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8 Willowfield Park, Goatstown, D14
8 Willowfield Park, Goatstown, D14

Author name: Brendan

Bow Ties, Ties and Cravats

The Bond Brothers Guide to Ties

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What’s the best way to wear a tie? Read on…. The tie occupies a unique place in the modern Irish Man’s wardrobe. In years gone by many men wore a tie on a daily basis. It conferred an air of importance on its wearer. Now, with the advent of the smart casual office dress code, the tie is reserved for a more formal occasion. However, in some countries, such as Japan, the decision to go tie-less is interpreted as insulting to your host. Your tie can either pull your outfit together or detract from your overall ‘smartness’ depending on what tie you choose. Even though the humble tie has no real function it is a man’s main accessory and allows him to make his look individual. In many ways it’s the wild card of the wardrobe.   Long ties come in a variety of widths and lengths. As a rule the tie should be as wide as the broadest point of your jacket lapel. When tied, the tip should be in vicinity of the belt buckle. It should not be any longer, although a little shorter is acceptable. Some men fret over choosing the correct tie. There are 3 basic elements to consider – Jacket, Shirt and Tie. At least one of these should be solid. A striped Jacket, striped Shirt and striped Tie simply will not work. If you opt to wear two elements with stripes they should ideally be stripes of different sizes. For example, if the Shirt has pinstripes the Tie should have wider stripes. As a rule woven silk ties are the dressy option. Knit ties are casual and should be avoided on formal occasions. It’s not difficult to care for ties, all they require is to be hung on a tie rack when not being worn. Resist the urge to stuff them in a drawer. Avoid folding them unless you are travelling. If you are a regular tie wearer, you will be aware of the dangers of mixing ties with dinner. If a tie is badly stained you should entrust it to a good dry cleaner. A pair of physicists once wrote a book explaining that there are 85 different knot possibilities. Fortunately most men can get away with 2 or 3 variations. If you only tie one knot, it should be the ‘Four in Hand’. It’s the easiest knot to tie, it’s modest and unpretentious and slightly asymmetrical. If you tie a four in hand and it looks too small, try a double knot, which simply involves wrapping the big end of the tie around the narrow end twice instead of once. Both of these knots look fantastic with button down collars. The bow tie was once a wardrobe staple worn by the majority of middle and upper class men, but in the latter half of the 20th century it came to be seen as a bit eccentric and these days most men choose to only wear it when donning a tuxedo.  When properly chosen and tied correctly they can look very sharp and fashionable. At Bond Brothers we stock a wide selection of ties. cravats  and bows.  Did you know that you can bring us your material and we will make the ties for €15 each.  

Ascot

What to Wear to Royal Ascot – Bond Brothers Racegoer’s Guide

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Wearing the correct attire is an important part of attending this prestigious race meeting.  At Bond Brothers Formalwear for Men, we ensure that you are dressed perfectly for your Royal Ascot experience. ‘Ascot Racecourse reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone deemed to be dressed inappropriately.’ A day out at Ascot Racecourse is very special and dressing for the occasion is an important part of the raceday experience. ROYAL ASCOT Royal Enclosure Grandstand Admission Silver Ring and Heath ROYAL ENCLOSURE The dress code set out below is designed to help racegoers dress appropriately for the occasion. GENTLEMEN Gentlemen are kindly reminded that it is a requirement to wear black or grey morning dress, which must include. A waistcoat and tie (no cravats) A black or grey top hat A gentleman may remove his hat within a restaurant, a private box, a private club or that facility’s terrace, balcony or garden. Hats may also be removed within any enclosed external seating area within the Royal Enclosure Garden. The customisation of top hats (with, for example, coloured ribbons or bands) is not permitted in the Royal Enclosure. Black shoes The Bond Brothers Ascot “special” includes Top Hat, Tails, W/Coat, Tie & Shirt (5 day hire) for €160. BOYS Boys (aged 10-16) should dress in accordance with the gentlemen’s dress code, or may wear a dark-coloured lounge suit with a shirt and tie (no hat required). GRANDSTAND ADMISSION Grandstand Admission racegoers have the choice to follow the dress code for the Grandstand or that of the Royal Enclosure. Gentleman may not have to wear a morning coat for the Grandstand at Royal Ascot but there is still as strict dress code to adhere to. In the past the guideline was just to dress smartly, but now they are more definite giving you a clear picture of the sartorial race ahead. Main Rule – Gentlemen are required to wear a suit with a shirt and tie After Six Lounge Suit from Bond Brothters BOYS Boys aged (13-17) should wear a suit or jacket with a shirt and a tie. Younger boys (12 or under) should be dressed smartly but are not required to wear a jacket or tie.   SILVER RING & HEATH ENCLOSURE Although no formal dress code applies in the Silver Ring Enclosure and Heath Enclosure, racegoers are encouraged to wear smart clothes. Please note that bare chests are not permitted at any time.   Grey Egan Suit – Ideal Colour for the Summer Weather

