Formal wear

A brief history of Black Tie (or tuxedo)

The history of the dinner jacket can be traced to 1860, when Henry Poole, a tailoring company from Savile Row, created a short-hemmed evening jacket for the Prince of Wales. In 1886, the style made its way to the USA when James Potter, a New Yorker, visited the prince in England. For the audience, royal advisers tipped Potter off to the prince's tailor to have a similar garment made. After the trip, Potter returned home with a new set of clothes. He first wore his British garment at the private Tuxedo Club, whose members became so enamoured with the garment that others quickly had their own apparel made. It became the club's unofficial signature garment. As a result, the outfit is known in America as the tuxedo; in England it is still the dinner suit or Black Tie.

A brief history of White Tie

The dress suit (also known as white tie, full dress) is the most formal men's outfit worn after 6pm. In the Nordic and German academy, it is exceptionally worn also during the day for dissertations and formal parties. The outfit is made up of a jacket with a long tail, an open waistcoat, and trousers with a very high waist. Because of its cost, difficulties with fitting, and limited use, it has nearly disappeared from many western countries, such as the USA.

The jacket and trousers of the evening dress are made of the same fabric, and the white waistcoat contrasts with the dark ensemble. Black has been the most popular colour for tailcoats since the 1850s, with extremely dark blue a rarely seen option. The outfit is completed with accessories: a white marcell bowtie, silk socks, a pocket handkerchief and black formal shoes, and a marcella shirt, often finished with separate shirt buttons and cufflinks. The jacket is cut open and cannot be buttoned up. The jacket front ends just above the waist and has a long tail cut to the knee. As a special feature, two buttons remain on the back of the tailcoat, a remnant of an era when the long tail was buttoned up while mounted.

A brief history of Morning Dress

The morning dress is the most formal men's day dress. It is worn for elegant occasions before 6pm, and originated from the long coats worn at court. Those silk garments were decorated with intricate patterns and cut open at the front. Based on those models, sturdier jackets were made for the countryside where they were worn for riding during the day. The English name, morning dress, came about from this use. The first morning dress originated as sportswear in early 19th century Britain, and took the place of the frock coat for gentlemen's daywear in the 1880s. Thereafter, the garment was widely worn by gentlemen until the 1920s, when the suit began supplanting it and other fine daywear. Soon morning dress was only worn for weddings and very formal gatherings.