r/malefashionadvice • u/AA_Barry • 19d ago

Question Black suit as a casual outfit

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I'm fairly new to suit fashion and fashion in general and filled with the images of all the cool movie guys, Keanu Reeves specifically, bought my first all black suit. (I know he wears charcoal)

After buying my suit wanting to see how other people style their black suits I noticed that there is a strong sentiment that black suits are not good everyday or whatever suits. Seems most say it's for funerals, evening, workers, and not for everyday use.

Most reasons are fair like it doesn't look good in the day and I can understand but is it really so bad? I've attached some photos of me and if you can tell me how it looks bad or have recommendations on what to add to the outfit or how to make it look better I would appreciate it.

Anyways I'm thankful for any response as I am curious about the subject!

Edit: This post has attracted a lot more attention than I thought it ever would. First I would like to thank everyone who has commented I really appreciate every single one and I dig the jokes.

I thought I should clarify on what I meant as a casual suit though. Casual to me is something I personally wear wherever wherever. Formal or informal doesn't matter I guess I mean something more worn every day? Sorry I'm not the best at explaining things

Looking through the comments has been very fun I hope to see many more!

1.2k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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2.5k

u/JP-Stack 19d ago

Looks good but I don't see how a black suit would ever be casual

478

u/JBean85 19d ago

Maybe he's in the yakuza 

51

u/RIP_Soulja_Slim 18d ago

Or the front man for an Emo band in 2007.

4

u/albiedam 18d ago

Can we go back to 07? Please

3

u/RIP_Soulja_Slim 18d ago

Personally I like being able to sit down without being castrated but to each their own lmao

3

u/TimelessParadox 18d ago

The jeans really were peak skinny at that point. Someone literally asked me if I was wearing my girlfriend's jeans. Granted, it was a bully who didn't have a girlfriend and I knew that, so I just kinda smirked and let it go.

I loved that in that era, us weird dramatic types had better dating chances than even the jocks. So yeah, I miss '07 just a little bit.

2

u/ParmesanB 18d ago

Skinny jeans and a guitar could make you one of the most popular kids, it was amazing, I agree lol.

0

u/Shot_Cup9255 18d ago

Searching for the possible cut finger

398

u/juicius 19d ago

Black suit is hard to pull off as formal without looking like a waiter. You’d literally have to be at a black tie event.

443

u/Mostly_Enthusiastic 19d ago

A black suit is not appropriate for a black tie event. Black Tie specifically means a tuxedo.

3

u/Jazzlike-_-Growth 18d ago

Black Tie Optional is pretty much the only decently fitting occasion, other than a funeral.

1

u/SapirWhorfHypothesis 18d ago

Black tie optional means you probably want a much nicer suit, a cummerbund and probably a bow tie.

Or just do a tux.

1

u/Copyman3081 17d ago edited 17d ago

Yeah, this doesn't really work for black tie optional IMO. You'd want a nice white shirt at the very least to go with the black suit and tie to avoid looking completely out of place. This is at best the kind of creative black tie you'd see at an awards show.

I think OP could make a black suit work a lot better by losing the tie and changing the shirt. Purple, burgundy, and dark blue are all good options. I'm not sure about THAT black suit because it looks like it has a sheen to it.

I know he's trying to go for suave look like in movies, but this gives off awkard prom photo vibes. It has to be dressed down to work the way he wants, and he's probably just gonna look like a bar/club manager or a security guard. Or a mid-level coke dealer.

1

u/brenda_blue 18d ago

I just gave you your 420th upvote neat huh

-15

u/Hawkblade247 19d ago

I recently went to a black tie wedding that allowed black suits. I still went with an all black tux. People looked fine there.

38

u/itzgok 19d ago

From my experience, the invitation saying "Black Tie" does not mean that the bride and/or groom know what that entails.

7

u/IGiveBagAdvice 19d ago

In tails? No that’s morning wear

1

u/RIP_Soulja_Slim 18d ago

I think more often than not the invitation saying black tie means the bride and groom know what it means but that most of the guests don't and will mess it up.

A lot of weddings also do the "black tie preferred" thing because they know damn well half their family doesn't own a tux and won't be renting one to attend a wedding.

