Miami Vice blazer

May 25, 2007 10:18 PM

PromAttireFilter: Have one (1) White linen, 2-button blazer from the mid to late 1980s. What to add?

I refuse to follow this tuxedo indoctrination.
Prom rental tuxedos look silly, as they never fit very well, and vests piss me off.

So, I have this cool, snow white, perry ellis blazer from I'd say...1986. I figured I'd go with that.

So, what do do now?
Black pants, shirt, tie?
White tie?
White...BOWTIE?

And shoes! What do I do about shoes...

Suggestions on where to purchase in NYC would be quite helpful...

posted by weaponsgradecarp to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

Well, it sounds like you're locked into going as an 80s parody, so all of your questions will be solved by watching 80s movies with prom scenes. Like Pretty in Pink.

Black dress shirt, piano key tie, tux pants, and checkerboard vans.
posted by wfrgms at 10:36 PM on May 25, 2007

Oh yeah, I didn't see the "Miami Vice blazer" title... if you want to pull of the Vice look then just go for pastels (of which blue and pink are the winners...), no tie, no socks. But it's going to be little harder to come across pastels now a days on short notice. Plus you'll need a fake tan and stubble to pull it off. YMMV.
posted by wfrgms at 10:40 PM on May 25, 2007

Black pants, white shirt, black bowtie and cummerbund, and you'll look the way the boys in my high school class ('93) had to dress for graduation.
posted by emelenjr at 11:09 PM on May 25, 2007

going monochromatic (and with a vest) can be pretty hot. i had a boyfriend once who had a white suit and wore it like that. sometimes he'd shake things up and wear a black shirt, always with the white vest. no tie in either situation, top two buttons unbottoned.hott. but it will only look hot if you are the type of guy who can pull something like this off and wear the shit out of it.

for shoes, if you're the type who can get away with it, some nice white lifestyle sneakers (but they should not be beat up). otherwise, you're gonna want some slip-ons or better yet, low boots (don't ever do white lace up oxford type shoes—they just look like jazz shoes), also in white.

but above all, MAKE SURE YOUR WHITES WORK TOGETHER!!
posted by violetk at 1:14 AM on May 26, 2007

I understand your resistance to the opprssive powers of mainstream fashion. Truly. But how do you want the end of this evening to play out? Because a tux is basically a uniform, and women love a man in uniform. Not least because it, you know, comes off.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:56 AM on May 26, 2007

Because a tux is basically a uniform, and women love a man in uniform.

Think James Bond. Have you ever known James Bond to not get some?

Now put him in some 1980's hand-me-downs. Still see him scoring?

I rest cocoagirl's case.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:29 AM on May 26, 2007

Guys, guys. Let the kid have some irony at his prom -- not everyone takes it seriously. A couple of my friends went to the prom in powder-blue polyester leisure suits (complete with ruffled shirts, cummerbunds and bow ties) and it's one of the few things I actually remember about prom only seven years later.

If you're going to do the Miami Vice thing, do as wfrgms says: a fitted black or pastel t-shirt (which you should be able to find at any thrift store; for this you'll probably have better luck at actual thrift stores like Salvation Army or Amvets as opposed to a boutique), tucked into white pants that match your blazer, and, I believe, white docksiders with no socks. And stubble and Ray-Bans. If you google "miami vice fashion" or even just "miami vice" you can get some good ideas.
posted by AV at 6:11 AM on May 26, 2007

I really hate the blackshirt look most of the time. You should be able to find a pair of nice linen pants. Get a medium blue shirt and wear a tie, or not. I keep seeing gorgeous ties at Goodwill, if money is an issue.
posted by theora55 at 8:16 AM on May 26, 2007

Rock it out with a pink shirt and a more khaki pants, along with white slip-ons and socks that match your shirt. Belt should match your shoes generally, but in this case you might be better with a brown leather job (because a white leather belt might be too much). You could go faux croc or snakeskin too. Or hell, if you're serious, I've seen sharkskin pants here at the thrift store that I've never felt audacious enough to pull off, but might be up your alley. Take a look around.

You and Tubbs enjoy your prom.
posted by klangklangston at 8:41 AM on May 26, 2007 [2 favorites]

First, let me say that vests are killer. They are so awesome.
Iff you wear the shit out of them.
I mean, you have to fucking wear them.

Second, let me say that if this jacket (in fact, the whole shebang) does not fit you PERFECTLY, you will look like an idiot. Go get it tailored if it's even a centimeter off in anything. Making this fit well instantaneously make you from that goofy kid in the 80's clothes to that kid who is in the 80's clothes who can totally pull that off, wow.

Now, what to wear with it.
I'd stay away from black pants, because you run the risk of looking like a server.
You could go for the miami vice look, like this, but that's a little goofy, and (my guess is)you want to look like a badass, not a jokester. so here's what I would do: get some white linen pants to go with your jacket. Get a silly ruffly pale blue, or dark red tuxedo shirt. Something like this, but if you can get one with black piping on the edge of the ruffles, that would be killer.
No tie, but get a killer pair of aviators, and wear them hanging on your top button (as in leave the collar button open, the next one down gets the aviators). True white slip-on vans, have fun.
ps: the aviators are necessary. They turn your outfit from "that kid's weird and wearing shit from the early 80's" to "that kid's awesome, wearing shit from the early 80's, and totally doesn't care what we think."
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 12:16 PM on May 26, 2007

A monocle, top hat and a cane.
posted by perpetualstroll at 8:17 PM on May 26, 2007

A pink carnation is a necessity with a white blazer (aka sport coat)!
posted by Carol Anne at 5:15 AM on May 27, 2007