This past Saturday I had to good fortune to make it out with the well appointed gentlemen of SUITupGents. As the name implies, it is a group of men in suits. The further mission of the group is:
“SUITup is a monthly event whereby gentlemen wear suits and drink manly drinks in the attempt to not only look good, but to have others notice how good they look in the process.”
We rolled around downtown Fort Worth for the better part of the evening and ended up on 7th St near the Montgomery Plaza, shutting down our location and going our separate ways. I got to catch up with a couple of old friends from high school as well as meet some very interesting and entertaining new acquaintances. I have not been out so late or had such a good time in a while.
I am something of a romantic for pieces of the past. One of my favorite aspects from my grandparents era was going out was an occasion. Money was a little tighter and going out was a real treat, so you generally dressed your best. As a result, many, if not most, people were well dressed on the town.
Today, going into a place, even a rather pricey one, it is not uncommon to see blue jeans and baseball caps. Not that there is anything wrong with being casual, but in our time, it just seems pervasive. We’re casual about everything, school, work, church, dating, etc. It is rare to find men or women that go that extra step to dress it up a bit.
That’s why SUITup Gents stands out. Each place we walked into, we got noticed; some more perceptible than others. We did not bring places to a halt, but there were plenty of questioning looks along with outright questions. People want to know what the occasion is, who you are and what you’re up to. If you don’t want to stand out, you’re better off just getting your date outfit from JCrew or the GAP so you can fit in with the crowd. However, if you think your night out should be legendary, you may want to SUITup.