A must visit for any groom choosing their wedding suit, Tailor Made, is a bespoke luxury tailoring brand offering a contemporary approach to menswear. We caught up with the brand’s Store Manager and Tailor, Lloyd Stratton, to find out his top tips for picking an outfit for your big day.
What are the current trends in groom style?
In all honesty I’m not sure there is a set trend, the more grooms I see here at Tailor Made the more I get the feeling that men are a lot more open to experiment with their style nowadays. The days of the classic navy suit or morning coats seems to have passed, men are playing around with colour a lot more. We still get grooms that want that classic look which is great but more and more are being more adventurous and creating something really unique. As long as your suit matches the theme, venue and general aesthetic of the wedding then great!
What colour suit is most popular for weddings?
Well I think blue for the most part is still number one but grooms have started to go a bit lighter. I’ve noticed that green has grown in popularity which is cool and as long as it’s a darker shade it still looks formal. Again it really depends on the setting of the wedding, we do a lot of Italian weddings so sandy summery colours look great. But equally we do a lot of country style weddings too so tweed and textured wool are very popular!
What’s an alternative footwear choice to a classic, formal wedding shoe?
For me a loafer is top of the list, penny or tassel it doesn’t matter. Super elegant and formal enough but just ever so slightly more interesting than a plain leather shoe. But again work it out with your full outfit and wedding setting too. But make sure to not overlook the shoes, far too many people do and in my opinion they can really make or break the outfit.
How would you recommend a groom accessorise?
Really simply, a clean white pocket square to match the white shirt. Then a colourful boutonnière and tie that compliments the outfit nicely. Patterned or plain doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t take away from the outfit as a whole, you want all these details to really compliment the suit.
How far in advance of the wedding day do you need to get fitted for your suit?
Here at Tailor Made, we always advise about 12 weeks as this takes into account fittings and just ensures the whole process is stress free and really enjoyable. But 8-10 is still good to for those that are still thinking things over. But the more time the better really!
Talk us through the process of buying your wedding suit.
So, for me I always tell grooms in our consultations colour is paramount. Nail down the colour and shade and the rest will come. Once we have the colour chosen I can show all of the fabrics in that colour in various weights, weaves and textures. Without it we carry about 5000 fabrics so it can become daunting and not very productive! Then once we have the fabric we can style the suit up exactly to the clients personal preference.
What’s your top tip for grooms?
Be prepared but don’t overthink it. I see so many grooms come in and the pressure they’ve put on themselves to get the perfect suit means they are all over the place with so many different ideas and colours going on! Make sure to take it one step at a time and it will come together before you know it. Also trust your tailor, we are experts in creating looks – this is what we do every day so let us help guide you on fabric selection and style.