speaking of women in suits....

I know I said I was bored with weddings, but when I saw these photos……… I MEAN COME ON

I had to post a few.

Claire + Leslie recently founded O'Harrow Clothiers, based in Silver Lake, and are already kicking ass with their Pocket Squares for Well-Mannered Rebels and button-downs for both women and men.

And, from Claire, re their suits: 

I got mine from Theory and Leslie got hers made by Requisite Clothing, highly recommend them. 

(Photos by Rad + In Love -- check out more from this rad Palm Springs wedding over on their blog)

Suit shopping for a BUTCH BRIDESMAID

Dear East Side Bride,

My niece is getting married in January. We're a big Latino family and like to get way too involved in each other's lives so we're all helping her plan the details.

My niece is having her two lesbian sisters as her MOH and bridesmaid. The MOH has no problem wearing a dress, but the other older sister is a bit of a tomboy. She's more likely to dress up in slacks and a dress shirt and after some discussion and her freaking out about not even know what an 'updo' was we agreed that maybe it was best she didn't wear a dress after all. I wouldn't want to teach her to walk in heels anyhow.

I think that she'd look awesome in some sort of suit or tuxedo cut for a woman's body. What do you think? She's a tall girl and plus-size. Do you have any affordable suggestions? 

*****

First of all, CAN I COME TO THIS WEDDING??

Second, I started to write: "Buy a men's suit (or a tuxedo, if the groomsmen are wearing tuxes) and have it tailored...."

But this isn't quite my area of expertise.

So I brought in Christina, who is a recovering stylist (c'mon, you never really get over that do you?) AND the wife of an incredibly hot woman who likes to wear men's clothes.

Here's what Christina had to say:

first of all. designers, take note: there is a lack of great "mens wear" out there for women. there is definitely a population of women who prefer to wear pants, suits, and the like and would greatly appreciate clothes cut for them. in the meantime, let's deal with the issue at hand.

i know many, many women, who have worn suits at weddings. here are a few great examples: {amy & ana} {corinna & julie} {julia & tracy} {sarah & nat} {tracey & angela} {alaine & jenna}

patty [pictured above] wore men's pants, a dress shirt and vest, but it all definitely needed to be altered. i would suggest going to any "affordable" menswear stores and try things on. keep in mind, the clothes aren't going to fit perfectly, they will definitely need to be altered.

avoid double breasted suits--they look boxy. i'd definitely recommend the shirt/pants/ vest combo. it's a great alternative to the jacket/suit as it's much easier to alter and it's chic. see: {stori & tausha}

you're not going to be able to walk into the men's wearhouse and buy a suit off the rack. because of the extra curves, the pants might fit but the jacket that goes with it may not. also, the size pants that might fit your hips might be extra long in crotch, and the waist might need to be taken in. because of that issue, the jacket & pants might be easier to buy as separates. mix and match...get a shirt at h&m or urban outfitters or even sears, it doesn't have to be expensive. tie can jazz it up too. don't get a clip on tie...learn to tie it.

most dry cleaners have an alterations person & most are pretty savvy to the menswear on women issue, especially here in los angeles. we go to a place here in silver lake to do a fitting and they don't even bat an eyelash when patty walks in with menswear.

vintage is also another great way to go, as sometimes the men's sizes can be more forgiving, plus you can get more bang for your buck. in los angeles, there are lots of great places. wasteland {four locations, the studio city one is great!}, decades, iguana vintage, aaardvark's, squaresville, to name a few. it can't hurt to check out goodwill {hint: go to a goodwill in a nice neighborhood}. you'd be amazed what you can find. but it takes some time & patience...

the shirt and vest can match the color combo of the other bridesmaids...or you could even have something custom-made to match the other sister's dress. it's not as pricey as you'd think and you can get a great fit.

you can also try to find a women's suit that works. in the "professional" or career sections of most stores, the suits can be pretty great and don't have to be altered. they just don't usually have the same menswear fabrics, so tend to be a bit more feminine, but worth checking out because of fit. i'd try macy's, nordstrom, ross, sears, h&m...

by the way, there's a new trend of wearing casual shoes {ie converse} with a suit. patty says it's not cool. stay classy.

Editor's Note: Dudes who aren't precisely 5'10" + 175lbs might find some of these tips helpful, too.

First Image: Marcel Castenmiller by Jonas Kesseler, styled by Emi Kameoka, via Wearing the Pants + COUTE QUE COUTE. (Okay, Marcel is a dude. But he's so pretttttttttttty.)

Second Image: Patty Schemel by Chris Strother

what is it about blondes in WHITE PANTS?

I've got a menswear for women post coming up, but in the meantime I thought I'd torment you with this photo of Corinna & Julie.

One-of-a-kind dress by Elizabeth Dye + custom suit by Duchess.

(Photo by Evrim Icoz. See more from this wedding on Rock n Roll Bride.)

Many thanks to Christina, who will be doing the heavy lifting later.

pssst.

There's a new Dear ESB up on 100 Layer Cake for you. Guess what it's about?



No, not True Blood. Silly Buttons.

Photo of Alexander Skarsgård by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Styling by Michael Philouze for VMAN via Charles Hall + Will is Crazy

Where can a cool kid from Minnesota find a suit?

Dear ESB,

We're 7 weeks away from the wedding, and my dearest darling fiance doesn't have his outfit picked out yet. He hasn't figured out what the groomsmen will be wearing either, and they're starting to bug him about it (we are fortunate enough to have five very-on-top-of-it-groomsmen who actually want to be prepared, and not naked, at our wedding!)

Ideally, he wants to wear a three piece Donegal wool/tweed suit, or a coat-vest-pants combo that are (classily) mismatched (this Billy Reid suit, on the left, is a perfect example). And we'd like the groomsmen to wear a pants-vest combo but no jacket. Taupe or gray preferred. But... We live in a small Minnesota town (Duluth) and don't have the luxury of shopping at awesome vintage shops or boutiques. We have been scouring Google, to no avail.

Do you have anything up your sleeve?

Love,
Naked in Duluth

***** 

NID,

I emailed my lady Kat from Pierrepont Hicks and she asked her style guru Samuel Fehrenbach, the proprietor of Martin Patrick3, a men's accessories shop in Minneapolis.

Here's what Sam had to say:

Well, I can’t speak for Duluth, but Heimie’s Haberdashery in St. Paul is for sure the best bet in the Twin Cities - and they do all their tailoring in house, which is convenient for wedding things, I’m sure. Otherwise Twill out in Edina Galleria may be a good bet as well. They’ve got kind of a tweedy Hickey Freeman vibe (but they also sell Vineyard Vines ties – which is totally the opposite). I think both shops do custom, though seven weeks is pressing your luck in that regard. You might have some luck at Judd Frost in Wayzata, but I’ve never actually been there, so I can’t give you a full endorsement. Wish I could give you a little more to go on, but unfortunately in Minnesota suits for cool kids can be tough to find.

Side note, I don’t think I’d call Duluth a small town, but that must just mean that I’m really really from the Midwest.

When I was linking over to Hickey Freeman just now (thank you Sam!) I noticed that this tan plaid suit is 50% off. It's lighter weight than what you're looking for, but how cold will it be in Duluth at the end of September?

I'm asking. I have no idea what the weather is like in Duluth. 

xoxo,

ESB 

(Image courtesy of Kanye New Yorker Tweets.  I trust you have all been following Kanye on Twitter?)