All buttoned up and somewhere to go - occasion dressing without a tie

A wedding invitation without dress requirements is a mixed blessing. The alternative - a request for lounge suits or morning attire - will always bring  a glum feeling of predictability - like having to wear your school uniform on the weekend.

With this laxity there is no less a need to be both smart and individual, respectful of the formality of the occasion, without insulting your hosts in a pair of battered Converse trainers. A neat solution - which somehow keeps a suit or tailored jacket looking smart, while avoiding business vernacular - is the buttoned up shirt. 

Traditionally a 'mummy's boy' staple, this idea has recently lost it's geeky aura, to become an eminently useful dressing solution. So, thanks then to Prada, Jil Sander, Raf Simons and Hermes (who featured this look in their A/W 09 collection, see picture) as well as other design minimalists, for giving us this idea. 

Style do's and don'ts for the modern wedding guest:

1. Do wear brogues, Oxfords, blunt-toe loafers - the style is less important than the fact you're wearing shoes. Boots, trainers or sandals (unless the wedding is on a beach) should be left at home.

2. Don't let your style pegging slip below a tailored jacket and trousers. At a push, slim cut darkest indigo jeans are acceptable.

3. Don't wear colourful braces, loud ties, bow-ties etc unless you're used to such things. You could end up looking wary and self conscious with such a bold step outside of your sartorial comfort zone.

4. Do add colour with a breast pocket silk square. An appropriately dandy-ish for wedding days (or, in my case, any days).