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A dinner suit or black tie is mainly worn for formal evening occasions, for men this comprises of a dinner jacket or tuxedo, usually black with a white shirt, bow tie, cummerbund and black trousers.
The Dinner Suit originated in the 1860s when Savile Row Tailors made the Prince of Wales a short smoking jacket to wear to evening events. This was a departure from the ‘white tie’ which was the standard formal dress at the time. This change in men’s attire coincided with the emergence of the lounge suit which was worn for more relaxed atmospheres and socialising.
The elements of a dinner suit
- Black shoes
- Trousers with braids of silk on the outer seams
- A waistcoat or cummerbund
- A jacket with smart or patterned lapels
- A cotton dress shirt
- A bow tie
Dinner Jacket
Usually single breasted with no vents and black however double breasted suits are sometimes worn. The material of a dinner suit is commonly wool or wool blend with lapels faced with silk that have varying finishes.
Dinner Trousers
The dinner suit trousers have outer seems that are usually decorated with a braid or a single silk strip of black. Traditionally they feature a pleated front but flat front trousers are not uncommon.
Dinner Waistcoat or cummerbund
Normally nothing is worn under the jacket but a man’s waist can be covered with either a cummerbund or waistcoat. The waistcoat is usually low cut and it is not important whether the back is fully backed or not. A single breasted waistcoat typically has less than three buttons.
The cummerbund, was a connection with the dress uniform from British India and can be made from the same material as the bow tie and lapels.
Dinner Shirt
The shirt is typically a white and made from cotton. Many different shirts can be worn underneath the dinner suit but often they are pleated, plain or have a Marcella front.
The traditional shirt also fastens at the cuff using cuff links rather than buttons found on more casual shirts
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If so, you may be interested to know that all our deliveries are free, all our trouser hemming is free and we have a no-quibble free returns policy on all our garments.