Mastering Men’s Formal Fashion: How To Find Your Formal Style
How Do Men Find Their Formal Style?
Finding your style might seem like a daunting task to some men, especially if you’re approaching the formal side of men’s style. There's fit, shape, silhouette, colour, decade, types of style, dress code, and season to consider. You may have felt on the outside of formal fashion, which seems to have a million little rules to follow. It can feel overwhelming, and it may feel impossible to find the suit that feels right for you.
At SUAVE OWL, making fashion easily accessible and enjoyable for every man has been a part of our ethos since day one. We carry forward our mission to make fashion accessible for every man, regardless of his size, shape, or style. Part of this is helping those men that feel clueless when it comes to fashion who have spent their life buying whatever fits or whatever makes them feel the least bad. Every man deserves to find the style that makes him feel good; nothing less is acceptable.
Elwood 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set, Braces
If you feel a bit clueless about men’s formal fashion, if you want to know about men’s formal style, or if you’re asking yourself ‘how do I find my formal style’, this is the blog for you. Read on for a simplified breakdown of how to find your style, men’s fashion inspiration, and to find the answer to the question ‘how does a man find his fashion style?’.
If you want to know more about men’s style, men’s fashion, and answer how to find your men’s style overall, read our popular blog Mastering Men’s Fashion: How To Find Your Style! This blog covers more of the fundamentals of men’s fashion and men’s style, an excellent starting point for refining your style.
What Is Fashion Style For Men?
Firstly, let’s do a little recap of what fashion and style are. Whilst this is further covered in our blog Mastering Men’s Fashion: How To Find Your Style, it can’t hurt to quickly go over it.
Fashion as a term is used for an industry and sometimes synonymously with style. Fashion is all things clothes and outfits; formalwear, casualwear, accessories, and footwear all fall under the fashion umbrella. Every part of what you wear comes from the fashion industry.
Ted 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set
Style is an individual’s personal application of fashion. It is about their choices and what they decide to wear. It is about what makes a person feel their best, look their best, and is incredibly different from one person to the next. Whilst the fashion industry can, and should, help you select what to wear. A person’s style is all up to them.
Now you know how to apply both of these terms, how to actually find the men’s formal style for you?
Men’s Formalwear Basics
Before we go into how to find the right men’s formal outfit for you, let’s go over the basics of men’s formalwear. You might not need it, but just in case you do…
Ted 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set
Men’s formalwear is usually worn in two settings: professional and celebratory. Of course, plenty of gentlemen enjoy wearing formal pieces in more settings than this. However, these are two where it is expected for a man to be wearing formalwear.
Men’s formalwear has a few core pieces. Firstly, and arguably most importantly, a men’s suit is quintessential men’s formalwear. The 3-piece suit that you easily recognise is distinguished, sophisticated, and traditional. There’s lots of ways to wear the suit jacket, waistcoat, and suit trousers ensemble. Different styles, eras, materials, and styling make for individual suiting. When it comes to men’s formalwear, a men’s suit is a must-have.
A men’s formal shirt is often the next key formal menswear essential. Long-sleeved, button up, collared, they really elevate a man’s outfit and look fantastic as the building block for a suit to be placed upon.
Summer Boho Wedding Groom Outfit
You cannot overlook footwear. When it comes to men’s formal footwear, SUAVE OWL will always recommend a fine pair of leather brogues. Immediately classy but still detailed and intriguing, they elevate any outfit immediately. Plus, after being worn in, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be perfectly comfortable. Other men’s formal footwear, if you are a gentleman who likes his options, includes…
No men’s formal outfit is complete without some well selected and well styled accessories. A tie, bow tie, braces, belt, pocket watch, cufflinks, cummerbund, pocket square are all options worth considering, and there’s more out there to be found too! Men’s accessorising is all about what you make of it and what you enjoy. However, don’t neglect to consider it whilst you put together your men’s formal outfit.
How To Find Your Formal Style For Men
While finding your everyday style is a challenge, finding the right men’s formalwear for you can be even more tricky. There’s so much to consider. However, if you follow this advice, the process should be easier and, hopefully, fun!
