Quote: (03-05-2015 02:14 AM)se7en Wrote:
I work in a big office, major market, and I have never seen anyone in suspenders. If I was to see a guy below 45 in suspenders I would probably hate on him in my head. The only people I see in suspenders are Larry King, and also fat guys who are not capable of wearing a belt. However, my opinion may be biased because I saw a very fat guy wearing suspenders a few days ago and chuckled at him, so thats the image I have associated with suspenders right now.
but, down for:
Looking to under 45's for style advice, particularly the current crop of perma-kids, isn't necessarily a definitive guide to looking your best in formal wear.
There's obviously a lot more leeway in casual fashion (and that's why these dorks don't get lynched for wearing wooly hats on summer days, or suspenders with their spray on skinny jeans). For formal wear though, classic cuts are the only thing you should mess with. Everyone thinks they are such a special little snowflake these days, that they can express themselves by not conforming and 'livening up' the staid classic cut that only 'squares' would wear. The reality is they are simply manifesting their ignorance, and the only people they impress are those that don't know better.
The whole point of classic tailoring is that you are getting a uniform tailored. A suit is a uniform, and uniforms should broadly conform. To those that understand classic style, there are a plethora of ways to add flair to a suit, without trying to scream 'look at me'. This is mainly done through choice of fabric/lining/choice of stripe/fabric pattern, although you can play around with the number of buttons and things like that too.
To go back to the braces thing - items of clothing exist for a purpose - for example wooly hats to keep your head warm when it is cold. If you go out and wear a wooly hat with a t-shirt in summer, like many of these hipsters do, you just look like a wanker, and anyone who doesn't think so is probably a wanker themselves, so why would you actively court their approval? Same principle for braces.
To be more controversial, you should never wear a belt with a suit either, it just makes you look like a car salesman. Formal wear should be, or at least appear, tailored. Tailored clothes do not need to be held up at the waist like some kind of hessian sack. This is part of the reason for braces. It's more subtle than 'they keep your trousers up' - it's that they keep your trousers in the exact position to project the look of tailored perfection and military (this is a military style ultimately) style precision and pride in your appearance.