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The Compass/Style • Weddings/Make This Royal Blue Suit Your Go-To Wedding Suit
Published on May 16, 2014
A wedding is a festive event. So what’s with the somber colors? Don’t get us wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a black tux or a gray suit for a wedding. It’s ground well trodden. But there is something SO right with bringing some color to the party. Namely, royal blue. Here’s how:
Kool & the Gang were onto something
First things first: cast aside your reliance on navy blue as the “safe” choice. True, navy is a reliable blue option. It’s a foundation color for most men’s suit wardrobe. But this is not the time to go with the old tried-and-true. As the song goes: “it’s a celebration.”
Start with Color
As with all suits, the fit is essential. But since we’re talking about Black Lapel custom suits, a flawless fit is a given. So with that out of the way, the next things to consider are color and contrast.
There are plenty of different approaches to color matching. Here we illustrate two different but equally stylish techniques to rock a royal suit.
Here the royal blue plays the starring role as the only color in the outfit. If you’re attending a wedding and want to make an impression, without upstaging the groom, this is your look. Simple, sophisticated and still a bit celebratory, a white shirt, black tie and white pocket square is a no brainer. Finish it off with a pair of black cap toes for easy elegance.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you’re the one at the altar, (or just feel like unleashing your inner dandy) don’t shy away from a little more sartorial punch. Start with royal blue and then take a trip to the other side of the color wheel. You’ll land on reddish tones that are perfect for your accessories. Case in point, this groom really turned it up to eleven on the accessories with a sharp red tie and pink pocket square and even a hint of reddish hue in his shoes.
Marry the Two Looks
The two extremes are sharp looks for the wedding, but you don’t have to go quite so far to one side or the other for everyday wear. Meet somewhere in the middle of the minimalist and the maximalist and you’ll end up smack dab in the middle of style city. Population: You.
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- Brown says:
February 21, 2019 at 2:49 pm
Light Grey Tux 3 piece, white shirt royal blue tie and royal blue handkerchief. What color shoes should I wear black,brown or white?
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- Black Lapel says:
March 1, 2019 at 12:18 pm
Hey there!
You’ve got a swanky look going, we dig it. The answer here is that you’ll want to go with brown! A neutral tone or lighter tone will both work great with what you’ve got on top.
Reply
- Rajiv Soni says:
November 12, 2017 at 1:37 am
Hi. I want a tailored suit. I have fabric in Royal Blue Colour (Raymond). I want to wear Brown Brogue Shoes with it. Can you please help me with the design, like lapel colours and single button or double button, cumme*rbund or waistcoat, etc? I’m slim build. Thanks.
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- Black Lapel says:
November 13, 2017 at 11:10 am
We’d be glad to help you get measured and customize Royal Blue tuxedo or Royal Blue suit. We have a team of people dedicated to helping customers. Just contact us at concierge@blacklapel.com and we can help at any point along the way.
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- RAHUL says:
October 26, 2017 at 9:45 pm
I had purchased a royal blue coat pent to wear on my cousion wedding and i am wearing white shirt. can you help to match the tie. i am very confused.
Thanks in advance
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- Black Lapel says:
October 27, 2017 at 11:16 am
We can help, Rahul, but we’ll warn you, we are not a personal styling service and we can’t pick out a tie for you. What we can do is help you learn how to pick out a tie for yourself. How?
First, there’s the rule of thumb that we use a lot: match your ties to your eyes. For example, if you’ve got brown eyes, ties with brown in them or solid brown ties will work for you.
Second, we suggest you read our article on matching shirts and ties where we give more detailed instructions and examples of combinations. Learn the lessons in that article and picking a tie will be a cinch.
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- Sharon Summons says:
April 19, 2017 at 5:23 pm
Hello, my husband and I are attending his nephew’s wedding. I want my husband to wear a royal blue suite, with white shirt, silver tie and pocket square. I’m wanting him to match my dress which is more navy blue and I’m wearing silver shoes and accessories. I have two questions with the royal blue and silver combo clash and (2) what color shoes should he wear, he’s wanting a brown and I’m saying black.
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- Black Lapel says:
April 20, 2017 at 12:31 pm
The royal blue suit and silver tie combo doesn’t necessarily clash, but we try to steer people away from shiny fabric when it comes to accessories like ties and pocket squares. What about a matte gray tie? That will still match your silver accessories. As for brown or black shoes, either will match with a royal blue suit. However, if your husband is wearing a belt, make sure both his leathers match.
