Franco and I are so fortunate to own Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo, because a family business is something we always wanted. We are also fortunate to be invited to many black tie galas and formal affairs because of this business.
It’s usually easy for us to choose our formal wear attire, however I think it’s easier for Franco. I would say that, right? He has 56 tuxedos from which to choose – our entire inventory is open to him and they are all so gorgeous he can’t go wrong. Plus with all the color accessories he can switch it up to any theme. He’s worn so many and all have looked incredibly sharp!
I absolutely love the ivory tuxedo jacket with black shawl lapel with black pants. Love love love this look!
He’s worn the navy tuxedo (amazing with his blue eyes), cranberry tuxedo (perfect for the holidays), and the checkered tuxedo (ultra class). He looks so handsome in the charcoal grey with a peak lapel and a fun bow tie with patching floral pocket square:
There is nothing as gorgeous as when he does classic black tuxedo with a black bow tie. He wore my new favorite on November 9th, called Chandler by Ike Behar (below). It is a gorgeous black tuxedo with satin shawl lapel. Here is a model in the tux and below is my guy in the same tux but wearing a black “teardrop” bowtie, white flower lapel pin, and black onyx studs and cufflinks:
We both found that we prefer the Ike Behar collection to any other name. The fit and quality is superior, even to the Michael Kors tuxedos. Yep, I said it. I love how it looks, Franco appreciates the look as well as the feel of it.
For shoes, I’m a fan of the black wing tip, too. Since he doesn’t care what shoe, he wears the black wing tip (wink wink).
For me, of course I find it more difficult. I’m not “young” but I’m not “old” – I’m in that basic mother of bride age group and we all say that. If you’re in your 20s-30s, you think of 50 as being ancient but believe me, once you get here you realize you’re not ancient. So many women my age are working out in the gym, pilates, yoga, running, lifting, etc., and feeling great, but there are still some styles that are inappropriate for mothers. I get that.
I have an advantage of basically an enormous inventory of dresses. While I really love most of our dresses, it doesn’t mean I would wear all of them. Some are definitely for “Mothers” in that they look very much like they belong at a wedding, not as a “guest of” or a “black tie” event. We have tons of prom dresses that are gorgeous but they are for prom goers, not someone’s mom.
In the past, I have worn Tony Bowls, Jovani, and Jonathan Kayne. I have also worn Bill Levkoff twice (yes, bridesmaid!) in black lace sequin that was super pretty and a high neck black chiffon that were absolutely perfect for the events.
Sometimes I feel guilty about buying new dresses – especially when Franco just rents – so I have also worn dresses in my closet from years ago. I have not rented a dress. I am a fan of buying more classic style dresses so they don’t go out of style and as long as they still fit I’m good to go!
For our most recent event, I chose this exact dress from the Christina Wu Celebrations collection:
My dress was like a disco ball! Aside from the sequins being very scratchy under my arms, it was just perfect! This is how we turned out:
With the holiday season just a blink away, maybe we will have a few more opportunities to get all fancy. If you need help putting something special together, give us a call!
Our bridesmaid and special occasion off the rack dresses are all marked down and we are offering a $50 discount on all our full tux packages! Call or text us at 215-491-8500! Happy Holidays!