I love formal wear.

There is something about a well dressed man draped in fine suiting such as blazers, proper dress shirts, dress shoes, tuxedo jackets, ties etc. In the words of the classic man himself; when asked "Jidenna why you dress so classic" he replied:

“I don’t want my best dressed days in a casket”

— Jidenna

Dressing up elevates how I feel about myself but I don't always want to dress formal from head to toe. I admire those guys who wear a full suit daily but I just can't do it. On the other hand I also cannot dress purely casual on a regular basis. I can't pull off that hobo chic look (trust me I've tried) My signature style involves me looking polished in some way so I stay true to that.

My bop is a little more strong and I walk with a tad more vengeance knowing that I look put together. I used to "dress up" a whole lot more when I lived in the DMV because there was less street style and I worked in more conservative office cultures. In the last few years I've transitioned to a more effortless street chic style with a twist of put together formality, but I still throw in elements of my preppy-ness here and there. I like to mix formal pieces with casual pieces because style reflects personality and mine is refined yet fun classic yet modern.

I began adding in formal wear to the mix when I found a beautiful black wool shaw collar tuxedo jacket (pictured below at a thrift store in Maryland. I loved the structure of it and the clean lines. I always imagined wearing it with jeans and as soon as I put the outfit together it clicked that this could be my new thing.

To achieve this dressed up everyday style I pay a lot of attention to the detail of the formal wear pieces. I choose items that have high visual impact. Typically I balance the look by wearing denim and I typically add a t-shirt and either a boot, dress shoe or sneaker.

I rarely wear a tie with these looks but I do sometimes throw on a lapel pin or broach to take it up a notch.

In Love, Peace, and Style,

Lonnie

Scroll through some of my favorite looks where I embodied this style