But we need to look good doing it. We know we should wear a suit with a dress shirt, but the concern is style and appearance.

When deciding on what to wear, the theme of a wedding is the most important consideration. If you’re close to the bride or groom or have a role in the wedding, you will be asked to wear something that follows the theme, possibly matching with everyone else. In other words, you don’t have a thing to worry about.

If you’re more on the outside looking in, then go over the invitation for any clues, as it may indicate what to wear or provide a theme. Also, the design and quality of the invite may reflect their expectations. Feel free to reach out to the host and ask what would be appropriate. If you can’t reach them, then check the invitation for the location to determine how casual or formal it maybe.

Bottom line is, you don’t want to show up in the wrong attire. A wedding is a harmonious occasion so you want to be a part of the moment, not take away from it. Wearing the wrong clothes will make you uncomfortable, self conscious, and probably end your possibilities with an attractive bridesmaid.

Showing up in a dark suit, white dress shirt, low key tie and spotless dress shoes is the safest choice and perfectly acceptable. Navy blue is a nice look, providing color with enough understatement. Dark gray is also a good choice. If it’s a casual, Summer afternoon affair, khaki makes a nice selection as well. Dress shirts should match the suit color but you can never go wrong with a white dress shirt.

Accessories are the key to reflecting your personal style. That can mean cuff links on your dress shirt or cuffs and collars of a matching shade. Or a pocket square complimented with a tie bar. These are subtle touches that will elevate your look, not attracting too much attention, but keeping you within the boundaries of appropriate. For more information, we’ve talked about in detail on how to wear men’s dress shirt accessories.

It’s always a good rule of thumb to over dress instead of under dress, but with enough preparation, you can dress perfectly for any wedding. Use the necessary clues and plan accordingly. The bride and groom will thank you later.

We also provide some insight on the importance of the white dress shirt.

I’ve always liked a Tom Collins. It’s crisp, refreshing and light, an easy classic to make: gin, lemon juice, sugar, and soda water. I tried an updated version, the Cucumber Collins, and now it’s my go to drink.

Made with Hendrick’s Gin and muddled with cucumbers, you have a refreshing concoction that makes you forget whatever misery the sun had inflicted moments before.  Here’s how you can have one:

1 1/2 oz Hendrick’s Gin

4 1/2 oz cucumber puree*

Shake ingredients with ice in mixing glass and strain over fresh ice in tall Collins glass. Top it off with soda water. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.

*To make cucumber puree: blend 1 cucumber with 3 oz lemon juice and 4 oz simple syrup

And inspiration can be found everywhere.

Online, there’s always helpful information for us clueless cave men. We browse all the sites and blogs, keeping a pulse on what’s going on in the world of men’s style.

We’d like to say thanks to the talented creators for helping us look good. It’s not easy to know where the best deal is, the best look or best trend to ignore or follow, without their help.

Here’s a round up of the sites we like and hope you do too.

Valet Mag offers up everything for the modern man. Great tips on style and living, plus they have a nice question/answer section.

The GQ Eye is the men’s magazine blog, posting frequently on men’s topics and trends. A daily snapshot from the experts.

Get Kempt also posts frequently but their topics are less mainstream and they have fun doing it.

Magnificent Bastard keeps it simple. You ask a question on style and they answer it, with fearless wit and sharp satire.

Sartorially Inclined‘s a blog with leanings towards prep. We’re not sure how he posts so frequently with such good content. Also, shoot him a question and he won’t blow you off.

Put This On is a two man operation recommending a modern look with old school fundamentals. Also, they have great insight on good deals.

One Man’s Style is for those that want something with a visual impression. Four photos per post, each represent his sense of style, wants and desires.

Feel free to let us know the sites you follow.

Walter’s evolved from a mild mannered, straight laced high school teacher to a formidable, mythic crystal meth maker.  During his gradual change in character, he’s also undergone a transformation visually.  We’re going to discuss his style and what it takes to go from Walter White to Heinsenberg.

Walter before his transformation. High waisted chino’s and a button down along with the aviator style glasses. Harmless school teacher.

Shaved head and menacing glare in a dark green button down. Change is in the air.

