Today we’ve teamed up with Trendhim to talk about 5 mistakes that grooms, and men in general, tend to make when wearing and accessorising a suit and how you can avoid them on your big day!
Clashing accessories
For some grooms, their wedding day might be the first time that they have experimented with accessories like pocket squares, lapel pins, tie pins and bow ties. Whilst it is not completely necessary that accessories match in terms of colours and patterns, it is essential that they complement each other.
Tie and pocket square
To figure out which base colours to look for in a tie, bow tie or pocket square you should first look towards your shirt and jacket and think about what colours would work well. For example, if you’re wearing a white shirt with a black jacket there is more room for colour experimentation due to the monochrome base, but if you’re wearing a navy jacket then you would want to steer away from blue accessories. It should be obvious at this stage what does and doesn’t go, but don’t hesitate to ask for a second opinion!
If you want to be on the safe side, you could choose to buy a matching tie and pocket square. This will give you a polished look and may be a better idea if you’re planning for your wedding to be extremely formal. These come in a variety of colours and also some subtle patterns.
If you want to move away from ‘matchy-matchy’ accessories, then avoid matching your tie and pocket square and instead match your pocket square with your shirt or a colour that complements it.
Some classic colour combinations are burgundy or red with a pale blue shirt, or navy or red with a white shirt. These are simple but work really well, of course, feel free to go a little brighter!
Cufflinks and tie bar
Your metal accessories should always be all silver or all gold, never a mix of both. Mixing metal hardware tends to look and messy and shows that you haven’t put a lot of thought into your accessories.
Lapel pin
A lapel pin is another addition to the already well-accessorised chest area. Similar to the tie and pocket square, your lapel pin should complement the other accessories you are already wearing in this area.
If your lapel pin will be your third chest accessory, you should definitely avoid matching it colour-wise as it will sit between two accessories and therefore look unbalanced if it matches one and not the other.
Braces with belt
This is one of the golden rules when it comes to male accessorising, and one that is frequently broken.
Suspenders, or braces as they also known, should never be worn with a belt as they are in fact a substitute to a belt. If you have a good pair, you should not need a belt as they will be sufficient in holding up your trousers.
Bad suit fittings
One of the most important things when wearing a suit is making sure that it fits properly. If you aren’t getting your suit tailor-fitted, there are some tell-tale signs you can spot that lets you know that you need to make some changes.
The first is to take a look at how the suit jacket looks when it is buttoned up. It should not look strained at any areas but it also should not look baggy in any areas. The same goes for your trousers, they should not sag or gather around the buttocks. A general rule is that it should like you are wearing the suit, rather than the other way round!
When it comes to your shirt, ignore everything you’ve ever heard about baggy shirts being the way to go. Your shirt should fit as close to your body as it can whilst still allowing a range of motion in your arms.
In terms of the length of your sleeves and trousers, the sleeves of your jacket should end a little above your wrist and your shirt sleeve should be visible beneath it and stop at the end of your wrist.
Your trouser length depends on your personal style and the fit of your trousers, but a general rule is that no ankle should be visible but there should also be no excess fabric gathered at your ankles.
Tie errors
First things first, your tie should be a suitable width. A skinny tie might be acceptable on a casual day-to-day basis but as a groom, you should wear a classic tie.
Secondly, the length of your tie is important. The general rule is that the end of the tie before it starts to slim should sit at the top of your belt with the point of the tie extending just below.
When it comes to your tie clip, this should be placed between the third and fourth buttons of your shirt.
Not knowing what’s appropriate
This greatly depends on the theme of your wedding.
For example, if it is going to be a formal occasion, then keep bright accessories to a minimum and instead go for classic pieces like a bow tie, pocket square and cufflinks.
If your wedding is being held outdoors or has a garden theme, you could incorporate some floral patterns into your accessories, if it’s a nautical theme feel free to include blue and white and also small nods to the theme such as anchor cufflinks. A rustic or barn wedding could allow for experimentation with different materials such as wood and brown, aged leather and some jewellery like a leather bracelet or an earring.