Alrighty. Also, my brother isn't determined for black suits. He'd go jeans and a white shirt if he could. I did consider a black/red diagonal stripe tie but decided otherwise.
It's actually more this

but a bit darker.
So maybe a revision either way of
Dark blue shirt
white vest
grey jacket
white tie?

No.

Solid navy or solid charcoal suit
White shirt
Wedding tie (grey, black and silver)

If you really want colour under your suit, it's better to have a colourful tie than a coloured shirt. The tie is much more in focus anyway.

If you are already wearing a black or dark suit, a dark coloured shirt is going to make everything way too subdued. If you want it to pop, better to use a light coloured shirt. I've seen very few people able to pull off a non-matching vest. It can be done, but requires VERY careful planning of the rest of your ensemble. Get it wrong and you look like a doofus instead of a cool guy.

And if you want some colour, use a pocket square.

What is the general consensus on doublets and cloaks?

Cosplay.

They are costumes rather than clothes.

Rule five is the opposite of the white pants with a denim shirt and the ultra-wide spread collar. I like their rules, but I don't like their fashion.

White pants and a blue (not necessarily denim) shirt is quite classic, if European; the wide spread collar comes and goes.

White pants as part of a uniform has been common, but with no jacket it looks silly. If you look at it, it just doesn't LOOK classic.

It's mostly that it's denim that really irks me though- denim is a utilitarian fabric and its uses in fashion have largely reflected that, with such things as jeans and denim jackets worn initially by people working in physical and dirty occupations. Putting denim over white pants, the least utilitarian of all pants, makes me go "ugh".

that looks more like oxford cloth than denim to me.

-m

No, I think he's right, since the inside of his sleeves are a different shade - as in denim.

I guess you're not in favour of white jeans then Tom.

When I see denim shirt and white pants, I think of someone wanting to be contrary and wearing the opposite of the traditional jeans + white shirt.
I personally don't like white pants much, I think because you sit on your pants and so they get dirty so easily, but I wouldn't say it looks wrong either.

I cannot be trusted to wear white pants, but I think that look is super classy.

I'm still trying to get my head around the no socks thing, though.

I've worn shorts the last 3 days, so I've been wearing my chucks without socks, and by the end of the day my feet feel gross. I had to talc my shoes this morning.

-m

Well, they're right. It's 2012, not 1512.

-m

Talc before/after every wear, terry cloth insoles.

I had to look up doublet on wikipedia. The first sentence?

I mean... how could think anything else?

I've noticed that in fashion a lot of designers can take inspiration from old styles and use it in their clothing. Why not try to achieve something similar?

You can wear them if you like. you can rock that shit like a goddamned boss.

You will never be mistaken for a well-dressed modern man while doing so.

-m

White jeans are different for me than white pants and a denim shirt. I also dislike denim shirts.

Then do wear them. A lot of people have similar reactions to the idea of corsets, but I like corsets so I wear them, and I like it.
It's still good to be prepared to people's reactions. If you want to limit the questions about what party you're going to, make sure the rest of your outfit is modern (and goes with the "costume" part of it). For instance, because I wear my corsets with pants, people don't think I'm being Victorian.

I just found 2 pairs of awesome vintage aviators in my garage that I'm totally going to sell!