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harveyguilleniconodelamoda · 13 days

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Guillermo's Green Wedding Suit

Ever since I first saw WWDITS 4x06: The Wedding, I have been entranced by Guillermo's suit. Not just because of the way it almost seems to match Nandor's outfit better than his actual bride's dress--that's a post for another time, and possibly a different blog--but also because of how such a deceptively simple outfit manages to stand out in an episode filled to the brim with incredible outfits.

It's just a suit, right? Next to Nandor's glittering ensemble, Marwa's silver-and-gold embellished gown, Baron Afanas's scarlet robes, and the dramatic getups of every other vampire in attendance, a simple suit shouldn't really stand out! But it does, and I think the reasons can be found by taking a closer look at all the highly specific details. Because this suit in fact is not "just a suit."

There are so many small touches and elegant flourishes that make it stand out not just from the other costumes in the episode, but from every other similar suit I've been able to find. Because dear readers, this one has truly stumped me in its sheer specificity. In fact it's so specific that I have to wonder if it was made completely from the ground up for the show (as opposed to being modified from a pre-existing base garment, the way Marwa's wedding gown was). Nearly every detail seems to have been chosen carefully with both the character and the occasion in mind.

The Jacket

First, we have a double-breasted tuxedo jacket with peaked lapels. A tuxedo jacket can be single or double breasted, but a double-breasted jacket is considered more formal whereas single-breasted jackets can be formal or more casual, depending on additional details and what it's worn with.

In addition, tuxedos can have notched, shawl, or peaked lapels, though it's worth noting that for a double-breasted jacket, you'll almost always find only peaked or shawl lapels.

Peaked lapels are considered the most formal, whereas notched lapels are considered the least formal. Shawl lapels fall somewhere in the middle, lending an air of sophistication and elegance without the rigid traditionalism of the peaked lapel. For me, when I think of a shawl lapel I think of like, a wealthy and debonair antagonist in a black-and-white movie. Vincent Price staging an elaborate haunted mansion ruse just to off his wife, that sort of thing (though I think he actually wore a jacket with a notched collar for most of that film, but I digress).

The peaked lapel also tends to be very wide and takes up a significant amount of space on the chest, which can look a bit ostentatious in some cases. On Harvey, however, the wide, peaked lapel feels balanced and elegant on the double-breasted jacket. It also serves to accentuate his broad shoulders and chest, which really gives him added presence in a room where it would be all too easy for him to fade into the background with everything going on around him.

Lastly, lapels are traditionally either the same fabric as the rest of the suit, or faced with satin. In this case, it appears the lapels are the same fabric in a contrasting color, which is a sophisticated choice that pops without being overly showy.

Now on to the pockets! Generally, there are three types of suit pockets: flap, patch, and besom. There's also an optional ticket pocket, which is typically on the right slightly above the regular pocket. But this suit clearly lacks a ticket pocket, so we won't go into that here.

For the main two pockets near the waist, the patch pocket is pretty informal and would be unlikely to appear on a double-breasted tuxedo jacket. Flap pockets are more traditional and common, and besom pockets are more modern and give a sleeker overall line. Besom pockets are usually my preference for this reason, but this suit has the more common flap pockets, which I think works given the overall traditional design of the jacket in other respects.

This continues with the buttons on the jacket's sleeves. Suit jackets can have between one and four sleeve buttons, with one button being considered the most casual option, and four being the most formal. Guillermo's jacket has four buttons on the sleeves, again the most formal option. The buttons--on both the sleeves and the front of the jacket--appear to be fabric-covered shank buttons, which are a popular choice for formal wear.

So for Nandor's wedding, Guillermo has gone with the most formal and traditional options available at every turn so far. This makes sense, given this is not only a wedding, but the wedding of a very old vampire...and someone Guillermo cares a great deal about. Given how much work Guillermo puts into making Nandor's wedding perfect, it only makes sense he would want to be dressed appropriately for the occasion himself.

