No pressure, but the UK prom is kind of a big deal these days. It’s also probably your first real opportunity to show you’re in tune with the latest styles, and comfortable and confident showing them off among your peers. It’s a tough audience, but you can win them over.
Till now, chances are you’ve either been in school uniform or casual threads, apart from maybe a wedding or other family affair. Well, now’s the time to prove you’ve got switched-on contemporary style in the bag already, with what is essentially a dress rehearsal for a life of style. The good news is, you’re in exactly the right place to nail it and to start as you mean to go on with a fashion statement. Let’s answer the question on the tip of every aspiring prom king – ‘what do I wear to the prom?’
Slim fit? Three-piece? Smart jeans or skinny trews?
That you’re even asking shows you care about dressing to impress, and that’s the perfect starting point. It means you’re open to suggestions and keen to find the style that will stand you out at the main event… for all the right reasons. Of course, there’s more to it than a shirt, blazer and trousers, but we’ll get on to the finishing touches later. Let’s lock down the basics first – this is your chance to lay the foundations for a look you can own and build on for future formal events, job interviews and posh dates!
Mix and match for unique styling
Cherry-picking the best of the brands and styles is a sure-fire way to create a style of your own. As long as you stay fairly subtle and avoid obvious clashes, you’re on the right track for turning heads and expressing an appreciation for how different shades and styles can complement each other. Slater Menswear’s ONESIX5IVE range, for example, mixes and matches brilliantly with Harry Brown items, and there are endless options for personalisation throughout our own brands and others, including Ted Baker, Common Sense, Ventura, Paul Costelloe and more.
Contrasts are in
While a fairly uniform approach to colour and shade can be dapper, adding in a confident contrast can transform a prom outfit. Try mismatching trousers and blazers, or blazers and waistcoats in a 3-piece suit, for a head-turning effect. Just don’t forget to factor in the contrasts when it comes to the tie, belt and shoes. Get it right, and you’ve got the look that could be the new you. Combine your instincts with our expertise for a winning formula.
Don’t rule out pinstripe or check
Another way to make a statement of self-assured style is with a pattern. Slater Menswear’s popular MRK brand features a great contemporary navy cloth with white pinstripe, and our ONESIX5IVE navy and grey/brown check three-pieces are highly stylish and versatile outfits with a barely believable price tag.
What’s with the waistcoat?
Waistcoats were once somewhere to stash your pocket watch, but they’ve enjoyed a welcome return to the fashion world in recent years, and open up another ‘custom’ option to the young man’s outfit. Simple single-breast or double-breast are popular choices across the ranges, and the double-breast scoop-waistcoat suits, such as with the Skinny Fit Navy Three Piece Suit with Double Breasted Waistcoat from ONESIX5IVE, are once again statement-making articles at affordable prices.
What’s without the waistcoat?
But hey, let’s not forget the simple 2-piece suit. It’s a classic, and conveys cool confidence and works wonders with a light-coloured plain or gingham shirt and tie – or even with a close-fitting crew-neck jumper. The key to success here, though, is the fit. 2-piece suits work really well in a slim fit, and the Black Slim Fit Two Piece Suit from Ventura is the perfect starter for its reassuring versatility. Plus its £69 price tag frees up funds for complementing it with a cool shirt and tie…
Add the bells and whistles
Well, maybe not literally, but when you’ve settled on the basic outfit that’s going to win the prom for you, it’s time to add the finishing touches, from tie to tie-pin, to cufflinks and sunglasses, to belt or maybe braces. Even down to socks (and shoes if you’re still undecided).
It’s these finer details that complete the look, and let your contemporaries know you’ve thought this through and know what you’re doing when it comes to gents’ couture. It simply adds to the impact and ensures you’re on the money. However close the scrutiny, it says, ‘I’ve got this’.
Start with a statement
What to wear to a prom can seem like a minefield of decisions, but ultimately it’s simple – you’re aiming to express a smarter, more stylish and assured version of your everyday self, and you’ll feel it when you find it. That’s the key: it’s you, but like your contemporaries have never seen you before. It’s as much about finding what feels good as what looks good. If anything, they’re one and the same – whatever looks good, feels good. And when you feel good, you’re going to look great, whoever’s checking you out.
Once you’ve got that covered, you can focus on enjoying the event knowing there are eyes on you. And it feels good that it’s not just about the girls anymore, right?
Actually, start with a look-see
Our advice? Have a good browse of the Slater Menswear site, and get a feel for what you’d feel good in. Start with our prom collection and see where it takes you. Then pop into your nearest store, say hi to one of our friendly experts, and we’ll soon find the version of you that maybe you or your friends never knew existed.
One last thing
The prom is now a rite of passage for young men as well as young women, and it’s an ideal opportunity to find your style and carry it with conviction. All you need to do now is go out and have the best time!