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- Felipe says:
March 5, 2017 at 1:00 pm
My suit is indigo blue, with a redish tie and brown shoes, the wedding is out in the country at an hacienda (outdoors) and it starts at 6pm. the groom and groomsmen are wearing tuxedos. Is my suit appropriate for the wedding?
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- Black Lapel says:
March 6, 2017 at 4:52 pm
The only people who can tell you if your outfit is appropriate for the wedding are the bride and groom, but the good news is, they probably already did. Check the invitation. Is there a dress code on it? If so, use that to determine the appropriateness of your outfit. Here’s our full article on how to decode the dress code of a wedding.
If the invitation doesn’t include a dress code, your best plan is to contact the bride and groom and ask them how they expect guests to dress. That will ensure that you get the best answer.
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- hanz says:
March 5, 2017 at 7:41 am
I got a prom coming up next week , but i have a problem on the color of my shirt and tie. i have a dark royal blue coat and trousers but i want to match my suit with my partner that will wear a beige gown/dress, any suggestions on what shirt and tie will i wear that will match my dark royal blue coat and the color beige dress of my partner.
- Black Lapel says:
March 6, 2017 at 11:26 am
Blue and brown are a great combination. Beige is just a light shade of brown, so go with a beige or brown tie, Hanz. Since it is a neutral color you literally can’t go wrong. Easy, right?
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- Andy says:
February 17, 2017 at 3:28 am
Please my color of suit for my wedding is Royal blue and white shirt. what will be the color of my tie an my socks
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- Black Lapel says:
February 17, 2017 at 1:51 pm
The answers you seek are looking back at you, when you look into a mirror. For the answers are within you.
Sounds deep doesn’t it? But really it’s not that complex. If you understand how to dress from the inside out, you know the very simple rule of thumb, match your ties to your eyes. If you’ve got blue eyes, choose a tie that’s predominantly blue. If you’ve got brown eyes, try a tie with a brown or tan shade. Green eyes? Go for a tie with some green in it.
As for the socks, there are tons of ways to go, but the smart money’s on blue. No need to decorate yourself, just dress yourself in a style that makes you feel confident and well put together.
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- Mary says:
February 11, 2017 at 4:11 pm
What color socks with a royal blue suit?
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- Black Lapel says:
February 14, 2017 at 10:38 am
You can’t go wrong with matching royal blue socks, but you could easily wear a darker blue pair too. If you want a pair of socks that someone might notice, contrast is your friend. Read more here on stepping up your sock game.
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- Brushane says:
January 25, 2017 at 3:27 am
Hi there im getting married, and would like to wear the royal blue suite, but I want to know how will it go with a purple tie?
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- Black Lapel says:
January 26, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Is the question will a royal blue suit look good with a purple tie on you? The answer depends on a key piece of information we don’t have, which is how you look. It might look great on you, or a purple tie might overpower you. Also, what kind of purple tie? Solid? Silk? Knitted?
You get the point, you can’t create an outfit in a vacuum. Outfit design is something that happens in practice, not in theory. The answer to the question of whether it will look on your is looking back at you in the mirror. You just have to understand what works for your own skin tone, hair color and other distinguishing features. We call this dressing from the inside out and we’ve written about it extensively in our articles on Choosing Your Clothes and Picking Shirt Colors That Match You. We suggest reading those articles before the next time you get dressed. They will change your whole approach to your closet. (Hint: don’t miss another important article like these, subscribe to The Compass by Black Lapel and you won’t miss a beat.)
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- ABISHEK says:
January 4, 2017 at 3:01 am
i am looking for my farewell suit i need assistance
pls mail meReply
- Black Lapel says:
January 4, 2017 at 3:27 pm
We’ve reached out to you via email, Abishek.
Reply
- Tina says:
August 8, 2016 at 3:26 pm
Hello there. I’m looking for the best option for my groom and his groomsmen’s attire for our wedding. From the start, I want my ladies in a deep fuchsia and the guys in cobalt or royal blue. An attention-grabbing blue. The ladies dresses are secured. Now I’m on to the guys.
Can someone from Black Lapel offer their expertise on the best way to accomplish this from your suit/tuxedo options? Trying to steer away from black as much as possible, but if this needs to be peppered in with small details or pants, we will do so. I also want my groom to be different, but it’s not a necessity. Also, are ties in the fuchsia color OK, or a faux pas?
