#i wanna get matching light pink leather ties + maybe shoes to go with the earrings + necklace

[drystem]

guys its coming together

(he/him, masc terms, i am an adult)

+ trying on the skirt just after getting it

[heysibigotaquestion]

How to formally dress masculine

When I was younger the only formal event aside from prom was cotillion, so when I got a black tie invitation to a distant cousin's wedding, I was conflicted. I was recently out as trans, and while my cousin had said it was fine, I didn't know how to dress up in a masculine way. I hounded the internet for so long, trying to figure out what to wear. I struggled to buy stuff as well, since I'd never had to measure myself for a tux before, and all the ones at the closest mall looked cheap, and I wanted my first look to be one to remember.

Apparently, there's a lot that goes into deciding what to wear. The event changes the type of outfit, the venue changes the vibe of the fit, suits vs tuxedos, color scheme, color combos, pocket squares vs boutonnieres... let's just say it was more stressful than it had any right to be. So let's begin just at the type of event.

Event

White tie, black tie, black tie optional, semiformal, cocktail... and many more event types exist out there. I'll quickly sum each up. White tie masculine means you're dressed to the nines, but as if you were in the 1800s. Tailcoats, waistcoats, gloves, the works. Black tie masc means its an event the paparazzi will stake out so you gotta look Nice. Tuxedo, patent leather shoes, preferably bow tie with studs but long ties work. (Also, black tie doesn't mean your tie has gotta be black, just a dark color.) Black tie optional events are where you can wear a suit if you'd like, long ties are preferred, and as far as I can tell this is where belts start getting worn, and they gotta match the shoes. Semiformal is the same as business wear. Suits are preferred. Cocktail is like tuxedo casual, ties aren't required, sports coats can be worn, pocket squares preferred. If you're looking for a specific type of event, I'd check google.

Venue

Venues can surprisingly change your vibe pretty easily. Think about it, you won't wear the same thing to a museum wedding as a barn wedding. Same hat, essentially. Thankfully, it can be explained pretty easily: if it's inside, typically it's gonna be nicer than an outdoor event. There are outliers of course, I mean, have you ever seen the kentucky derby? But usually that is a pretty good indicator of outfit vibes.

Keep in mind you can always google "cocktail wedding masculine outfit inspo" and check if your fit, well, fits.

Color Scheme

Pay attention to the venue of course, but also look at your calling cards/invitations. What colors are prominent? If it's a wedding, does it specify colors for you? If not and you've never done this before (like me) an all black fit with a white shirt is pretty standard and fits a good amount of events. If the invitation has earthy colors, maybe look for a green tie and brown suit. If it's navy blue and gold, maybe a navy jacket with black pants and gold studs and cufflinks. You judge.

Color Combos

On that note, all colors look good but not all colors look good together, you know? I'll just go ahead and list common color combos here in a sec, but a good piece of advice is try and do the same color hue. Dark blue and dark grey, or tan and pale green or pink are good combos, but dark blue with hot pink? It would only work in a specific and unique circumstance, yeah? Just keep that in mind.

Good combos:

Blue, grey, and black are standard colors and look good with a lot. Steel blue and middle grey. Light grey and a sage green. Terracotta and tan. Of course, black and white.

What is what

Suits, tuxes, sports coats, and blazers are all different things, apparently. I guarantee not a ton of people know this anymore, but if you wanna get technical, there are a few telltales on which is which.

Suits have buttons that are plastic or wood, and you see the holes where they are stitched to the jacket. The lapel (the folded part of the front, where you see your shirt underneath) is the same as the rest of the jacket. The fit is more rectangular than triangle. Suit jackets match the fabric of the pants.

Tuxedos have buttons that are covered in cloth. The lapel is usually a satin in a similar color as the rest of it. Tuxedo pants have pleats and don't have belt loops to my knowledge.

Sports coats are patterned, and you don't have matching pants, but instead have pants that compliment the pattern.

Blazers are a solid color and have metal or wood buttons. You don't match the pants, but instead compliment the jacket.

