes actually match, that I have a proper “uniform” for occasions as specific as weddings. It’s kind of addictive, actually. Buying the perfect “lounge suit” doesn’t have to break the bank either.
The uniform I currently wear to British weddings: Navy J. Crew suit that I purchased on sale for $125, white and light blue dress shirts from Target, knit ties from Nordstrom Rack, proper dress shoes that I actually maintain, and basic accessories from Amazon. Another hundred dollars bucks later and I was outfitted for nearly every “lounge suit” occasion I would ever be invited to.
My budget for formal wear didn’t explode by understanding British dress codes. If anything, I felt more confident buying clothes I knew I would wear on multiple occasions vs jumping at the chance to buy a fancy new suit I would only wear once.
Got invited to another “lounge suit” wedding last month.
Wore navy suit, white dress shirt, burgundy knit tie, white pocket square folded simply, brown shoes polished within an inch of their lives, and navy dress socks. Received compliments. Felt like I belonged at the venue.
Didn’t feel out-of-place. Groom later told me he and his wife appreciated how well guests interpreted the dress code. He said that there’s nothing worse as a newlywed couple than having guests who under or over dress for your wedding.
It completely throws off your photos and can make you feel like you failed at planning. Best $380 I ever spent on clothes. Not one wedding since that first one have I felt under-dressed or overdressed.
PS: I still check Google before every wedding “just in case” they want me to show up in morning dress. But now I know.