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- Black Lapel says:
August 10, 2016 at 3:59 pm
Hey, Tina. This sounds like a more in-depth question for our wedding experts on the Concierge team. We recommend emailing them at concierge@blacklapel.com and outlining your wants and needs for your groom and his groomsmen. Best of luck with the wedding!
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- erin says:
August 4, 2016 at 1:18 pm
I can’t find this color to rent ANYWHERE. I love it and it would go perfectly with the girls’ gold dresses. Any tips on where to look?
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- Black Lapel says:
August 4, 2016 at 4:59 pm
Well, have you considered buying a suit instead of renting one? We’ve outlined in the past how much more cost effective it is to buy a tuxedo rather than rent one, and the same goes for suits. In fact, we may even have more of a case for suits since you can wear a suit much more often than you can wear a tuxedo. To shop the suit in this story, go here. If you’d like the tuxedo version, head here.
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- Ashley says:
May 2, 2016 at 11:20 pm
Hello I have been having the worst time trying to find a brighter royal/cobalt blue tuxedos or suits for the guys. So if the girls wear a brighter cobalt blue dress and the guys wear black what should the groom wear? We both want him to stand out over the other groomsmen. He is African American (lighter skinned guy) I was thinking maybe white for him with black slacks or another blue? But I do not want everyone to clash.
Thank youReply
- Black Lapel says:
May 6, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Don’t worry too much about clashing with the ladies. The gender difference and the drastic difference between a tuxedo and a dress makes this a non-issue so we say let the gentlemen go with what looks best for them. Some suggestions:
Your future husband can wear a Royal Blue Tuxedo to stand out, while the groomsmen wear black tuxes with peak lapels. That will give him not only color, but some another detail, the lapel shape, to differentiate him.
Alternatively, you can have the groomsmen in black and your fiancee could wear a blue dinner jacket with black formal pants.
One final bit of advice: Regardless of color, with a regimented outfit like a tuxedo there are not that many variations on the basic theme, so concentrate on getting the fit right. If it fits him flawlessly, he’ll look like a million bucks.
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- Mike says:
April 11, 2016 at 1:46 pm
I’m getting married in July and I’m having a blue tux with a black shawl lapel made for myself. The groomsmen will be renting a tux/suit. What style and color would you suggest for the groomsmen?
Reply
- Black Lapel says:
April 13, 2016 at 11:58 am
Congrats on the wedding! We like that you’re choosing a blue tux over the traditional black—very cool. Since it’s your big day and not your groomsmen, they don’t need to look as cool. JK…sort of. We recommend your groomsmen just wear classic black tuxedos (lapel type can be your preference). As long as their rental tuxes fit well, they’ll still look very sharp and you can stand out as the man of the hour.
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- Ronnie says:
March 18, 2016 at 2:05 am
I’m getting married at an island wedding this June and the bridesmaids are wearing some form of coral dresses. I am wanting to wear a royal blue suit with light/med brown belt and shoes. I was wondering what you recommended for shirt/tie/pocket square combos that would compliment the bridesmaids? Thanks for the article(s) by the way, very helpful thanks!
Ronnie
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- Black Lapel says:
March 24, 2016 at 3:11 pm
Island wedding, huh? Can we come? JK.
As for the outfit, coral can work quite well with royal blue, kind of like the colors in the wedding photo at the top of this story. But what colors look good on you is still dependent largely on your own coloring and features, so the coral and royal blue (a pretty high contrast combo) might draw attention away from your face if you’re not careful.
With that in mind, you can never go wrong by matching your ties to your eyes. If you’ve got brown eyes, shades of brown in your tie and pocket square can really pop. Got blue eyes? Try a tonal combination of royal, navy and light blue. You get the idea. While this may not end up in you matching the bridesmaids it’s more important that your clothes cast you in the best light than that they match your future wife’s best friends.
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- Ronnie says:
May 2, 2016 at 1:00 am
Great, thanks for the information! I’ll go with my hazel eyes and get something to compliment all.
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- Black Lapel says:
May 2, 2016 at 10:36 am
Glad we could be helpful, Ronnie. We love helpfing guys look their best, especially on their wedding day!
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- Felicia says:
March 1, 2016 at 5:02 am
my friend wants to use a navy blue suit with a black trousers on a black bow tie while the bride is opting for a mint green colour and peach for the bridesmaid. i think this is awful. What do you advise?
