As a menswear writer, I take pride in snazzy dressing. You can imagine my chagrin when I showed up to a recent wedding as the worst-dressed groomsman. It had been a perfect storm of sartorial mishaps. I’d slimmed down since the last time I wore black tie, leaving the jacket and cummerbund baggy. My favorite cuff links had vanished on a work trip. To complete the fiasco, my tuxedo shirt bore an archipelago of merlot stains from a Christmas party in late ’25.
Fortunately, I had the chance to salvage my dignity at another wedding a few weeks later. I rallied like Rocky. Rush alterations. New cuff links. A crisp Marcella shirt. Polished black shoes. I went from disheveled schlub to black-tie stud.
Gents, it pays to look sharp at weddings. For the bachelors out there, matrimonial festivities are the happiest hunting grounds this side of a flight attendant convention in Las Vegas. More importantly, you owe it to the bride and groom to look your best on their special day. Wear a tuxedo if you’re serving as a groomsman or officiating the ceremony. If your duties are limited to dining, dancing, and field-testing the open bar, an elegant blazer works just fine.
Here are the best of the best for men’s wedding attire. By the authority vested in me by The Manual, I pronounce you wedding-ready. You may now kiss the bridesmaid.
Rule #76: No excuses. Play like a champion. – Wedding Crashers
J. Press – Black Cotton Seersucker Tuxedo
As a college student in Cambridge, I saved up for a herringbone tweed blazer from J. Press’s Mt. Auburn Street shop. It marked the beginning of a lifelong romance with classic menswear.
Since 1902, J. Press has been a favorite clothier among Ivy Leaguers, presidents, and Boston Brahmins. They make such beautiful garments that I can even forgive their New Haven roots.
J. Press’s black cotton seersucker tuxedo is warm-weather eveningwear par excellence. The puckered fabric breathes beautifully, shrugs off wrinkles, and lends visual texture to an otherwise uniform sea of black tuxedos. Pair it with polished loafers, dry wit, and an even drier martini.
Rose & Born – Navy Hopsack Wool Tuxedo
I’m probably biased by my Swedish ancestry, but I have a soft spot for Scandinavian menswear. If I ever enter Valhalla, I expect to see the feasting heroes clad in Rose & Born, Sweden’s finest menswear purveyor.
Rose & Born’s navy hopsack tuxedo is cut from a blend of merino and lambswool, making it soft against the skin while remaining breathable enough for three-season wear. It comes in both navy and black, though I’m partial to the navy. Paired with its classic peak lapels, the midnight-blue tuxedo exudes old-Hollywood glamour.
Men’s Wearhouse – Custom Suits
Custom suits are worth the splurge. Fit is paramount when it comes to formalwear or business casual. Even draped in the most sumptuous fabric, you’ll look like a clown if your sleeves are too long or your trousers puddle around your shoes.
Men’s Wearhouse is the ideal entry point for discovering which cuts, lapels, and fabrics flatter you before graduating to four- or five-figure tailoring. The prices for custom suits are approachable enough that you could pick up two and still stay under a grand.
I finally waded into the waters of double-breasted tailoring with a custom suit from Men’s Wearhouse. Double-breasted jackets require a measure of confidence, but they possess an aristocratic elegance few single-breasted jackets can match. When I pair mine with horsebit loafers, my Cartier Panthère, and twin cigars in my pocket, I feel like a Milanese bon vivant visiting New York City for secret reasons.
The Black Tux – Mojave Tan Linen Suit
When temperatures climb, linen is a godsend for weddings, rooftop bars, and yacht parties. Cherished since ancient Egypt, the fabric is breathable, lightweight, and exudes a certain rakish elegance.
My Mojave Tan Linen Suit from The Black Tux is the workhorse of my summer wardrobe. Polished horn buttons lend the jacket a touch of pizzazz, and the tan fabric looks natty with penny loafers or suede bucks. Better yet, the separates pull double duty: wear the blazer with chinos or seersucker trousers, or pair the trousers with a navy hopsack sport coat.
Barberino’s – Aetna Eau de Parfum
The science behind scent, the subconscious, and attraction is fascinating. Long before your date notices your watch or the cut of your jacket, there’s a good chance her nose has already rendered its verdict.