The fit of the jacket is impeccable as well. Notice in the photos at the top and bottom of this post, how smoothly the fabric falls over Harvey's chest and shoulders, with no bunching, gaping, or stressed seams under the arms or across the chest. The jacket's inset sleeves help with this, creating a powerful and masculine silhouette with clean lines. Note, too, how the sleeves of the jacket fall precisely where they're meant to, hitting just at the bend in the wrist and showing just a peak of the sleeve of the sweater underneath.

The Pants

When I was researching suit pants I thought for sure these would be pleated pants, but I was surprised!

Pleats on the front of men's pants are there to accommodate wider waists, rounder hips or thicker thighs, and larger posteriors. The addition of pleats helps to facilitate a comfortable fit that allows for easier movement, as well as to avoid gaping of the pockets and stress on the seams when sitting. Though the extra fabric required can create more bulk on a thin frame, pleats can actually help to maintain a cleaner, more streamlined appearance for anyone else as the wearer moves, stands, sits, bends, etc. Pleats are also generally more traditional and formal than flat front pants, to the point of even being considered old-fashioned and stodgy by today's standards. Flat front pants are considered more modern and fashionable.

What's surprising is that Harvey's suit pants appear to be flat front instead of pleated. Given how traditional and formal the jacket is, I expected the pants to follow suit (hah). But in this photo from Harvey's Instagram account, the jacket is off and you can clearly see the front of the pants, which are high-waisted and appear to have no pleats at all.

What I find impressive is the overall tailoring of the pants. Given my research on the purpose of pleats, I would expect flat front pants to present some fit issues with Harvey's curves. But these pants fit him beautifully, front and back. My guess (and my limited experience with wearing men's trousers on my curvy body does bear this out) is that the high waist--which itself is a more old-fashioned style for men's trousers that lends a vintage feel to the ensemble, especially with the jacket removed--helps to alleviate these concerns. The high waist also contributes to that vintage, classic feel that the jacket evokes.

The Color

The suit is a deep, saturated, mossy green with warm undertones. Green suits are having a moment right now, providing a welcome alternative to the traditional black or navy options. Green is part of the natural color pallet, and is a popular choice for outdoor or otherwise non-conventional weddings.

This shade looks incredible on Harvey, bringing out the golden tones in his skin while really emphasizing the warm red undertones in his hair and eyes. It's far more subtle than the bright emerald greens currently on the market, and far richer than the almost khaki army greens I could find as well. This moody, earthy color stands out while also feeling grounded against the bright backdrop of a vampire wedding, which works beautifully given how Guillermo is a grounding force for Nandor throughout the episode.

The Fabric

The suit is made of a fabric that looks to be both heavy and soft, potentially wrinkle-resistant--a highly practical choice given everything Guillermo was likely doing that day as both the best man and wedding planner. It looks too sturdy to be a ponte fabric, though ponte is ubiquitous when it comes to plus sized suiting (again, I speak from regretful experience). It's too wrinkle-free to be twill, too smooth in texture to be tweed, and in some shots seems to almost have a suede-like finish. It also looks to be much more of a winter suit than a summer one, which makes sense given the show often takes place in fall and winter.

I've scoured the internet, Laura Montgomery's Instagram, and anything else I could think of for information on what this suit is actually made of, to no avail. For now, it will remain a mystery. If you have ideas, feel free to leave them in the replies or a reblog!

The Shirt

The one place Guillermo breaks completely from tradition is in the shirt he wears with the suit. Instead of the standard tuxedo button-up and bow tie you'd expect with the exceedingly formal jacket, Guillermo wears a cream-colored turtleneck of what looks to be a light cashmere, with a ribbed collar and cuffs and no tie at all. This single departure from formality and tradition modernizes the entire ensemble and ties it more closely into Guillermo's everyday, sweater-based style. Additionally, keeping Guillermo's neck covered in a house full of unknown vampires is just practical, a great way to help avoid having to stake anyone at his Master's wedding. Speaking again of Vincent Price, the sweater reminds me of this shot:

Actually...looking at how Guillermo's hair is styled for the wedding, I now have to wonder if that was intentional. Evoking Price is certainly a great way to combine vampire-appropriate spookiness and wedding-appropriate vintage glamour at the same time! But I digress.

