Summer formal fashion question

[tortswon]

I have been invited to a black tie wedding at the end of June. The dinner/dance portion of the event will be indoors as will the ceremony, but there will be a brief outdoor reception immediately following the ceremony.

If it is a sunny hot day, is there an appropriate head covering I can wear with my formal clothes? I usually wear a black Homburg but that will be way too hot for the summer. Thanks for any help! Best, Sam

 

[Lefty]

I just found this.

 

[Charlie Huang]

Hot day? Don't you mean hot night? Please tell me you are not going to wear evening wear during the day unless the reception is edging on towards 6pm...

Eitherway, a straw boater with a black riband would be suitable and appropriate.

http://www.thehatcompany.com/product/traditional_straw_boater_585/

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Very interesting Lefty.. if you need to wear a hat I think the only reasonable choice would be the Homburg choice

Outerwear

-overcoat: dark color dress coat such as Chesterfield, Inverness, frock coat, raglan

-hat: no consensus other than black color; some authorities forbade silk high hats (i.e. top hats and opera hats) with short dinner jackets while others recommended only that style of hat; still others allowed a vast range of options from high hat to “Tuxedo” hat to derby to fedora

-gloves: generally, gray suede or white deerskin

or a gray Top Hat

 

[Charlie Huang]

Grey toppers are only meant for Royal Ascot IMHO and are considered daywear. Wear it with black tie and you become a doorman.

 

[OddSteve]

Somewhere in an onlineshop I saw a Panama Homburg made by Mayser and thought it looked quite good. Obviously not good enough for me to remember the website, :eusa_doh: but I'm going to look around a bit and post the link later.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Grey toppers are only meant for Royal Ascot IMHO and are considered daywear. Wear it with black tie and you become a doorman.

Thanks for the info>

 

[Lefty]

Aerol has a panama homburg from Optimo that really knocks my socks off.

 

[dhermann1]

What do you mean by "formal clothes"? If you mean a tux, then you can more or less wear anything you want. Somewhere here is posted a 30's mens' fashion illustration showing a gent in a white summer dinner jacket, burgundy cummerbund, and sporting a rakishly tilted boater. A nice Panama should also be fine.
A friend of mine was asking me about a wedding he's attending soon that's set to start at 5 PM. He said they want it "formal" but he was confused as to what that should be. All I know about the subject I learned from the Formal Dress Primer threads right here. So I'm no expert. But I told him that even tho a tux is supposedly only worn strictly after 6 PM, he should probably go with the tux and not worry about it. The fact is it's 2009, not 1959 or 1929. It's an accomplishment to prevent people from wearing flip flops and jeans. I think a nice tux, black or white, black oxfords (not loafers!) and a nice Panama or a Boater would make you the most elegantly outfitted gent at the event.
HOWEVER, if you're talking about a pre 4 o'clock wedding, then all bets are off. Weirdly, the tradition is that the earlier in the day a wedding is, the more formal it is. If you go that route, then a cut away and silk topper are called for. I assume (I hope!) that's not the case.

 

[dhermann1]

This is what I wore to an event last summer. Not so bad? (Short jacket sleeves not withstanding!)

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Hot day? Don't you mean hot night? Please tell me you are not going to wear evening wear during the day unless the reception is edging on towards 6pm...

Eitherway, a straw boater with a black riband would be suitable and appropriate.

http://www.thehatcompany.com/product/traditional_straw_boater_585/

This really is the right answer. See Gene Kelly in "Singing in the Rain". Man, he looked so cool with the Sailor Straw and tux combo. I WISH I had an occasion like yours to roll out a look like that. Have fun!

 

[dhermann1]

I agree!

 

[Lefty]

According to this,

it's done like this:

 

[tortswon]

Time Clarification

The ceremony is at 4:00 PM. It is expected that it will conclude by 5:00 PM. The outdoor reception will be 5:00 to 6:00. The dinner/dance will begin at 6:30 which will allow time to get to the venue but not to change.

I have to confess this whole thing is kind of perplexing since we are dealing with downtown Philadelphia in the middle of summer and the ceremony will be close to the river so it is guaranteed to be either a sweatathon (perspi- rationathon for the distaff side) or a thunderstorm.

As far as Ascot, this isn't it. I have a joke here involving an elavator (lift for our English friends) but I won't take your time now. I like the boater idea but it would be so much better with a retro tuxedo which I do not have. No way on the Homburg, it may be my heaviest hat. Any further advice is appreciated and thanks so much for the help already provided. Best, Sam

 

[dhermann1]

This looks like a job for Super Marc! (Chevalier Man?)
I'll bet that every man there will be wearing a regular tux. I think the 6 o'clock rule will lie shattered on the floor. I'm also thinking that the white dinner jacket will somehow look less out of place than the black would. And feel more comfortable, too.
And I still think that a nice Panama will be just as nice as a boater. Whichever you prefer.
Sudden inspiration: I got a pith helmet at a store in Virginia a couple years ago. They had khaki (which I bought) and pure white, similar to those worn by British Soldiers in the late 19th century (Remember "Zulu"?). A pure white pith might look . . . . uuhhh . . . . errr. . . very exceptional in that context. Just a crazy thought.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Try this: http://www.dadshats.com/dobbsbasino.html



.

 

[avedwards]

A light weight fedora? In the 40s and 50s fedoras were worn with black tie. A light grey hat should match colourwise and be practical for warm weather. Not too bad if it starts raining either.

 

[dhermann1]

Marc: Curious as to your opinion of my Panama with the white dinner jacket. (I know, I know, the sleeves are too short.)

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I think it looks great!

 

[Lefty]

Try this: http://www.dadshats.com/dobbsbasino.html
.

Did you just recommend a plastic hat?