Pocket Squares vs Boutonnieres

It used to be that pocket squares were worn at every event, folded nicely and tucked into the breast pocket. They have since fallen out of style, and replaced with boutonnieres (thank spell check for that btw). Boutonnieres should complement the rest of the outfit OR stand out from the rest of the outfit. An ivory ribbon with an ivory shirt, Never wear white with ivory unless that's the specific look you are going for (it looks dingy). Blue flowers with blue suit. Pocket squares tend to match the tie. They can be worn at the same time, but one must be understated to allow for both without looking "overweighted" in your pocket.

How to Measure for online orders

This is a sizing guide I just mocked up that follows the majority of formal wear websites that I looked at (it's not perfect, I did it on my phone). Some sites may differ, so double check it, but I'll walk you through measuring.

The first measurement you should make is red, going around the base of the neck where it connects at the shoulders. Don't measure too tightly, but also don't measure too loose. You should comfortably be able to stick two fingers next to your neck without choking you out.

The second is in blue, beginning in the middle of the neck where the spine begins protruding (if you're wearing a t-shirt, look where the label sits and go just above it), extending to the left outer shoulder on the back, then to the part of the elbow that's boney, then to the meat of the thumb, stop it just before the first knuckle of the thumb

The third and fourth are both green. The third will stretch across the widest part of the chest over your arms. If you're trans, wear the binder you will be wearing when you dress up, or else it will be too big. If you're cis, the measurement will cross over where most folks have their nipples, but I gotta say prioritise the widest part of your chest over your nipples when measuring. The fourth will be almost the same measurement but under your arms, oftentimes in the armpit. Take a deep breath.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh are all a hot pink color. The fifth measures around your natural waist. This is your typical "dip" in your sides, and should cross over your belly button. The sixth will be where you tend to wear your waistline of your pants. The seventh will crosses over most folks' crotch area, and will go over your butt, across the widest part of your seat.

The eighth and ninth are a purple color and the only ones got top to bottom instead of left to right. The eighth begins at the same place the sixth line ends, at the right of the waistline of where you wear your pants, and will extend along the outer leg, and will end where the knob of your ankle is. The ninth begins where the crotch is, and extends down the right side of the inner leg, and ends where the knob of the ankle is of the same leg that you measured for eight.

The first and second measurement will be for your shirt, for example a 15 inch neck and a 34 inch arm seam will be 15x34. The third and fourth will be your chest measurements and will make sure you don't hulk out of your jacket. They tend to have an 8-10 inch difference, such as 48 overarm and 40 underarm. The fifth, sixth, and seventh will ensure when you drop it down low you don't split your pants wide open, and tend to be similar to the underarm measurement with a 5 inch difference. So a 40 chest will be a 40 hip/widest part, with a 35 waistline and say maybe a 37 natural waist. I noticed some companies prefer one over the other for the eighth and the ninth, so check for OUTseam vs INseam when looking at their site.

How to check if an outfit fits correctly

Well, first put it on. If you can't get it on, shockingly I don't think it fits (haha).

The top shirt button, even if it will be covered by a tie, needs to close and not choke you out. It may be uncomfortable if you aren't used to them, but there is a difference between uncomfortable and choking you out. The neck typically is the determinator of the rest of the shirt aside from the sleeves, and doesn't usually get smaller/bigger without getting a smaller/bigger size neck. Some companies do offer a fitted version of their shirts, so check when looking online if you think you need one. The sleeve of the shirt, once buttoned, should rest on the meat of your thumb and around your wrist.

The pants should feel comfortable, if not a little thick, and you should be able to sit without them riding up past your sock or threatening to split. While standing, you shouldn't see above your ankle knob and the pants should have a little crease while resting on top of your shoe, unless you're showing off your shoes.

While wearing the jacket, you shouldn't be able to pinch more than an inch of fabric at the shoulder seam. The sleeves should let a little shirt peak out but still rest on the wrist while your arms are at your sides. The lapel shouldn't bulge or stretch once buttoned. The bottom of the jacket should rest at about your palms when you stand tall and relaxed.

Wow. That was a lot more information than I thought I knew. Maybe I should look into being someone's tailor /j. Anyway, I ended up renting from https://generationtux.com/ since they are totally online, and really like how I looked, but maybe check for in person rentals, since if something had gone wrong I wouldn't have been able to fix it.

If you're trans and wearing a formal look for the first time, wear the stuff you'll be wearing under your suit while measuring, and you should look fairly masculine, especially since suits don't tend to have a feminine cut.

Anyway, happy formalwear hunting. :)