FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Ah how I miss those happy school days when the impending manifestation of a disagreement was clearly signalled by encircling the incumbents with a ring of 200 overexcited teenagers chanting the word “fight” in staunch methodical rhythm. Often of course this ring would itself be encircled by an outer ring comprising of upper set English students speculating various synonyms of fight from their thesauruses in a meagre attempt at joining in, and music students keen to enliven the chant with offbeat rhythms and the occasional tambourine. Of course as is so often the case this outer band would swiftly be forced to disperse as, one by one, they were stalked by preying bullies, but in such situations one can only hope that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword and that a decent sized sturdy thesaurus makes a handy weapon. I digress.

It was a simpler time, you knew where you stood. Nowadays it seems that a fight can emerge at any moment with no time to run to the reference section of the bookshelf and only the briefest hint of a warning. “ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?!” is of course the most common and inescapable call to arms and is, ironically, a battle that can arrive at eventual truce only by the acquisition and presentation of chocolate. Unusually in my case of course a fight is triggered by the initial discussion of a wide range of wedding related paraphernalia and the culmination of another busy week. But I fear tiredness may be leading to my rambling forth so allow me now to simplify the pretext of this post…

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Today it’s all about the Groomsman’s suits as we fight to decide which way to go in the Friday Fight-out Top-hat & Tails Vs Modern Chic.

Fighting the modernist corner this week, in the red corner she seems to have found yet another excuse to “research” men in suits it’s Dom “The Tog” Bride

In the blue corner, trying to pull a rabbit from a hat and chasing his own tail in the process it’s Matt “The Gormless” Groom

Engage in confrontation!

Dom: The fashion now is towards a more comfortable style for your wedding day. It’s your day, you want to be relaxed, stylish and comfortable, not stifled under a huge suit and top-hat!

Matt: Top-hat and tails is the classic wedding look. It’s like the Bride’s dress in that your wedding is probably the only time you’ll wear that kind of outfit unless you’re a magician or something! it’s special, unique; not the kind of outfit you’re going to wear to work the next week!

D: But with weddings being so expensive isn’t it more useful to get a suit that you can wear again? You can accessorise it to make it more “weddingy” for the day itself then wear it for other events with a different shirt and tie: brilliant!

M: Hiring formal grooms attire can be a lot cheaper than buying even a more casual suit, particularly if you want your groomsmen to match. Most suppliers will have several matching suits in various sizes rather than trying to buy matching suits for several people who may not all be around at the same time.

D: You can do some really cool and funky touches with a more modern look. I’ve seen some great weddings with different coloured ties or braces for the groomsmen to match in with the groom. This can help to accentuate your colour theme and tie the groomsmen together very cheaply and to really cool effect!

M: Lots of the wedding guests are likely to be wearing standard modern suits, the formal top-hat and tails help to differentiate the groom and help him stand out from the crowd and be the best-dressed in the room.

D: The top-hat and tails look only works for a really formal wedding. Where once it was the norm it’s now such a specific look that you need to be sure that it matches the style of the whole day and, of course, works with the style of the Bride’s wedding dress! A slightly more casual (but still smart!) look sets up a more relaxed feel to the day.

M: That formal, classic grooms attire is all part of the fairytale wedding. It’s lavish, it’s decedent, it’s a status symbol: the groom is the most important person in the room! (Well, alongside the Bride of course!)

D: Formal suits are really heavy and you can quickly get too hotwith a waistcoat, long tails and the hat! You’re supposed to be looking your absolute best, not sweating down the aisle! For destination weddings in hot countries in particular you need to think about the practicalities of what you’re wearing!

M: Alright, I admit it, I just want to do magic tricks! The minute you get a top-hat you automatically become a great illusionist right?

D: I’m not sure that’s true to be honest Matt

M: Ha, muggles… what do they know eh!

D: Are you calling me a muggle?

M:Annnnnd cue chanting…

So there we have it, Top Hat & Tails Vs Modern Chic suit. We’d love to hear your thoughts so get involved on the comments section or debate with us on Twitter! In the meantime I need to get some sleep, forty winks, hibernation, nap, nod, rest, sack time, siesta, slumber… ok the thesaurus is going away now. G’night all!