Menswear Essentials You Can Wear to Any Wedding

As the saying goes, if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready–and that's where menswear essentials come in. We can talk about trends and fit and the best brands in the business all day, but the real secret to dressing well for a wedding is just making sure your closet is stocked with the right timeless pieces. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't about spending money on new pieces all the time. It is about curation and taking a quality-over-quantity approach. What we're breaking down here is an easy approach to building a wardrobe with that mindset. These are the sort of staple pieces that can take the pressure off of getting dressed for weddings, formal events, engagement parties, or anything. And in my experience, it's easier to look good and pull off great outfits when you don't have to think about it too much.

In this article:

• Menswear Essentials Checklist for Weddings
• Men's Wedding Wardrobe Essentials and When to Wear Them

Menswear Essentials Checklist for Weddings

Here's the thing: this list isn't prescriptive. If you've got half of these pieces in your wardrobe you're already doing great. Adding more is just going to give you a few more options and ways to mix and match pieces. The big secret here is that if you have most of these in your closet, pretty much every conceivable combination is going to look great.

• Navy Suit
• White dress shirt
• Solid tie
• Patterned Tie
• Sport Coat
• Trousers
• Loafers
• Dress Shoes
• Tuxedo

Men's Wedding Wardrobe Essentials and When to Wear Them

It's time to go shopping. What follows is a selection of some of our favorite wedding wardrobe essentials. You don't need every single one of them, but having a few on hand is going to make getting dressed way easier when wedding days arrive. We've presented the best budget-friendly options as well as some higher-end selections that are great for anyone looking for an upgrade or trying to buy quality products that will last for years to come.

Navy Suit

What it is: A navy suit is a sartorial workhorse. The color is one of the more versatile in menswear and it's the sort of suit you want to have in your closet if you only want to own one. "It covers a lot as far as dressing for an event goes," explains Brooks Brothers creative director Michael Bastian, "Because you can pair it with just a clean white shirt and a solid knit tie and a nice polished shoe, and you're good to go to 90% of these events that you might have." Navy can work at formal events, semi-formal, cocktail attire, basically everything short of black-tie. It's never out of season, either. Get it in a four-season wool blend and you'll be set for spring and winter weddings alike.

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When to wear it: Like I said, this is a suit you can wear most anywhere. Dress it up with a tie and a white dress shirt (more on that soon) for a formal wedding or dress it down and go tie-less with a patterned dress shirt for a semi-formal affair. The only time you should leave it in the closet is for a black-tie wedding.

The Starter: Indochino Hemsworth Navy Suit

Photo: Indochino

Simple, stylish, and made-to-measure for under $500, Indochino's navy Hemsworth suit is a standout of the custom suiting world.

The Investment: Drake's Tropical Wool Navy Suit

Photo: Drake's

Drake's is a tried and true tailoring hub, tapping into a timeless menswear vibe popular with menswear aficionados, celebrities, and regular joes alike. A suit from Drake's is meant to last a lifetime, and one as versatile as their navy tropical wool cut will get plenty of wear over the course of that lifetime.

White Dress Shirt

What it is: A white button-down shirt with a more formal collar to be worn with suits (or without them). Go with a spread collar of some sort rather than a button-down collar if you want to maximize its versatility (button-down collars aren't quite as suitable for formal events).

When to wear it: Any time, anywhere, any place. This is the single most important piece to have in your wedding wardrobe–it can be worn at more or less every single wedding you attend if you'd like.

The Starter: J.Crew Bowery Dress Shirt

Photo: J.Crew

Simple, timeless, and available in a variety of fits, J. Crew's Bowery dress shirt has been the best bang for your buck when it comes to white dress shirts for quite some time. And those times haven't changed.

The Investment: Turnbull & Asser Plain White Cotton Shirt

Photo: Turnbull & Asser

British tailoring legends Turnbull & Asser elevate the white dress shirt into fine art with their take on the menswear staple. From the quality of the cotton to the finer details like stitching, proportions, and buttons, this is a shirt you won't ever want to take off.

Solid Tie

What it is: A necktie in a fabric like silk, cotton, or a knit blend in a solid color. No stripes, no detailing, no patterns, nothing–just the color of your choice. The color of your solid tie should be determined by the suit you're going to be wearing it with the most, but a neutral such as gray or black is always a safe bet.

When to wear it: Any wedding at which you plan on wearing a tie.

The Starter: Tie Bar Solid Black Grosgrain Tie

Photo: Tie Bar

When in doubt, keep it simple. Tie Bar's solid black tie is a menswear essential available at a price that's tough to beat.

The Investment: Stefano Ricci Solid Silk Satin Tie

Photo: Neiman Marcus

Straight from Florence, Italy, this stunner from Stefano Ricci uses premium silk and looks like a million bucks.

Patterned Tie

What it is: Remember the solid tie we just talked about? This is like that but with a pattern. Think stripes, paisley prints, dots, and everything in between. A solid tie is a safe bet. A patterned tie is an opportunity to bring your personality and sense of style to your outfit.

When to wear it: More conservative patterns like stripes can work for formal weddings but more whimsical prints may be a better fit for a semi-formal affair.

