‘It’s a privilege to dress grooms for one of the most important days of their life.’
There’s an Italian word, giusto, that roughly translates to ‘just right’.
It’s a concept that has underpinned the ethos of iconic Kiwi menswear designer and retailer Working Style for almost four decades.
“There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to getting wedding or occasion dressing right,” says Chris Dobbs, founder and managing director of Working Style.
“Key among those is seasonality. Are you getting married in summer or winter? Because while a formal tailored suit would work for the cooler months, you don’t want to look out of place or be too hot wearing a heavy suit in the middle of summer.”
Currently in the throes of outfitting grooms and groomsmen for the Antipodean 24/25 summer wedding season, Chris says fabric plays a big part in getting it right.
“For summer weddings, both pure linen and textured linen blends have been really successful for us, particularly for outdoor weddings. But silk and wool combinations are also an enduring combination for occasion dressing because they give a degree of sheen to the fabric, a bit more depth, and are an easy way to add a luxurious touch.”
For autumn and winter weddings, Working Style is doing a lot of velvet suit jackets in colours such as black, British racing green, cobalt blue, dark brown and slate grey.
“We find that the juxtaposition of formality and casualness of a velvet jacket is one of those lovely things that never really goes out of fashion. It also works beautifully for dinner dressing and looks better and better as time goes on.”
Speaking of colour, it’s another factor that can make or break ceremonial dressing, whether that’s for a 21st birthday, an engagement or for milestone birthdays. And especially for weddings.
“Who says a wedding suit has to be black? Over the last few years, we’ve noticed men going for a wider colour palette, choosing colours that reflect their style and the wedding theme. For summer or outdoor weddings that includes earthy colours such as beige and creams or pastel shades such as soft greens. In our current range of collection suiting, we’re offering a beige, light blue, off-green, navy, cobalt blue and chocolate brown. We’re also doing those colours in cotton suits.”
When the weather turns colder, grooms’ thoughts turn to deeper, richer tones such as dark brown, grey and autumnal shades.
A trend that Chris has seen gaining momentum over the past few years is what he calls the “two-outfit approach”.
“A friend’s kids recently got married in Hawke’s Bay over a long weekend and they had three events: a pre-wedding, the wedding and a dance party. That means three outfits for the bride and three for the groom. But we’re generally seeing men opt for two outfits, which allows grooms a reset and to express their personal style.
“Just as brides often transition from their wedding gown to a less formal outfit for the reception, many grooms want to play that game too, and are opting for a lighter, more playful coloured jacket for the reception. For example, if they’ve worn a black jacket during the day, they might transition to a white jacket for the evening. Or for summer weddings, a change of shirt if they’ve been out in the hot sun all day. The key is a second outfit that is able to be worn again, which is a sustainable approach.”
While previously, the day-after event might have seen the groom don a pair of shorts and jandals for a casual barbecue, many of Chris’ customers are opting for a slightly more upmarket look.
“It’s still casual but has a more playful element to it. So instead of shorts or jeans, grooms might choose white or bone-coloured chinos, a crisp shirt and, depending on the temperature, a suit jacket. We’re not talking a matchy-matchy outfit, though. It’s about having fun with the look.”
But back to the wedding day. A feature that continues to grow in popularity at the six Working Style stores across New Zealand is the customisation of garments. That includes grooms having their initials or wedding date embroidered inside their suit jackets, or features such as exposed external stitching or custom lining.
“It’s quite sartorial and an expression of personal style. If you’re having a jacket made to measure, we can also change the pocket configurations, the button configurations, or any styling or stitching details.
“With so many options comes the possibility of too much sizzle and not enough sausage, but we aim to cut through that and make it easy for grooms to design a classic suit that’s right for them.”
It usually takes between four and six weeks for a made-to-measure suit.
“After the initial consultation, we have a couple of fittings with the groom for our tailors to ensure a perfect fit, which they can also do if they’re buying a ready-to-wear suit.”
Whether ready-to-wear or made-to-measure, all Working Style suits and shirts are made from fabric sourced from Europe. Appropriately for a company that leans into the concept of guisto, Italy is a major supplier of linen, wool and fabric blends.
For Chris and his experienced team, it’s a privilege to dress grooms for one of the most important days of their life.
“It’s about giving men a sense of identity and helping them feel confident. A beautifully made, well-fitting suit can do that. In this increasingly casual world, where the nuances of dressing well can often be overlooked and the age-old sartorial embellishments that once defined elegance are at risk of being forgotten, we’re committed to reviving and preserving those timeless elements.”
For more information, visit workingstyle.co.nz and @workingstylenz.
