Wearing white.

Tom has the White Stuff.

It's getting warmer as May approaches, so what better time to address one of the better-known Rules? Perhaps you already have a light-colored linen jacket or even a seersucker suit hanging in the closet, or maybe you're considering acquiring one for the rash of summer weddings. So when can you start using it?

Ask folks in different parts of the country when you can start wearing white suits, jackets, or shoes, and you'll get different answers. Up in New England, they'll tell you the rule is Memorial Day to Labor Day. Down South you'll hear it's proper from Easter until Labor Day-ish. Since we're in the Midwest, why not split the difference?

Let's remember this rule developed because these types of white clothing items were worn in the summer months for their cooling properties (besides the sunlight-reflecting properties of white materials, they also tend to be lighter and more breathable than winter-weight materials). Things start to warm up around here as May approaches, and since it splits the difference between Easter and Memorial Day as the Midwest splits North and South, May 1 serves as a good rule of thumb. The first warm spell following (say, 80+ degrees) would be a good opportunity to break out that white or natural linen jacket.

Let the origins of the rule also serve as your guide when it comes to summer wedding wear. Barring explicit instructions from the couple to the contrary, any outdoor summer wedding or reception, day or night, should be an appropriate venue for wearing your seersucker or linen.* After all, you'll be subject to the sun during the day or to the summer heat and humidity once the sun goes down. Indoor weddings and receptions during the day also tolerate lighter wear, as you'll be outside traveling to and between venues, and likely during portions of the events themselves. However, a late-afternoon-to-evening indoor wedding with indoor reception following often calls for a summer-weight darker wool suit, or perhaps a darker poplin suit.

Speaking of poplin, a khaki, tan, or olive cotton suit can be a great alternative for summer wear if you're not quite adventurous enough to go seersucker or white linen. Because it's not white, you can also get away with wearing such a suit earlier in the spring and later into the fall. Style Blogger had a recent post highlighting some good options, including cotton, linen, and seersucker suits, for summer weddings.    



* The rule you may have heard relating to only the bride wearing white is applicable only to female guests. However, you should still be mindful of what the other guests are likely to be wearing. Courtesy dictates that you not dress in a manner so unlike the other guests that you draw attention away from the bride on her special day. On the other hand, weddings are one of the best remaining opportunities in our casual society to celebrate through your style, and well-dressed guests contribute to a classy celebration. So if the other male guests are likely to be wearing jackets but not linen or seersucker, go ahead and wear yours, but maybe tone it down a bit by wearing brown shoes and belt and a blue shirt, and forgoing the bow tie for a conservatively-patterned-and-colored regular tie. If it's a casual outdoor wedding, try wearing your jacket with a knit tie and jeans. As long as you stay within a half-step of formality of several other guests, you'll be fine. 

Learning the rules.

This is the obligatory rules introductory post. You've heard of the "rules": when to wear white, which buttons to button, how to match your tie, etc. Chances are, part of the reason you're at this site is to find help with some of these rules.

If you've read much of anything about writing style or personal style, you've no doubt run across items not just about the rules, but also about how to break them. It's okay to break the rules as long as you know you're doing it and you've got a reason. But you have to know the rules first.

The importance of the rules will vary depending on your environment and the particular rule at issue. Some rules developed due to practicality and therefore may have practical consequences if they are not followed. For other rules, any practicality was lost long ago and now they persist due only to tradition. The breech of some rules will be easily noticed by many people and will reflect on you personally; it is left to you to decide whether the message it sends is one you intend, or whether you care at all. Other rules may be easily ignored with little or no consequence. Of course, there are regional variations to some rules, and because we are a site focused on the Midwest, our discussion of rules will be centered on the interpretation most recognized by or suited to this region.

Finding your style.

Everyone has a style, in the loosest sense of the word, because everyone has a certain manner of dressing and presenting himself. What we're talking about here is finding style, in the sense of being a person who knows how to dress well. Dressing well is not equal to dressing expensively. An inexpensive suit worn well speaks more to your ability to dress than an expensive suit worn poorly. Dressing well means giving thought to your outfit, putting together elements that complement each other, and wearing your ensemble in a way that shows you care about your appearance.

One of the benefits of living in the Midwest is that it's easier to upgrade your style. It's not as difficult to improve your dress relative to those around you, because most men around here are content with their khakis and polo shirts. Trends do not change as rapidly here and tend to arrive later, if at all.  You can adopt a traditional approach to dressy clothing and be confident that most elements of your wardrobe will remain appropriate for some years, leaving you the flexibility to incorporate some trendier items as you desire into your base collection. Of course, you can also adopt a trendier approach if you find that's what you like, and it will be easier because you'll have to worry less about the constant game of one-upsmanship that can take place in those areas where everyone's striving for trendy.

So how do you go about figuring out where you want to head with your style? Open your eyes: pay attention to what guys are wearing on TV or in movies. Buy some magazines like GQ or Esquire and flip through them. Browse some street style blogs or some men's style blogs.* Go down to the Plaza or your local shopping center and stroll through different stores, browsing their displays. Take note of what you like and use those ideas to help direct you in your determination. Once you've done this, you should have some idea of labels and stores that carry items you're interested in incorporating as part of your style.

* Keep in mind that many of the examples in magazines or on blogs will be more "cutting edge" (some might say "extreme"). You may not want to head out and try to recreate the entire outfit, but at least take note of particular elements you'd like to incorporate into your wardrobe.

Moving beyond the polo.

Don't get us wrong: there's nothing wrong with a good polo shirt. Our intent here is not to denigrate a time-tested staple of the male casual wardrobe. Our own closet contains at least a dozen such specimens at the moment.

It's just that there's so much more out there. But here in the Midwest, a lot of guys think getting "dressed up" means throwing on their best polo shirt and their tan microfiber pants. And, truthfully, that's all some guys may really need. There are others, however, who sense that there's more out there...who want more...but who just don't know exactly how to get there.

That's where BTP comes in. We're here to help you get there. We'll help you learn or better understand the basics so you can better expand your personal style.

Because our focus is on the basics, you won't find much here in the way of designer showcase posts or "what I'm wearing this season" posts. There are plenty of places that do that and do it well, and we will highlight some of them as we proceed. Such sites can be a great resource to you once you've got the confidence to begin expanding your personal style. We're going to focus on getting you that confidence.

Thanks for joining us. You can learn more about BTP here.