Does anyone know what "rakish" means?
I'm attending a wedding next week, and I just found out the dress code is "rakish". I tried Googling it, and I think I have a sort of vague idea. Like Johnny Depp is rakish. Skin and tattoos are rakish? But no concrete definitions or ideas.
Anyone have any solid definition of rakish? Or any advice/ideas on what I could wear next week?
Thanks!
26 Replies
Any way you could ask the hosts/planner/couple for a little more guidance? That's a confusing dress code lol
ngl that's a terrible dress code, completely vague and subjective
Rakish means "like a rake". And a rake is "a fashionable or wealthy man of dissolute or promiscuous habits."
Inspo (not serious): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rake%27s_Progress
A Rake's Progress
A Rake's Progress (or The Rake's Progress) is a series of eight paintings by 18th-century English artist William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–1734, then engraved in 1734 and published in print form in 1735. The series shows the decline and fall of Tom Rakewell, the spendthrift son and heir of a rich merchant, who comes to London, ...
What they probably mean is something like "a bit dressy, but not too serious", which is still pretty terrible guidance. This could mean anything from sprezzatura to douchebag, and the etymology of the word favors the latter.
I personally would interpret this as: coat and tie (it's a wedding, after all), but NOT a suit, and NOT business casual. Incorporate something fun and silly. For example, red shoes, purple pants, a loud tie, a paisley jacket (not all of these; pick one)
Maybe do an image search for "sprezzatura" and see if anything tickles your fancy?
Another idea: Look through #waywt-highlights for outfits with a jacket and tie that makes you think "wtf? you're not supposed to wear a blazer like that!".
They’re trying to get you to subscribe to The Rake magazine. Is this Wei Koh’s wedding, by any chance?
Okay I'm glad I'm not the only one confused haha
This is the guidance I was given
millenials...
jesus christ lmfao
wear this
This was my response
just wear a suit and unbutton your shirt down to your solar plexus
This is what I was thinking of going with. Suit top, light gray dressy pants (not pictured), and a nice but casual shirt, unbuttoned of course
And I like it in theory, but putting it all together, the sleeves seem way too long for this jacket
I’d opt for a collared shirt tbh
Probably what I'll end up doing. But I wanted to try something unique and wacky, since it's a rare opportunity to do so, cuz of the dress code
unbuttoned floral shirt would go hard
I think they just mean like Italian vacation suiting
Talented Mr Ripley
Rakish...
It invokes this wikipedia article
Rake (stock character)
In a historical context, a rake (short for rakehell, analogous to "hellraiser") was a man who was habituated to immoral conduct, particularly womanizing. Often, a rake was also prodigal, wasting his (usually inherited) fortune on gambling, wine, women, and song, and incurring lavish debts in the process. Cad is a closely related term. Comparable...
Dress like the kind of man who exists to raise hell.
you need to dress in a louche manner.
Yes, the picture is one of Hogarth's paintings, which I linked to above
I think this is what I decided on. It's a short sleeved pink button-down. And I think it looks pretty good! But I'm wondering if it's weird that I don't have any sleeves showing under the coat?
I think I'm overthinking it lmao