Outfit Of The Week 4/21/24 – 4/27/24

This week’s edition of “OOTW” features an ensemble I had the pleasure to wear at my aunt’s surprise birthday party.

I was so thrilled to attend the party as I don’t get the opportunity to see my extended family much. The day-to-day is always so hectic that planning trips to visit those who live a ways away is always challenging. When a chance like this pops up, though, you need to jump on it! Family is the most important thing in life so don’t take it for granted!

The party was held in a lovely little Italian restaurant in the town where my aunt, uncle, cousins, and their families live. I suspected the formality level of the event would be something in the realm of “nice casual”, as in “nice enough to indicate I understood this was a special event, but casual enough to be comfortable and not stand out too much”.

And that’s sometimes the difficulty with nailing a formality level. I’ve written about that exact thing before. If a dress code is stated on an invitation, then it’s a no-brainer. Ninety-nine percent of the time, though, the hosts of a party won’t indicate a dress code, especially if the event isn’t something like a wedding. It’s in these instances where you need to decide for yourself. In this instance, I felt that a tie would have been too much, but a jacket (specifically a more casual-leaning jacket) was appropriate. Remember, you can always remove a jacket if you feel overdressed, so best to err on the side of more formal rather than less.

As I was choosing my outfit, I also had to take into account that my wife and I would need to wrangle the children AND drive quite a distance. Ease of movement and easily launderable items were the name of the game!

I chose to wear a robust, tweed jacket from Brooks Brothers.

The morning was cool and I wasn’t sure how warm the restaurant would be. Also, wearing a sport coat is practical around children since it has so many pockets to carry their toys or snacks.

My shirt was an oxford-cloth button-down shirt from Brooks Brothers. I think the stripes on this shirt feel very spring-y!

My pants were my usual khaki chinos from Lands’ End.

My shoes were burgundy Bass Weejuns.

My pocket square was a wool, paisley pattern in orange, green, and red from Poszetka. A colorful paisley always looks good with a tweed jacket.

The party was immensely enjoyable and I was so thankful I got the opportunity to be a part of it. And the kids were shockingly well-behaved! This was partly due to the incredible good fortune of there being a killer playground directly next to the restaurant which meant we could get some of the kids’ crazies out before, during, and after the party.

A woman actually came up to my wife and me and told us we were the best dressed people on the playground! It’s always nice getting compliments.

Have a wonderful weekend!