His style reflects a conservative lifestyle. Until he gets desperate.

“Class, today we are going to learn how to make a perfect batch of crystal methamphetamine.”

As Walter progresses into each season, he rarely wears bright color hues. This is one of those rare moments when optimism is within reach.

The dark pants and dress shirt is a departure from the first photo, mirroring his cloudy disposition.

A dark blue dress shirt with buttoned down collars is laid back, but the black slacks give him a sense of authority. The goatee doesn’t hurt either.

Dark jacket and dress shirt reflecting his darkening mood.

The chino’s are long gone. He’s looking sharp in a navy, pin striped dress shirt and black dress pants. Looking less teacher and more gangster.

The transformation is complete.

Follow the leader.

When the hat’s on, Walter means business. And violence.

Here’s a response from Bryan Cranston, aka Walter White, during an interview regarding his style transformation below. Here’s the complete interview from AMC.

Q: Walt’s wardrobe shifted to dark colors this season. Was that a welcome change for you?

A: It was something that Vince wanted to do, and I accepted it because I thought it should be a subliminal choice. Walt wouldn’t say, “I’m going to start wearing black.” It’s something that he just starts to feel. He just feels this color is right. The other thing Walt’s done, which I think is interesting, is that even though he’s told his hair is going to start growing back, he shaves his head. I think it’s a subliminal feeling from Walt, like “I don’t recognize that guy in the mirror.” He’s dropped a considerable amount of weight; he’s gotten a lot older in the past four or five months. And as long as he’s looking in the mirror and seeing someone he doesn’t recognize he can justify what he’s doing: “That’s not me; that’s Heinsenberg.”

A white tee shirt should fit your build. You don’t want them too long or loose, but close to your frame so a dress shirt can easily fit over it and be worn without. We found this helpful guide on some good choices on white tee shirts. We like the pocket option as it lends a bit more tee shirt and a little less undershirt.

We’d suggest a lighter shade fabric, complimented with a nice cigar and a Cucumber Collins, letting him relax while you grill the steaks.

Or was it? It seemed like a shame to toss them out.

I decided to cut the legs off and make them “new” again. I could also save myself some dough from buying a new pair of shorts.

I got to work.

I marked them with a pencil just beneath my knee cap. I laid them flat over a table, marking the other leg at the same spot. I lined up a ruler on the pencil mark, making certain it was parallel with the bottom of the pant cuff. I traced a line across with a pencil and did the same with the other leg. I then cut the pant leggings where I marked the pants.

Don’t make the mistake of lining up your ruler with the top of the pant. Most men’s pants have a rise in the back and a dip near the front. If you use the top of your pants as a barometer, it will leave your shorts with a rise on the outward side. This is not good.

You can either leave them with a fray or get them hemmed. Shorts with a fray are trendy this season, but personally, I’d rather wear something that works for any season. I took them to a tailor and $5 later, I had a “new” but “old” pair of comfy shorts.

I was ready to make new memories.

Well, I think Red Jacket can. I found a Cubs shirt made by them at Nordstrom’s. 100% light weight cotton, super soft, vintage, it looks unique with an understated design. And here’s their Brewers shirt below.

Curious, I looked up the Red Jacket site and found they specialize in baseball apparel, ranging from the Major Leagues, Minor Leagues, Negro Leagues and even the Nippon (Japanese) Leagues.  They offer hoodies, T-shirts and long sleeved jerseys along with items for the ladies.  They’re brilliant at capturing baseball’s nostalgic, vintage past with modern, subdued designs. And their price point is about right, similar to other brands.

I was surprised to find that they also offer college, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis apparel. It’s a great selection of designs, especially their tennis polos. They have an appreciation for classic athletics with a touch of their own inspiration.

I asked them if they’re going to expand their collection into football and basketball as well. I think they could easily re-invent those old school jerseys into something fantastic, as they’ve done with their baseball collection. I like their Remote Control series the best. It fits and feels like a Tshirt but almost looks like a jersey, without the jersey sticker price and baggy fit.

If you can think of other brands that also provide quality collections with a classic look, please let us know.

We give thanks to the folks over at Esquire.