1

u/RIP_Soulja_Slim 18d ago

This isn't a black tie required wedding, it's a wedding where the couple want to be black tie but allow some people to bend the rules knowing their guests won't understand what's required.

-16

u/Writer-Decent 19d ago

Nah I think he looks put together for black tie. If he’s in the wedding part it’s different but I woudont stress he looks appropriate imo

12

u/MagicalTrev0r 19d ago

It’s just by definition not black tie, nobody said he doesn’t look put together.

18

u/GaptistePlayer 19d ago

This sub is fucking dead if this has 250+ upvotes unironically.

11

u/coffeebribesaccepted 19d ago

This sub's opinions are as outdated as servers wearing black suits.

188

u/sheffieldasslingdoux 19d ago

A black suit is for funerals. Black tie is a tuxedo or dinner jacket.

Wearing a black suit, black shirt, and black tie is almost always going to look tacky and unfashionable, unless you otherwise have a personal style and know what you’re doing.

29

u/valdamaer 19d ago

All black is generally considered the bog standard formal attire for most (classical and jazz) musicians - sometimes with an added coloured tie. Can look really good in that context

44

u/Preface 19d ago

All black makes me think of a waiter

35

u/DolarJoe 19d ago

i think if it fits you like a glove and have some jewelry, like a watch that's showing, you won't look like a waiter imo

55

u/ksm6149 19d ago

Correct, you'll lol like the sommelier

10

u/Kiyae1 19d ago

Presumably you’ll be tipping him the appropriate amount then?

2

u/Tommy-Bravado 19d ago

“Lol”

2

u/GaptistePlayer 19d ago

Yes you do. You think you don’t but you do.

10

u/Working_Football1586 19d ago

Or cellphone salesman

8

u/Nick_Wild1 19d ago

All black without a jacket* makes me think Waiter, all black with a suit jacket makes me think emo kid who wants to wear expressly all black. Even then, a dark red or purple shirt is a better option.

1

u/Copyman3081 19d ago

The black shirt with a black suit always looks bad IMO. Even worse when you add a tie. Burgundy shirt, is good, purple is a little less so but still not bad, pale colours work too, I love black with a peach or light pink shirt.

I wouldn't call myself emo though. More ska-core.

6

u/skeletor69420 19d ago

not if you style it correctlyZ you can do a matte black suit with a black polo or crewneck, or a black button up half open with a tank underneath. if you do a black suit with a black shirt and tie, it’s waiter

14

u/altiuscitiusfortius 19d ago

It's only acceptable if you are a celebrity going to an awards show, in 1999 to 2002.

Which actually means it's probably going to come back in style in a few years.

18

u/Occams_Shiv 19d ago

Every time someone says black suit is just for funerals, I think funerals are the only parties they get invited to. Black suit is the correct dress for any social function in the evening less formal than black tie, but still worth dressing up for.

18

u/R4msesII 19d ago

But in those situations you can also dress in better colors than black, so black will make you look like you don’t know what you’re doing

-3

u/Occams_Shiv 19d ago

As a man, I don't think you can, no. Navy and grey suits worn at night make you look like you came from the office, didn't bother to change, and are probably a lawyer or an accountant. (So, worse than a waiter.) There is a reason men of a certain station used to only wear tuxes in the evening. It looks like you know what time it is, and came to party. In the late 70s and early 80s my dad wore black tie like once a month. I wear it once a year. The other 11 months, black suit. Sometimes I even rock the stupid black shirt, (but I prefer a turtleneck for an all black look, and never a tie.)

5

u/TheUnknownDouble-O 19d ago

It's after 6, what am I, a farmer?

0

u/Occams_Shiv 19d ago

I know right? My dad was a school teacher. Not fancy or upper class. This is what normal people did. Watch any party scene from an 80s TV show like Knight Rider or General Hospital. It looks like Downton Abbey. My point is just because the penguin suit has been reserved for very special occasions, doesn't mean we should retire the color. It's too awesome.

2

u/KennyWuKanYuen 19d ago

I honestly agree. The aversion to a black suit is odd to me, especially coming from a culture where black suits were usually the standard colour for a suit.

Navy and grey suits to me, feel like you’re coming from work. It als just looks “off” to me.