Caridi Olive 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set
To begin your journey towards finding the men’s formalwear that feels right for you, start off by exploring everything men’s formalwear has to offer. Inspiration can be found in blogs, magazines, social media, and more. Seeing what is out there is essential for figuring out the answer to your first big question: what men’s formalwear do you like?
Figuring out what you like and dislike when it comes to men’s formalwear is key in figuring out your new men’s formal outfit. If you find that you lean towards a certain style, material, colour, or other suiting aspect, then there’s no reason to not utilise that. Embracing what you enjoy is an excellent step towards finding men’s formal outfits that make you feel confident.
Cody 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set
Consider season when planning your formal outfits for men. The time of year and weather does impact what you should wear. In warmer months, lighter fabrics and lighter colours are best, as this will keep you coolest. The opposite is true for winter. For more about seasonal suiting, read our blog Seasonal Suits With SUAVE OWL. When planning your men’s formal outfits, keep the season in mind!
Lastly, after gathering inspiration, knowing what you are drawn towards, and understanding how seasonal weather can impact what formal men’s attire you should wear, there’s one last step to take. Trying on suits in person is the most surefire way to find the right suit for you. At SUAVE OWL, our helpful and expert team are always around to help you with this process. Visit one of our SUAVE OWL locations, try on a few suits you like, and see which ones you end up liking. You may end up feeling best in something absolutely unexpected, or you may feel best in the suit you thought you would. Trying on suits is the only way to know for sure!
Jack Brooks Wedding Guest Outfit
How To Make Men’s Formalwear Look Its Best
Even when you have an idea of what you want to wear as your men’s formal outfit of choice, there’s a few last pieces of advice to take to get the best looking men’s formal outfit.
Making sure your outfit is completely well-presented is an essential step. Let your suit hang to avoid creases, iron or steam your shirt, make sure there’s no flecks of dirt or staining, polish your shoes, have a good scrub up and visit your favourite barber. These small steps will elevate your outfit to the next level and make you feel all the more confident for it.
One incredibly important aspect to note is that, no matter what suit you pick, you won’t look your best if the suit is poorly fitting. A suit that is too large will add bulk to your frame. One that is too small will constrict you, making you uncomfortable throughout the day. A well-fitting suit is essential to looking the best you can, being the most comfortable you can, and feeling your best throughout the day.
Of course, finding the clothes that fit you best and make you look your best can be a difficult process for some gentlemen. At SUAVE OWL, we offer a diverse size range in our formalwear, casualwear, and more. Our suit jacket sizes range from a 34 to a 52. Our formal shirts and own brand items range from size S to 6XL. With us, you never have to compromise style for size. Whatever you feel drawn to wear, the size and fit that will make you look your best in the style for you are waiting.
Wells 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set
Men’s Formal Fashion
To answer how a man finds his formal style, he finds it by understanding the basics of men’s formal fashion, gathering inspiration, understanding what he likes and doesn’t like, trying on different looks, and refining his style over time. Whilst you may be at the start of your men’s formalwear journey, what an exciting journey to take! Looking and feeling exactly how you want is just around the corner, trust SUAVE OWL to help!
More From SUAVE OWL Men’s Formal Fashion
Want to see some more SUAVE OWL recommended outfits? Browse our Get The Look collection. SUAVE OWL’s Get The Look is full of different outfits for different occasions. When you click on one, you’ll be presented with every piece of clothing used for the outfit. This is an excellent way of seeing how outfits can be put together and what they look like on a model, an excellent starting point for elevating your wardrobe!
HM5 Stone 3-Piece Suit, SUAVE OWL White Shirt, Plain Twill Tie & Pocket Square Set
Read some of our style advice blogs. Start with The Ultimate Guide To Men's Suits, Mastering The Art Of Semi-Formal Attire For Men, and Navigating Men's Formal Wear: A Comprehensive Style Guide. All of these blogs are useful for men at all stages on their personal style journey, check them out today. Our blog A Guide To The SUAVE OWL Own Brand is an additional must-read, with a full breakdown of the offerings of our own brand with size, colour, and style options!
Lastly, follow us on social media! Find us at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and TikTok. Keep it simple yet significant with SUAVE OWL.