A friend posted that she was selling her son’s prom getup from last year. If I had a son, it wouldn’t be anything that I would want him to wear, but I realize that I’m set in my ways and have trouble accepting that boys might like to show off their sense of style through prom wear. So rather than dismiss the trendy styles as Pee Wee Herman-like, I might as well come to grips with it. Did you know that there are specific names for the parts of the suit coat? Mind blowing, isn’t it? I consulted the ol’ Google and stumbled upon a website called “The Anatomy of a Suit Jacket” by Gentlemen’s Gazette, which is chock full of great information that I didn’t know, so it’s worth checking out. Since I’m a woman, I tend to focus more on young ladies, but here are a few tips for young men. Feel free to share this with your son/grandson/nephew:
- If you purchased a tuxedo or jacket and didn’t rent it, please make sure to remove the designer label on the sleeve as well as the strings that are attached to the vents (or the flaps that are on the back of the jacket. Absolutely no one needs to know what size you wear or who made it. NO ONE! In most cases the string will be a completely different color, which should tip you off to cut it, but we have all seen boys/men with the strings still affixed to the jacket. Be careful not to cut the jacket when you remove the string.
- Take the time to find out what your date is wearing if you’re going to strike out and wear an embellished jacket. Remember John Witherspoon in the movie Boomerang saying, “You need to coooo-oordinate!” If I were a young lady going to prom today, you better believe that I would insist that my date show me what he plans to wear. Shoot, I do that with Mr. Smith now. Who wants to look mismatched?
- Let’s talk about pant length. I do not like pants that show ankles. (Surprise, surprise!) If that’s your thing, would you pretty-please put lotion on those ankles? Mr. Smith suggests that if you’re to wear a shorter pant, wear some fashionable socks. Better yet, wear some traditional pants and DO NOT SAG UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Yes, I feel strongly about that as you can tell.
- I absolutely abhor dress shoes that aren’t lace-ups for proms and weddings, but if you must wear them, make sure that they go with what you’re wearing. I get that you want to stand out, but refer to number 2.
- I have many friends that are boy moms, and one thing that I hear often is that when they are a certain age, they sometimes still have to encourage their sons to bathe. Don’t be that guy that looks good and thought that he could cover up funk with some cologne. That’s a surefire way to have an early evening.
- Use good manners. I still think it’s nice when young men open car doors, pull out chairs, etc. In other words, don’t be a knucklehead if you are normally. Be on your best behavior. Say “yes, ma’am,” or “no, sir,” etc. I’ll bet your date would appreciate it. Young ladies need to be on their best behavior, too. I mean heck, don’t we all need to be nice all the time?
- Figure out what looks good on you. I say this to young ladies and it goes for young men, too. If you don’t feel comfortable looking like rappers at the Grammy’s, stick with a traditional tuxedo. You can’t go wrong with that look in my opinion, but you might guess that I’m more of a traditionalist in this case.
- This goes for both young ladies and young men. Don’t pressure your date to do anything they don’t want to do. This post is mostly about what to wear, so I’m going to leave it to your parents to teach you the importance of respecting one’s personal space.
I would love to hear what tips you have for young men headed out to prom. It’s that time of year and I’m looking forward to what I will see.
#ksmithsays
ksmithsays 