Jeremy Hackett - The Mr Classic Blog

When dressing, it is often far too easy to ignore the finer details. You may be wearing a very fine suit, but an entire look can be let down by sloppy attention to detail. Specifically, I’m thinking of socks. They’re such a small detail, but so important.

There are a few things to think about with socks. Should one match them with the colour of the shoes, or of the trousers? Or indeed, neither? Personally, I tend to wear navy blue socks with everything, except for evening clothes when I opt for black. Aside from everything else, it makes them much easier to match once they’ve come out of the wash.

I am often asked by my young friends what to wear with blazers. This is a more difficult proposition than you would think, as, unlike the suit jacket, the blazer can be worn with many different types of trouser.

When wearing, say, a navy blazer, I generally opt for the khaki (or beige) trouser. However, I understand that there is something of a misconception that the younger gentleman looks somehow too conservative or - well, let’s just say it - too old in light trousers with a dark blazer.

One of the biggest decisions you can make with formal attire is whether to buy it ‘off the rail’ or take the leap into the world of bespoke tailoring. There are convincing and plentiful arguments for both, so I shan’t get bogged down in the intricacies of the argument at this time.

Instead, look at things from a logical viewpoint: if you rarely wear a tuxedo and you are a regular size then it possibly isn't worth having one made.

On the other hand, having something made is not only going to fit better but it is likely to last longer, and as you would wear a tuxedo for special occasions you might as well look the best you can.

The cream or white dinner jacket is a tricky item to negotiate. Somehow, it doesn’t seem quite so formal as the standard black or navy, and it brings with it a whole host of sartorial issues that you simply don’t get with the darker jacket.

This all begs the question; when is it appropriate to wear one? I have a book at home that states you should only wear a cream dinner jacket when on a cruise, and even then only after you have reached Port Said.

However, that book was written in 1936, so perhaps you should take it with a pinch of salt.

I think generally, at an outdoor event in the summer would be the perfect time to wear a lighter dinner jacket.

I am of the opinion that no single term has done more to confuse how we should dress than ‘smart / casual’. What on earth does it mean? If you were invited to a drinks and dinner function and told to dress ‘smart / casual’, what would you wear? Do you lean to the smart side or to the casual?

These things were so much simpler when there was a dress code, as ‘smart / casual’ invariably ends up with half the guests turning up in suits and ties, and the other half in jeans and polo shirts.

For the record, if you receive this dress code instruction, wearing some sort of blazer with a smart shirt worn open-neck with a pair of jeans would be acceptable to most people (though not, perhaps, at the Ritz).

Hackett is proud to offer a range of styles, taking you all the way from ‘smart’ to ‘casual’, as and when required. Why not mix and match to get a whole new look?