The Colony Club was constructed in 1927 and opened in 1929, one of four women’s clubs then standing nearby, and its Grand Ballroom is finished with painted gold leaf ceilings, crystal chandeliers and Louis XVI-style decor. It is a room with an enormous amount going on, and it enforces one rule ruthlessly.
The rule
Whatever the room is doing, don’t also do it. A heavily decorated space is already at capacity, and clothing that adds pattern, sheen or ornament doesn’t complement it. It competes and loses.
What works instead
Absolute plainness. A dark suit or a tuxedo with nothing happening on it whatsoever, which in a gilded room reads as authority rather than as restraint. The most formal thing in an ornate space is always the simplest thing in it.
The one exception
Black tie, where the satin lapel is a facing rather than a decoration and is doing a specific job under evening light. If the invitation says it, that’s a specification rather than a style choice, and it should be rented fitted in person or owned outright.
Also for Detroit: Married Under the Detroit Industry Murals. More on wedding suits, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
