I haven’t gone to many formals. Hell, I didn’t even go to my own prom. But from the few formals that I have been to, I’ve noticed something that really bothers me. There are A LOT of Tamil guys that don’t know how to dress properly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everyone is terrible- just a large majority. We’ve all been there though. We all had that phase where we didn’t dress properly. You know the ‘I’m going to wear clothes three sizes too big ’cause I’m a real OG’ phase.’ I was there. I went through it. But then something happened. I decided I didn’t want to look like an idiot.

One common trend that I’ve noticed at these formals is the misuse of belts and suspenders. There’s a way to wear them at formal events and most of what I’ve seen is horrible.

Belts

Your belt says a lot about who you are as a person. Actually, no it doesn’t. But it’s important. It ties everything you’re wearing together.

The first rule about the belt is that it HAS to match your shoes. Colour, contrast, hue and tone. Something you might not know is that many shoemakers make belts too. Cole Haan shoes? Buy a Cole Haan belt. Simple.

There should only be two types of belts that you wear. Ones where you can see stitching at the edges and the ones you can’t.

Suspenders

There aren’t many rules to wearing suspenders. In fact, there is only one major rule for wearing suspenders.

Do not wear a belt with suspenders. What is the purpose of suspenders? To hold up your pants. What is the purpose of a belt? To hold up your pants. So then, what the hell are you thinking when you wear them together?! Would you wear a watch on both wrists? I didn’t think so. If you wear a belt with suspenders, you need to stop everything and re-evaluate your life.

In all honesty, suspenders are a weird thing. They were never meant to be seen. You’re supposed to wear them underneath your suit or vest. But if you really must wear them, don’t go super skinny or super wide. You’ll either look like a hipster or this guy:

(Yeahhh…)

If you decide to wear your suspenders without a suit… be careful. You’re either going to look awesome or look like a complete and utter moron. Use them as accents, but again be careful with how much contrast there is.

The reason for this guide is not to tell you exactly how to dress. I can’t do that. I’m not your mom and you’re not 5 years old anymore. But it’s to let you guys know what to look out for. The things you should and should not be doing. Hopefully from there you guys figure out what works best for you.

*If you DON’T wear belts AND suspenders, I can safely recommend that you head over to myTamilDate.com and check out the beautiful ladies looking for a prize like you!