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- Black Lapel says:
March 4, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Haha, your honestly is well-received. We think there’s a lot of colors running into the mix here, especially at his wedding. Your friend (the groom, we assume) should probably stick to a classic black tuxedo and accessorize with mint color tones.
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- Praneet says:
January 26, 2016 at 12:41 pm
I wanna take a minimalist approach but I wanna have brown shoes too! Should I abandon the tie??
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- Black Lapel says:
February 3, 2016 at 2:19 pm
The section under “Marry the Two Looks” above was added just for you, Praneet. There we showed the suit with brown shoes and tie-less. Of course, these are all guidelines, not rules. Want to add a tie? Go for it. Want to rock the minimalist look with brown shoes and tie instead of black? Sure. All of the above work.
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- Sinead Shannon says:
January 21, 2016 at 8:10 am
Hi I am actually looking to know what dress colors you would recommend to match royal blue suits. My Partner and I are getting married and he really wants a royal blue suit but im having trouble matching dresses with it. Thanks Sinead
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- Black Lapel says:
January 21, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Well, we think the obvious answer here is white. Wedding dresses are traditionally white and a white wedding dress matches with a royal blue tuxedo just as well as it does with a black tuxedo. Another option is ivory, but we’re not as experienced with dressing the bride as we are with suiting up the groom 🙂
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- Sinead Shannon says:
January 25, 2016 at 4:47 am
Sorry I was looking a bridesmaids color I thought yous might have an idea from matching colors of ties with the suits thanks 🙂
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- Black Lapel says:
February 10, 2016 at 9:30 am
Ah, for bridesmaid dresses, a lighter shade of blue would be a good idea. The whole wedding party can wear blues. The groom can wear a royal blue suit or tux and the groomsmen can either match or wear a darker blue like a navy suit or a midnight blue tux. Meanwhile the ladies can be in lighter, paler blue dresses. Then everything is in harmony without everything looking all matchy-matchy.
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- Carlos Carmona says:
January 2, 2016 at 8:33 am
Good norning, my friend. Thanks for the tips on wearing royal blue suits. But I wanted some tips on the colors of the tie, shows and belt. I have a royal blue suit and white shirt just like the first picture of the minimalist look, could you vive some siggestions of the colors I should use?
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- Black Lapel says:
January 6, 2016 at 12:46 pm
Bad news and good news, Carlos. The bad news is, we can’t recommend any specific colors for you to wear because we don’t know what you look like and, therefore, don’t know what looks good on you. But there is hope.
The good news is, you already have the answer to your question. That’s because the answer to your question is staring right back at you every time you look in the mirror. What looks best on you depends largely on your coloring (specifically, your hair, skin and eye colors) and how much contrast there is between your hair and skin colors. We call this dressing from the inside out and we’ve explained how to do it in The Compass in our story on Mastering Men’s Fashion. Check that article out and you’ll have tons of ideas for shirt, tie and pocket square colors to go with that royal blue suit.
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- Carlos Carmona says:
January 8, 2016 at 11:36 am
Hello, my friend! Thanks for the article! I can describre myself to you so you can suggest some looks to me. 🙂
I have tanned skin, black hair and dark brown eyes. Thanks again for taking the time to answer!Reply
- Black Lapel says:
January 8, 2016 at 7:43 pm
It sounds like you’re looking for more personalized advice, like we offer through our concierge service. Let’s move this conversation over to email. There you can send some pictures and one of our stylists can send you some specific recommendations. Email us at concierge@blacklapel.com and we’ll help you out.
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- Allison says:
May 31, 2015 at 10:58 pm
We are thinking about the minimalist look for out wedding. We already purchased black bridesmaid dresses. I think the black tie pulls the look together, but I keep questioning the blue suits/black dress combo. What do you think?
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- Black Lapel says:
June 6, 2015 at 7:03 pm
Blue will still work for the groom and groomsmen, Allison. The minimalist look we highlighted above includes a black tie and will coordinate well with the black bridesmaid dresses. For seriously dapper set of groomsmen, you could go with Royal Blue tuxedos. The black bow ties and black satin trim on the tuxes would, again, coordinate nicely with the black bridesmaids dresses.
A third option: A royal blue tuxedo for the groom and black shawl lapel tuxes for the groomsmen. That’ll make for an all-black bridal party (could be cool for an evening wedding) and put the emphasis on the special guy (despite what everyone says, it’s his day too).
