Formal Attire Ideas for Boys

While I absolutely love being the mother of two boys, I have to admit that I get pretty irritated when I walk into department stores looking for clothes for them. Why? Mainly because there are only a few racks to choose from and, worse, almost all of the department stores carry practically the same styles and colors of clothes. There just doesn’t seem to be much variety in boys clothing like there is with girls. I probably wouldn’t get so irritated with the selection if I wasn’t able to look across the aisle at the girls’ section and see that it is more than triple the size of the boys section. That’s what bothers me.

It isn’t that my boys don’t have enough variety to wear in their normal, “everyday” clothes, it’s the formal clothing that lacks in department stores. I guess they think that every little boy wants to wear the exact same suit and dress shirt as every other boy in the same town. Needless, to say, over the few years I have figured out a few tips when it comes to formalwear and my son…because I hate buying the same thing as everyone else. After all, he’s an individual so he needs a little originality, right? Below are a few ideas for formalwear if you have boys.

• Order online. If you must have a formal suit or tuxedo for your little man, then skip the local shopping and go online. The worldwide web is the only place where you will find the variety you’re looking for. Plus, you can usually get a better-looking outfit for less money when you shop online too!
• Don’t say “no” to sweater vests. There are some people who don’t like sweater vests because they think they look too “preppy.” Trust me, I know; I’m married to one of them. However, sweater vests give your little guy versatility. Generally, there is more than one color in a sweater vest, which means you can get several outfits out of it when you buy matching solid color dress shirts to pair it with.
• Khaki pants and plaid shorts work! Your little guy doesn’t have to be limited to dress slacks when he’s “dressing up.” Khaki pants look great with a collared shirt…and so do nice, plaid shorts. Have you ever wondered what the big deal about Sperry shoes is all about? Well, they can look good with slacks, but when bought in the right color and style, they can also look amazing with khaki pants and plaid shorts too.