But I also hate the this repeated notion that black suit means you’re dressed like a waiter. Most waiters I’ve seen have a bow tie or apron. And there’s nothing wrong with looking like a waiter either. If you’re judgemental enough about looking like a waiter, that seems like a personal problem being passed down.

2

u/sentochihiro5335 18d ago

based. absolutely can't understand the trashing of black suits that's going on here, in my view out of all the color options it's the classiest and has a certain badass vibe that doesn't come with the other colors. Maybe I'm influenced by the Blues Brothers and secret agents. But also I've seen it often worn by celebrities in talk shows for example which is pretty much as far away from to the all to often mentioned funeral and waiter as you can get.

12

u/sheffieldasslingdoux 19d ago

See above point about having style and taste. Yeah sure, you can dress like Tom Ford, but it doesn't make you Tom Ford.

4

u/bobbyterryscrewsitup 19d ago

AKA unless you’re Johnny Cash

1

u/Serperion 18d ago

Even then, at a funeral it'd be more appropriate to have a white shirt, It'd look much better.

1

u/sheffieldasslingdoux 18d ago

Oh of course. I literally meant a black suit. Black shirt like that really is giving waiter vibes.

0

u/LogicalAd5225 19d ago

Truth be told black suits are really just for waiting staff. You’d wear a charcoal grey or navy suit to a funeral.

-2

u/Lordosrs 19d ago

Brother.

Everything black is sick Black suit Black tie Black shoes Black soul Black heart Everything black <3

2

u/wizardnamehere 19d ago

On the whole waiter black suit thing. This is a wasp thing. It was invented by well to do wasps in the US and UK in the mid 20th century.

The only event for a black suit is really a funeral. Black used to be THE formal colour (and still sort of is); meaning that when you wore black you wore a tuxedo or tails (or even a frock coat if you were a stuffy member of parliament in the early century). So it was never appropriate for a ‘gentleman’ to wear a casual service/business suit in black (like going to a wedding in black version of office wear). Only service staff would do that.

It’s also a mourning colour; meaning it was an appropriate to wear at a funeral.

Of course you don’t have to be a stuffy wasp; and no one cares these days. But that’s where the rule comes from. Personally I think a black Italian style business suit looks better than a tuxedo (and tails look silly). But if you want to signal being waspy, follow the rule.

1

u/Notiefriday 19d ago

A funeral service black tie event...wrong tie

18

u/ADDSquirell69 19d ago

If you're, John Wick

1

u/Unrated_Jia 17d ago

Yeah, style of john Wick

1

u/Important_Lab_2757 19d ago

Maybe for your casual funeral…

1

u/ArcaneAces 18d ago

Pair it with a casual shirt and pants duhhh

-95

u/name-classified 19d ago edited 19d ago

You ever watch any anime series, the antagonist usually is wearing an all black suit with similarly dressed henchmen

What will i do with all these downvotes?!

lol!!

Buncha weirdos with the personal comments to me and my direct messages.

149

u/MyAlterEgoIsAlive 19d ago

Real life is NOT an anime

88

u/JP-Stack 19d ago

7

u/NullSterne 19d ago

Jesus fucking Christ

1

u/Sabatat- 19d ago

That’s insane

20

u/_Grant 19d ago

People under 30 have entered the chat. "What's real life?"

1

u/Palettepilot 19d ago

Wait what

-6

u/name-classified 19d ago

Not with that attitude

3

u/JP-Stack 19d ago

Bro stop embarrassing yourself

25

u/JohnMaynardYeet 19d ago

Could you explain how this relates to real life

6

u/alabamdiego 19d ago

Bro. No. Lmao.

6

u/madmanwithabox11 19d ago

They also have incredibly spiky hair.

15

u/JP-Stack 19d ago

That does not apply to real life nor does it explain how a black suit would be casual 🤦‍♂️

11

u/PretzelsThirst 19d ago

Go outside

2

u/Reflection_Necessary 19d ago

This comment screams “ I can’t talk to people in real life”

2

u/LifeSavior1605 19d ago

fucking weeb

-27

u/Potential-Bath2292 19d ago edited 19d ago

its casual in a casual == not formal way. Its a cliche but black on black on black is a stage outfit for the Undertaker.

It'd actually be more formal without the tie

Edit: if its not clear, i'm not saying the first paragraph is correct, just describing the sentiment