L² Style is starting a new series to answer questions from our readers.  Here is our first post.  Enjoy!

I’ve been enjoying your blog posts very much and after reading your last post on what to wear to stagettes, I am wondering if you could help me out with something.

1. My husband and I have been invited to a very posh wedding in London, UK and I’m worried about what to wear. I’ve been told to wear a cocktail dress – I totally love that green dress (with plunging backline) on your post but I’m wondering if I should wear something more conservative. I’m looking for any advice – I want to wear something classy and sexy with a pashmina/whatever that can be worn if I need to be more conservative, judging by the crowd and obviously still look good.
2. For the church part, I have to wear a hat or a fascinator. Any suggestion so I can look like the Duchess, not a crazy hat lady?
3. And for the man: can all suits be worn with a waistcoat/vest? He wants to wear his nice dark grey suit but he’s wondering if he should wear a vest to “dress it up” (and obviously the vest can be omitted judging by the crowd). How can he dress up a suit?

Thank you SO much, any advice would be appreciated.

Megan

Hi Megan,

Sounds like you’re in for a really exciting experience! Here are some of my thoughts on the three areas you mentioned:

Part 1

I’m glad you recognized upfront that the green dress I posted is probably going to be a bit too sexy for the event.  It is definitely more suited to wear to a stagette than a wedding reception!  My biggest tip in this area is to go with something that doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable (as you probably would feel wearing that sexy green dress).  You certainly don’t want to be pulling and tugging at your outfit all night long, that doesn’t let people know you are confident in yourself.

What to do:
Since you want to come across as being classy and sexy, I’d opt for something that highlights your favourite features.  Perhaps for you, that means wearing a bright colour (as you mentioned you’d prefer) that shows off your great skin tone or eye colour.  Another way to remain a bit more conservative, but add in some sex appeal, is to highlight your legs.  You could do this by adding a bold yet very feminine high heel.  You can always play up an outfit with a killer pair of heels!  Lastly, make sure that dress or skirt length is close to your knee and not several inches above since this will surely draw the type of attention you are looking to avoid.

What to avoid:
One suggestion I have on how to remain appropriate for the event you’ve described, is to keep “the ladies” out of the limelight.  I’d avoid anything with spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline – leave that outfit at home for a different event.

Part 2

This is a great question.

What to do:
Since you’re not totally familiar with norms for this event (other than that everyone will be wearing a hat or fascinator), I’d suggest you opt for something that is simple and classy.  My thinking is that you go with a fascinator, that way people can see your beautiful face and you don’t flatten your beautiful hairstyle.  In terms of colour palette, the fascinator doesn’t need to match your dress but rather complement it.  You may want to pick up some of the shades in your accessories or shoes (don’t go crazy matching everything though).  Depending on your personality, you may want to go with a bold colour blocking effect (even though the style of the fascinator may be simple, you can still go bold with colour).

What to avoid:
I suggest you stay away from anything that is too high, frilly or flowery!  Remember, you want people to see you, not your hair accessory!

Part 3

As for your arm-candy, I really like the look of a vest under a suit – it can be very dressy.  While this may be more of a corporate look – if worn with a pinstripe suit and all – I do love a vest when it’s worn in a different shade than the suit.  It adds interest.

A few ways to dress up a suit are:

• Add a tie bar (I think these are super-chic right now)
• Complement the suit with a bold pocket square (nothing too puffy though)
• Wear a funky pair of shoes (interesting shoes can add a lot to an outfit and make you look super stylish)
• If it’s an outdoor wedding, wear bold shades

I hope this helps Megan!  If you have other questions, feel free to ask.