Suiting Up.

We finally ticked off the final big item on our "to do" list this weekend - getting Michael his wedding suit! And thankfully, it was as plain sailing as everything else so far and done in one day and after visiting just 2 shops. I actually love him even more now after how easy he made the whole process - we had both been putting it off because Michael is notoriously difficult to please when it comes to clothes shopping! (Just ask Megan about the major operation that it was to find Michael a pair of shorts for our 2013 holiday in Spain...)  We'd casually looked at suits in Next and M&S previously but nothing really jumped out at us.
 
So, after a bit of a lazy Saturday morning of TV and Kindle we eventually got up, had breakfast and headed into Belfast.  We parked at the Hilton and wandered over to Bogart Menswear on Ann Street which seemed as good a place as any to start. You know that feeling when you walk into a shop and the vibe is just all wrong, like you know you're never going to find what you want there?  That's how Bogart's felt.  A bit claustrophobic and awkward.  I think we were in there for about 2 minutes before scuttling right back out again.  We had spotted a wedding-specific suit shop next to City Hall on our drive through town so we began making our way there, passing through the huge designer shopping complex that is Victoria Square.  Victoria Square was bunged - there was a fashion show on, Sketchers were launching their new store and Kelly Brook was there at the launch, drawing in huge crowds.
 
As we walked though the square, Michael's eye was drawn to the window display in the Remus Uomo store and made a bee-line for it. The sale guys were so friendly and helpful and we ended up in the changing room within minutes with hangers of suits and shirts and shoes for Michael to try on. The first suit he picked was a black suit with tiny ivory dots all over it, including a matching waistcoat and trousers.  He really liked this suit, and we both liked how different it was, but it was a three-piece which meant we couldn't get the sizing right at all.  When the jacket was perfect, the accompanying trousers were too tight and too short and visa versa.  With Michael's 6'4 height and slim frame we knew in order to get the best sizes for him we'd have to find a suit that could be bought as separate items.
 
I was a little concerned that the style of suits that Michael was trying on weren't really going to compliment our "theme" or the style of my wedding dress - I kept looking at a photograph of my dress and trying to imagine it next to each suit but something wasn't quite right. I was so aware that this was Michael's day and the suit should be completely his choice but I couldn't help but nudge him in the direction I personally thought he should be going in (cringe!) With my dress being Audrey Hepburn inspired, it made sense to me that Michael would have a cool, black dinner suit - very Rat Pack - to match.  The two styles seem so classic New York, so I quietly sneaked a black dinner suit with a sheer lapel into his pile. It was a hit, thankfully!  But we still had the issue of the three-pieces not quite matching.  This suit wasn't as tailored at the waist as Michael likes and although he liked the style, he wasn't sure that this suit was quite right. 
 

The sales man disappeared upstairs and eventually brought out a similar dinner suit, in black, with waistcoat, that was available in separates. The lapel was a little different than the traditional dinner suit which Michael really liked and the jacket was fitted also.  He didn't look too convinced at first, I think it takes some getting used to seeing yourself in a full suit, but after a while of stalking the changing room and checking himself out in all the mirrors he fell in love with it and said YES to the....suit (doesn't quite have the same ring to it unfortunately...)  Michael also wanted the sleeves taken up a little bit on his jacket so it's been sent for alterations, he likes a bit of shirt showing at the cuffs but his jacket is currently too long for that. The credit card took another fatal wound to the leg, but it's a special suit, isn't it?  He looks great in it. And you can expect to see it making an appearance at all weddings, funerals and special occasions for the next 10 years or so...

In classic Michael style, we went to Nandos for lunch afterwards (he's still obsessed with it somehow) and rolled ourselves home for a relaxing Saturday night in with a couple of drinks and some Alan Partridge episodes. It's all very rock and roll in our house.  It feels so good to have all the big items bought and sorted - now it's just details like shoes left. It's great to be so organised at this stage with just niggly decisions to make.  This time in 3 months it'll all be over and we'll be on a plane out to Vegas for our honeymoon!