5 Star Weddings speaks to Adam King of King and Allen bespoke tailors to find out exactly how the best man can be the best dressed on his wedding day.
5 Star Weddings: What are the current trends for men’s bridal fashion?
Adam King: Light grey wool cashmere blends have been popular for the past 3 years, particularly for summer weddings. However, our more sartorially savvy clients are realising that they’re becoming ubiquitous so grooms will look to navies and petrol blue solids to set them apart from the masses. We’re also seeing a surge in classic clothes such as Herringbones, Prince of Wales Checks and Glen Checks. 2011 will also see a return to tradition. With the Royal wedding on everyone’s mind, I’ve no doubt we’ll see an increase in Morning coats and Frock coats.
5 Star Weddings: Everybody concentrates on the bride and her dress, what is your advice for the groom?
Adam King: We tell them the truth. The fact is the wedding day is all about the bride and that their job is to turn up and make her look good! Nevertheless, they should be the best-dressed man at their wedding.
5 Star Weddings: What should a groom consider when picking his suit for the day?
Adam King: Firstly the overall style and theme of the wedding: is it traditional, modern, intimate etc? This will decide the style of the suit for them. Secondly, the groomsmen. Do they want their entire wedding party or just the best man in the same suit or do they want different suits for everyone? A popular option is having the same cloth but differing styles and cuts (something that can only be achieved by going bespoke). Next on the list would be the colour of everything: from the bridesmaid dresses, flowers, ties, pocket squares even down to the socks! It will all have an impact on the cloth, lining and stitching. Lastly, shoes and shirt: these ideally need to have been decided before the initial consultation and purchased by the first fitting.
5 Star Weddings: Which celebrity grooms have you dressed for their weddings?
Adam King: It would be most unprofessional for a bespoke tailor to publicise the name of his clients!
5 Star Wedding Directory: Should a groom consider a different outfit dependent on the time of day they get married?
Adam King: In short, yes. But this would only be an issue for a true ‘sartorialist’. Stick to two main rules and you can’t go wrong: sun up = morning coat, sundown black tie or tuxedo. In reality, the modern groom is wearing contemporary suits with the only suggestion of tradition coming in the form of a waistcoat or cravat.
5 Star Weddings: Morning suit, black tie or just an ordinary suit – when would grooms appropriately wear these suits?
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5 Star Weddings: How long does it take for you to design and make a suit?
Adam King: The initial consultation with a client can take anywhere from 30mins to an hour and a half. The construction takes either 3-4 or 6-8 weeks depending on the service chosen. This is followed by the fitting process where a client tries his suit on in front of one of our tailors a minimum of once to ensure a perfect fit (most clients have between 1 and 3 fittings). The total process can take up to 12 weeks. In short, we recommend grooms give themselves and us as much time as possible. A groom’s suit should not be a hasty decision or rushed. We always advise a groom to take his time. Getting a bespoke suit for your wedding should be an enjoyable experience and an oasis of calm amongst the guaranteed stress that organising a wedding entails.
5 Star Weddings: What do grooms get most anxious about when it comes to getting their look right for the wedding? I would say achieving the balance between form and function. A wedding suit should be 60% form and 40% function, so don’t worry if you can’t do squats in your trousers or star jumps in your jacket. But make sure you’re still comfortable. You don’t want to be fidgeting on the aisle; this will make the bride nervous!
5 Star Weddings: Have you ever had to deal with any groomzillas?
Adam King: Naturally, we do encounter some guys who are extremely stressed and worried and juggling a thousand different problems! However, the worst groomzillas always apologise once they collect their suit.
5 Star Weddings: What in your opinion makes a 5 Star Wedding?
Adam King: Obviously the groom and his wedding party need to look the very example of sartorial elegance!
Seriously, I find the best weddings are the ones where the guests aren’t forgotten. Things like transport between ceremony and reception, crèche for guests’ children and maybe something a bit different for the reception – the best I’ve experienced being a casino themed evening.