The texture of the sweater contrasts with the texture of the suit, adding depth and an almost cozy feel without dressing the outfit down at all. Warm, soft, cozy, earthy...Guillermo really is dressed like the personification of hearth and home, security and stability...in an episode where Nandor is marrying someone else he doesn't truly love in search of exactly that (there I go again, diving off into the symbolism).

Accessories

The Y suspenders that fasten to buttons on the inside of the waistband of the pants are more expensive and formal than clip-on suspenders, but also much sturdier and less likely to come undone. This is less wedding-specific and more a staple of Guillermo's overall style since season 3. His wardrobe has always been full of sturdy, hard-wearing pieces, but an added layer of practicality has crept in since he found he was a vampire slayer. His clothes need to be something he can move in without worry of either restriction or being tripped up, so he has incorporated little accessories that help with this. He's traded soft loafers in for sturdy boots, sweaters in (sometimes) for hard-wearing work vests, and he's added accessories such as suspenders which help keep his clothes securely in place so he doesn't have to worry about them when he's working or fighting. In this case, it's a solid choice because he could potentially have to do either one, if any of Nandor's fears about saboteurs had turned out to have any merit.

I only have one shot that shows the shoes worn with this suit, but they appear to be black leather dress loafers with a silver accent of some kind on the tongue.

I'll be honest: this is the one detail of the outfit I didn't love. I know it's done nowadays to mix metals in a single outfit, and I think it can be done well and look really beautiful in some instances. In this case, though, it kind of just looks like Guillermo grabbed his one single pair of dressy shoes without regard to how well they actually matched his outfit. But this doesn't seem to jive with the intentionality of the rest of the outfit at all. The choice of a loafer does lean into that debonair, old Hollywood glamour effect, but the silver accent clashes with everything else. With Guillermo decked out in warmth from head to toe, that pop of cold just feels like an odd choice.

This could, of course, be a character choice. It could even be meant to mirror the silver and gold accents on Marwa's dress. But looking at it purely as an outfit, I don't think the shoes work.

The gold watch, on the other hand, is a beautiful addition. It's clearly a flex of Guillermo's newfound financial stability, but it's also a beautiful piece of jewelry that sets off the warmth of the green suit. It's a touch of luxury on an otherwise understated outfit that goes very well, in my opinion.

Lastly, Guillermo appears to wear his regular, everyday glasses here. The round frames, while a bit old-fashioned generally speaking, go well with the traditional, vintage feel of the ensemble.

Affordable Options

Unfortunately the chances of getting a suit for under $100 are slim to none if you want anything that doesn't look like it came from the discount section of a Spirit Halloween, especially when you're trying to find something as specific and detailed as this.

That being said, green suits are currently very in style, so I've gathered as many options in the same vein as I could find and listed them for you here.

Green double-breasted tuxedo with velvet peak lapel - $249 from Perfect Tux (sizes up to 42 waist at regular price, +$10 for additional sizes up to 50 waist)

Men's green double-breasted suit with peak lapel - $83.65 from manswiersuit on eBay (sizes up to 52 waist available, with custom sizing offered at an additional cost)

Statement men's hunter green vested tuxedo with black trim shawl lapel - $249.99 from Karako Suits (sizes up to 52 Long)

Sand cashmere turtleneck - $199 from John Henric (sizes up to XXL)

Cashmere company turtleneck - $102 from Yoox (size 44 currently available)

All year round turtleneck sweater - $59 from Franky Fashion (sizes up to 6X, only S, XXL, XXXL, and 4X currently available)

#guillermo de la cruz #wwdits #character costumes #fashion #formal wear #menswear #men's suits #harvey guillén

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