Groom Tips

Great Groom’s Speech Tips

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Most grooms don’t fully relax on their wedding day until their speech is over! Typically, the groom’s speech is about the bride – his wife and about their future together and to thank the people involved in making their wedding a memorable occasion.   Thanking the Father of the Bride Thank the Bride’s father for proposing the toast For his kindness and friendship For his daughter For the wedding feast (if appropriate)   Thanking the Guests for attending for their good wishes Everyone for their wedding gifts   Thanking the Bride, His Newly Wed Wife Thank your new wife for marrying you! Talk about how you met Talk about why you love your wife Talk about your future together   Thank Individuals Thank those who have helped organize and plan the event. Thank the Bridesmaids who have helped your wife through the day. Comment on their charm & beauty – not too much, though, as you may make your new wife jealous! Thank the groomsmen and the Best Man   As well as the traditional thanks, the Groom may wish to add a few words about how he met his wife, activities they share, etc. Gentle teasing is in order. The grooms speech usually thanks more people than any of the other speakers.   The idea of making a speech in front of all of your nearest and dearest, including your new mother and father-in-law, is almost enough to make you a runaway groom.   The key to writing good groom wedding speeches is keeping your speech personal and genuine. This is the most important moment of your life, it’s easy to feel anxious, but for a lot of people this is just an excuse to drink a few drinks and cut loose on the dance floor. So relax and take it all in. Have fun with it. Everyone is here to love and support you and your bride. They want to see you succeed.   By following a few simple steps, you can write a good wedding speech that will be a showstopper.   1. Breathe. Take a deep breath before you start. Wait a minute! Not too many, you don’t want to hyperventilate, but chances are, while you’ve been anticipating this moment, you’ve probably been holding your breath. So, pause and catch it before you go on. It’ll feel like forever with all of those eyes on you, but no one else will even notice.   2. Keep your groom wedding speech brief – This isn’t a moment to memorialize every experience you have had or plan to have with your bride. Save that for the honeymoon. Try to keep it under a few minutes. It’ll just feel like a few seconds to you when you’re in the moment, but trust me, everyone else will appreciate your brevity. They’re probably wearing uncomfortable shoes, after all.   3. Relax and speak from the heart. have fun with it! Don’t worry about impressing people with your vocabulary. These are the people closest to you, talk to them like you would at the dinner table. It’ll help to draw them in.   4. Share one or two personal stories – they can make groom speeches really special. Did you know you’d marry her the moment you met your bride? Tell us about it. Was your first date a disaster? Tell them how you scored a second one. Was your bride actually interested in your best friend? How’d you win her heart? Do you all have an interesting hobby no one knows about? Spill the beans. Let your guests into your lives a little bit. A lot of people may only know you as individuals. Help them get to know the couple. One little tip: if you’re planning to share a story that’s slightly embarrassing, consult your bride first. She may be the type who loves a little self depricating humor, or that may be her worst nightmare. It is her day afterall, don’t throw her under the bus. No matter what, if you’re going to embarass her. Make sure you embarrass yourself more!   5. Don’t read off a card. You’ll be more engaged if you share your groom speech like you’re telling a story or having a conversation, so think about what you’d like to say, give yourself a few keywords to help you remember the flow (write those down if you need to), practice a few times and go! People will be more interested and connected if they feel like you’re talking to them rather than lecturing them. So, those are five essential points that hold true not only for the groom wedding speech but for all wedding speeches you may ever need to give. Enjoy every moment! This is your wedding day. Even if your groom wedding speech is a bit awkward, no one will really notice or care and the day will be amazing no matter what. At the very least it’ll make for a great story at your 50th anniversary party! Plus, the faster you get it over with, the sooner you can move on to your honeymoon!