Barberino’s Aetna Eau de Parfum bills itself as an olfactory aphrodisiac. I admire the candor—why else do we wear cologne? Inside the handsome bottle, the fragrance scintillates with top notes of peppermint, grapefruit, and fresh orange. As it settles on the skin, darker notes of cinnamon, leather, and ambergris come to the fore. Ditch the clichéd fragrances that waft through every Manhattan cocktail bar. Here’s a scent women will remember—and lean in to smell again.
Allen Edmonds – James Dress Loafer
Founded in Wisconsin in 1922, Allen Edmonds has been keeping American men handsomely shod for over a century. Its shoes are timeless rather than trendy—footwear as dapper today as it was during the Jazz Age. Allen Edmonds also offers an unusually broad range of sizes, a blessing for men like me with feet better suited to figure skating than football.
A sleek leather slipper accented by a grosgrain strap, The James Dress Loafers gleam like black mirrors after a fresh polish. Better still, they’re comfortable enough to keep you on the dance floor until the wee hours.
Cavour – Ivy Penny Loafer
With his penchant for rare watches, supercars, and taxidermy, Erling Haaland may be the world’s most stylish footballer. He’s hardly Norway’s only menswear icon. Founded in Oslo in 2014, Cavour has gained a cult following among menswear cognoscenti by blending Italian elegance with Scandinavian cool.
Like a navy blazer or a dress watch, a fine pair of loafers is a cornerstone of any debonaire gentleman’s wardrobe. Cut from supple English suede, Cavour’s Ivy Penny Loafers look just as at home with a linen suit as they do with dark denim. For a relaxed summer wedding, pair them with The Black Tux’s Mojave Tan Linen Suit.
Buck Mason – Capitola Linen Carry-On Ford Standard Pant
I like to think of Buck Mason as the California counterpart to J. Press. The Los Angeles clothier crafts classic American menswear, but with old-school Hollywood swagger rather than Ivy League restraint.
The Carry-On Ford Standard Pant, stitched from a blend of cotton and linen, is another pillar of my summer wardrobe. The herringbone weave and Hollywood waistband lend a dash of debonair flair, and they’re almost as comfy as shorts on sweltering days. When it’s too hot for a blazer, I pair them with loafers and a guayabera—or, as Texans call it, a Mexican wedding shirt.
Angara – Malachite Cuff Links
Unless you can pull off a velvet smoking jacket like Hugh Hefner, formal eveningwear is a conservative affair. Cuff links are your opportunity to inject a touch of élan into black-tie attire. And, by all means, don’t limit them to tuxedos. I wear cuff links whenever I sport a blazer, and they’re my favorite souvenir to bring home from my travels. My assortment includes amber from the Baltic, turquoise from Türkiye, and Kyo-zōgan cuff links from Kyoto.
If I’m not wearing gold love knots with a tuxedo, I reach for my malachite cuff links from Angara. They’re available in a range of precious metals, but the yellow-gold version is worth the splurge. The vivid green malachite framed by polished gold lends the same regal presence as a Rolex Day-Date 40.
Randolph – P3 Sunglasses
At the last wedding I attended, I was in such a rush to leave my apartment that I forgot my sunglasses. It was an outdoor ceremony in June, and I spent the entire service shielding my eyes just to see the altar.
If you’re wearing a tuxedo, leave the sunglasses you’d take to the beach or on a hike at home. My stalwart dress sunglasses are P3s from Massachusetts-based Randolph. The white-gold frames, engraved with delicate patterns, beautifully complement gold cuff links. The jaunty lens colors add a welcome splash of color to a tuxedo.
Pair of Thieves
You’ll feel miserable even in the most immaculate tuxedo if your underwear is sweaty, scratchy, or riding up your leg. And your drawers should look as polished as the rest of your outfit—you never know who might catch a glimpse of them by the end of a raucous wedding reception. As the Boy Scouts say, be prepared.
The finest skivvies I’ve found come from Pair of Thieves. Their silky-soft blend of polyester and spandex feels cool against the skin, wicks away moisture, stretches with every move, and won’t ride up your thigh.
