STEP AWAY FROM THE SPANGLY SHIRT

SAYS STEPHEN DOIG

First, a confession: I love the chance to dress up. Perhaps, as the youngest of four, I have a look-at-me complex. Plus, I used to write about parties for a living for a glossy magazine, so the chance to put on something a bit celebratory has never intimidated me. It’s a way to swap out the doldrums of everyday life and embrace a bit of after-dark glamour.

That said, navigating party season is a tricky sartorial path for men to tread. More scary this year after two Covid-cancelled Christmases. The appetite for smartening up is clearly there, however, with tailors and purveyors of eveningwear, such as the exceptional Favourbrook, all reporting a huge boom in sales of suits, ritzy smoking jackets and tuxedos, heralding the return of dressing up. But if you’re the kind of fellow who’s less inclined to put on the old razzledazzle, where should you start?

The issue starts with the very phrase “party dressing”, which calls to mind Strictly Come Dancing cheesiness and daytime-television presenters in spangly shirts and jacquard blazers; it’s all a bit much for the man who prefers his style downplayed and low-key. If your natural habitat is a blazer, chinos and T-shirt, a plush velvet dinner jacket – handsome though it is – is never going to appeal. Which is where the stepped-up suit comes in.

Wearing your office suit to a party is never going to scream “life and soul”, which is why you should keep it firmly to corporate settings, but a suit with a subtle hint of colour is a considered way to up the ante without going from nought to 60. Make sure it’s in a plain wool fabric – as opposed to anything jacquard or shiny – to keep things more muted, and opt for a dark burgundy or deep green to just tweak things a touch.

Pair with a neat white T-shirt – more casual than a shirt, but the suit jacket stops it looking sloppy – and perhaps a pair of evening slippers. That doesn’t have to mean some Noël Coward-esque affair, just some velvet or leather loafers that don’t look like the clumping Oxfords men tend to don for work life. If you’re so inclined, accessorise. I’m a big fan of lapel pins to lend a glimmer to your jacket without looking like a bejewelled lounge crooner – or try a silk scarf tucked inside your jacket.

On the subject of tailoring, if standard black is your go-to, stick to that formula – you can spot a guy who’s uncomfortable in his clothes a mile off – so think about what you love to wear and adjust it a touch. A black blazer in a fine corduroy will add a plushness and texture without being OTT, while a double-breasted cut looks more formal and stately than single-breasted.

Of course, the thorny subject of the “party shirt” is something that comes up time and time again, calling to mind garish tropical prints or silken numbers fitting snugly over middleaged paunches. If that’s your idea of sartorial hell, a shirt with a subtle print is your friend here; a discreet tile pattern in a subdued colour is a great deal easier to get your head around than something erupting with palm fronds (fabulous though it might be). And don’t discount the quiet power of a good casual jacket. I don’t mean a blazer or suit jacket, but an informal outdoor jacket in a luxurious material such as leather or suede; it’s just plush enough to look expensive and smart, but it’s still relatively understated. After all, this is set to be a winter of discontent, so why not raise a glass in something that speaks to a sense of occasion when we need it most.