Children at Weddings

How to politely say “no children” on your invites

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How to tactfully inform your guests that you would prefer your wedding day to be child free on the wedding invitations?   This can be quite tricky as it could potentially offend some wedding guests if not worded in a polite and respectful manner. Another popular dilemma is how to invite some children but not others.   One very obvious solution would be to make sure you omit the child’s/children’s names from the invitation and envelope. The guest should then assume that the child is not invited. Unfortunately this is not specific enough for some people, which is where the etiquette comes in.   We suggest a line or two of text at the very bottom of the invitation (or on a separate insert), in a smaller sized text.   TIP: Try to avoid saying “No children”, it can come across as being a bit abrupt and rude. Here is a selection of our favourite and most popular phrases:   “With respect, we would like our special day to be an adult only occasion“   “We would like to respectfully ask that our wedding day be for adults only“   You may wish to add on a specific reason in order to explain your decision in finer detail… “In order to keep numbers to a minimum, I’m afraid we are unable to accommodate any children at our wedding“   “Due to the small size of our wedding venue, we are unable to invite any children. We also thought you might enjoy a night off.”   To finish, we have saved the most difficult until last. How to invite some children, but not others… “To cut down on costs, I’m afraid we can only accommodate children of immediate family members. We hope you will enjoy having a night off!”   “In order to keep numbers to a minimum, we can only invite a small number of children. We also thought you might like a night off!”

Tuxedos and Morning Suit Advice

When to wear a Morning Suit

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When a Suit Won’t Do (and a Tuxedo Shouldn’t)     The tuxedo and tailcoat take their black colour from their after-dark surroundings and in this context they give their wearer a sense of elegance, power and even an air of mystery.  When worn in broad daylight, however, black suits look dull and lifeless and tend to make men’s faces appear ashen which is what makes them so appropriate for traditional funeral director attire!   While formal day coats are also usually black they are typically the only occurrence of ebony in morning dress (the traditional term for formal day wear).  Their somberness is offset by non-matching grey trousers – which are themselves enlivened with striped or checked patterns – and further livened up by the addition of tastefully coloured ties, waistcoats and even shirts.  The end result is an ensemble immensely more suitable for daylight and at the same time significantly more formal than a regular suit.   The purpose of this blog is simply to provide an introduction to the topic of morning dress.   Basic Etiquette Generally, morning dress is meant for formal affairs held in the morning or afternoon.   Formal Morning Dress As with evening dress, there are two categories of formal day dress.  The most formal version is by far the most popular and features a type of tailcoat known as a cutaway(morning coat in UK & Ireland).  The morning coat is worn by grooms, groomsmen and guests at formal church weddings and for formal daytime events in the presence of The Queen such as Royal Ascot and Trooping the Colour.   In America its appearance is largely limited to formal weddings prior to 6 o’clock and even then is extremely rare – although perfectly correct.   Coat                 black is most formal dark grey (“charcoal” or “oxford” grey) is also acceptable flannel or worsted wool, plain or herringbone pattern single-breasted, closing with one button (traditionally a link front) curved cutaway front with tails that fall behind the knees peaked lapels welt breast pocket only (no waist pockets)   Trousers black-striped dark grey  material is most formal grey houndstooth or herringbone is a less formal alternate (some recommend these with grey coats) cut for suspenders (high enough rise for waistband to be covered by the relatively short waistcoat) one pleat down center of leg is traditional no cuffs   Waistcoat   light grey (“dove” or “pearl” grey) creamy yellow (“buff”) pale colours as an alternative black is for mourning and certain daytime London functions model can be: single-breasted with or without lapels double-breasted usually with lapels white slips are optional (a piece of white cloth attached underneath each rever that creates the impression of an under-waistcoat)   Shirt turndown collar shirt is preferred: white collar, preferably the stiff detachable kind white or pale colour body (cream, blue, pink, white with blue stripes) French cuffs wing collar shirt although very formal is old-fashioned and acceptable only under the following specific conditions – and even then some still consider it “quite inappropriate” for weddings: collar must be the high, stiff, detachable variety must be worn with dress ascot white fabric can only be worn with black coat     Ties   four-in-hand tie with turndown collar self-tie dress ascot (aka plastron, or dress cravat) with wing collar; not to be confused with informal day cravat Colour: pale grey or silver in subtle patterns such as houndstooth or Macclesfield are most traditional, especially for groomsmen pastel colors are acceptable alternative   Shoes well-polished black lace-ups, capped or plain toes black button boots with cloth tops are old-fashioned alternative black silk or cashmere hose is traditional, other fine fabric is acceptable   Xtras cufflinks optional pocket watch and chain single flower such as rose or carnation for wedding boutonnieres Some suggest pale yellow chamois gloves with black coat, grey suede with grey coat; usually carried optional white linen pocket square optional walking stick or, preferably, tightly rolled umbrella     Hats optional top hat (obligatory at Royal Ascot): black silk is smarter and more formal but very hard to come by grey felt with black band