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- Aisling says:
January 28, 2015 at 5:35 pm
Hi I LOVE the navy blue suit with black lapels and dickie bow – I am looking for this look for my future husband to wear at our wedding but cannot find it available anywhere!!! Can you help?
We are based in Ireland but willing to try anywhere!Reply
- Black Lapel says:
February 5, 2015 at 3:35 pm
We know exactly where to buy it, because we make that tuxedo, Aisling. Clicking on it (or just clicking here) will take you to the tux. From there you can customize it however you’d like.
If you have any questions or need any help, don’t hesitate to email us at concierge@blacklapel.com.
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- The dude abides says:
September 25, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Thanks for these articles, very informative. How do you guys feel about blue shirt, black tie brown shoes? Should one stick to black shoes / belt with black ties?
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- Black Lapel says:
September 26, 2014 at 10:07 am
If you’re wearing a black tie, black shoes and belt will really tie your look together like The Dude’s rug tied the room together.
With pretty much any other tie color, dark brown shoes will do the trick, but with a black tie, we suggest black shoes.
Great question. Keep coming back for more tips and keep your mind, you know, uh, limber. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist ending on another Big Lebowski reference!)
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- Chris says:
July 24, 2014 at 8:08 pm
I’m going to a wedding in a couple of weeks and having read this article, think I’ll wear my royal blue Paul Costelloe suit with some dark tan Grensons. I’m contemplating a deep red tie and white linen pocket square. Can you recommend any suitable ties? Open to suggestions. Thanks in advance.
Reply
- Black Lapel says:
July 26, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Glad we were able to give you a good wedding outfit idea.
We love the look and the feel of grenadine ties and the red one from our friends at Gentleman’s Gazette is one of our faves. If that red is too strong there’s also a burgundy version that ought to do the trick.
Enjoy the nuptials!
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- N. says:
June 24, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Have Black Lapel considered the Royal Blue suit in super 110s? I’m looking to buy one for work and super 130s would get worn out too quickly.
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- Black Lapel says:
June 25, 2014 at 1:26 pm
The super number is an indicator of the thickness of the individual threads that make up the fabric. A suit with a higher super number will be softer and more lush because the individual threads aren’t as thick.
Still, a Super 130s suit is a great choice for a suit to wear to work regularly. Suits made with higher super numbers will wear a bit faster over a long period of time but we’re talking years. Even Super 150s will have long lives in your closet with proper care. Super 130s are a happy medium that allow for longevity and reliability without compromising feel.
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- AZES says:
May 23, 2014 at 10:42 pm
Is royal blue the same as midnight blue? Meaning, does it give the illusion of jet black under artificial lighting as midnight blue does?
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- Black Lapel says:
May 24, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Great question! No, royal blue is not the same as midnight blue. Royal is a shade or two brighter than midnight blue. Midnight blue might pass for black under artificial lights and outdoors at night, but royal is always going to appear blue under any light.
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- joannapaul says:
May 22, 2014 at 12:52 am
Royal blue shades are awesome collections to go with a wedding. Both the tux and the suit have the real glamor any groom can have for his wedding appeal. They create the fad and fun!!
Reply
- Black Lapel says:
May 22, 2014 at 9:49 am
We love them for the wedding and they’re great additions to the closet afterwards as well!
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- Amos says:
May 18, 2014 at 10:13 am
What are your thoughts on the maximlist for the groom’s suit?
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- Black Lapel says:
May 18, 2014 at 8:32 pm
We love it. That photo is a real groom (and Black Lapel customer) who rocked this look while his groomsmen wore more conservative blue suits.
P.S. As you can see above, he crushed it!
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- Mike says:
May 16, 2014 at 3:44 pm
I love the suggestions as always. I learn such a lot. Keep it coming BL
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- Black Lapel says:
May 17, 2014 at 8:19 am
Happy to help, Mike. Get out there and show ’em how it’s done at the next wedding you go to.
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Brown 
Black Lapel 
Rajiv Soni 
RAHUL 
Sharon Summons 
Felipe 
hanz 
Andy 
Mary 
Brushane 
ABISHEK 
Tina 
erin 
Ashley 
Mike 
Praneet 
Sinead Shannon 
Carlos Carmona 
Allison 
Aisling 
The dude abides 
Chris 
N. 
AZES 
joannapaul 
Amos 
Mike 