The Starter: Banana Republic Rao Silk Tie

Photo: Banana Republic

Stripes are an easy pattern to work into your wedding outfits. Banana Republic's Rao tie comes in fine silk and a flexible pattern, sure to bring the best out of plenty of fits to come.

The Investment: Turnbull & Asser Grey Square Overlay Silk Tie

Photo: Turnbull & Asser

Ties from Turnbull & Asser are handmade by a team of storied artisans in England, making each tie a work of sartorial art. This particular square pattern is subtle and versatile but still has plenty of personality.

Sport Coat

What it is: A sports coat is just a blazer without matching trousers. They also tend to have a bit more range in terms of construction than a traditional suit jacket. This can mean a less-structured coat, something with heart, sporty design (there's a rich tradition of hunting sport coats in the UK), or loud patterns that are meant to be paired with more subdued trousers and accessories.

When to wear it: Sport coats are a mainstay of semi-formal weddings, paired with separate trousers.

The Starter: Charles Tyrwhitt Twill Wool Jacket

Photo: Charles Tyrwhitt

Coming in a variety of colors and a price that's tough to beat, Charles Tyrwhitt's sport coat is a great entryway garment for anyone looking to add their first to their closet.

The Investment: Ralph Lauren Purple Label Hadley Glen Plaid Wool Jacket

Photo: Nordstrom

Ralph Lauren does classic menswear staples like sports coats better than most anyone. Case in point: their glen plaid jacket is an instant timeless classic that'll look as good ten years from now as it does today.

Trousers

What it is: Pants, ever heard of them? Dress trousers can refer to any number of styles, from belted gurkha trousers to pleated beauties with wide, flowy cuts. You can also keep it basic and stick with a simple pair of chinos. The point of dress trousers is to wear them with suit separates, or even without a coat in casual settings.

When to wear it: Like sports coats, trousers that don't have a matching jacket are going to be best for semi-formal affairs.

The Starter: Uniqlo Smart Ankle Pants

Photo: Uniqlo

Uniqlo's simple dress pants come in at under $50 and, like many of their pieces, overdeliver big time. Pair these with a sports coat and dress coat or sweater for the perfect semi-formal look.

The Investment: Kit Blake Aleks Trouser

Photo: Kit Blake

Kit Blake does trousers and trousers only, pouring all of their focus into making the perfect dress pants. With their signature pleated Aleks trouser, they've succeeded.

Loafers

What it is: A loafer is a slip-on dress shoe usually made from leather. They come in a few different styles, the most common being known as the penny loafer. Some variations include tassels as well as velvet and patent leather tuxedo loafers.

When to wear it: The time to wear a pair of loafers depends on the outfit with which you're wearing them, but for the most part, these are a slightly less formal shoe than a traditional pair of lace-ups, so anything more formal than cocktail attire may not be the right time or place for them.

The Starter: G.H. Bass Larson Weejuns

Photo: G.H. Bass

Bass more or less made the penny loafer famous, and for those looking for a great pair of loafers for under $200, they're still the first place you should look.

The Investment: Gucci Jordaan Horsebit Loafer

Photo: Neiman Marcus

Gucci's horsebit loafers have been a sartorial staple for decades, and for good reason. This is a loafer that will last a lifetime and look good the whole time.

Dress Shoes

What it is: A dress shoe is any variation of a lace-up leather shoe meant to be worn with a suit or semi-formal clothing. Like loafers, they have a few different variations, including oxfords, brogues, monk straps, and others.

When to wear it: These are going to look best with a full suit, even if you're styling it a bit more semi-formally.

The Starter: Cole Haan Hawthorne Oxford

Photo: DSW

A classic black dress shoe doesn't have to be that complicated. Cole Haan keeps it simple and also keeps the price in a good place–you can lace these up for less than $150.

The Investment: Crockett and Jones Alex Shoe

Photo: Crockett & Jones

For a dress shoe made to last (and with some serious sartorial pedigree) look to British legends Crockett and Jones.

Tuxedo

What it is: A tuxedo is the most formal of suits, featuring satin detailing in the lapel and pants, and is meant to be worn with a specific and separate set of accompanying pieces and accessories. It does not have the versatility of a traditional suit as the etiquette surrounding tuxedos is a bit more rigid. If you're not someone who's regularly attending the sort of event that calls for a tuxedo, hear me out: you should still own one. Bastian agrees, telling The Knot, "[It's] a good investment. Every guy gets an invitation to a wedding or some event and you need to get that tuxedo and your first impulse is to just rent the thing. The reality is if you go and buy one, you're going to end up being so much happier because you can have it tailored to you perfectly and you don't have to worry about it the next time you need one."

When to wear it: Tuxedos are for black-tie and black-tie optional events. If the event is even slightly less formal, leave it in the closet and wear a suit instead.

The Starter: The Black Tux Wool Black Tuxedo

Photo: The Black Tux

The Black Tux is best known for modernizing the tuxedo rental industry but they also sell them, and at a price that's tough to beat.

The Investment: Brunello Cucinelli Men's Peak-Lapel Tuxedo

Photo: Neiman Marcus

For those looking for a tux that's red-carpet ready, look to Brunello Cucinelli. The Italian brand is a favorite of some of the best-dressed men in the world–and it's waiting to be yours, too.