Dinner Suits for the Black Tie Event

Peak Lapel Dinner Suit

The dinner suit also know as Tuxedos is one of the most interesting kinds of formal evening wear; it isn’t as stiff and rigid as the white tie events and it isn’t as comfortable as the morning or day suit. It was at its peak of ingenuity between the years of 1930 and 1940. This is wear the crafting of what we call Black Tie wear comes from. They took all the etiquette rules they had at the time and took comfort and class to a whole new level.

Lets look at all the components that go into a Dinner suit or as some people would call it a Black Tie event. This event could be anything from a cocktail party to a formal dinner to a regular party. But it is important to remember never to have or wear your black tie suit before 6pm (hence the term evening wear). That is considered very poor etiquette and is frowned upon in most circles. The pieces of what makes a dinner suit will be listed below.

Fabric colors – The term black tie is a bit of a give-away. Black is the traditional color, black stands out especially with the shirt and bow tie. Although black is the tradition midnight blue is considered the classic. Midnight blue was introduced during the 1930s because the color is able to keep its richness whereas black can seem to fade especially in old suits where the cloth can fade and has a grayish shade especially in parties that start before sunset. In addition black seems rather dull and boring. Today it is rather difficult to find midnight blue dinner suits in off the peg or ready to wear therefore made to measure or bespoke is your best option.

Notch Lapel Dinner Suit

Dinner Jacket - The dinner jacket is normally worn in black or midnight blue I have also seen white ( normally reserve for warmer climates). Your jacket should be made of finished or unfinished worsted wool. Your suit can be either single or double breasted and your lapels can be peaked or have a shawl collar. These lapels can either have the satin face or grosgrain. The grosgrain facing is considered to be more refined but more expensive. Again, you do not normally find grosgrain in ready to wear/off the peg dinner suits. The jacket should have one button for single breasted coats and the sleeve buttons should be covered in the same materials as the lapels and the jacket should not have any vents. The side pocket is double-besomed jetted (slit) hip pocket with the welts trimmed with the same material as the lapel. If the jacket has a flap it should be tucked in. No ticket pockets are allowed and definitely no button hole on the shawl lapel although a button hole on a None Shawl Lapel such as peak or notch is considered appropriate.

The Trousers - This is what makes a suit a suit. The pants should match the jacket and have a single braid down the front of each leg that matches the material of the lapels. This is one of the simplest pieces of the suit no heavy customs here. The pants should be pleated and no cuffs and be cut for suspenders.

White Shawl Lapel Dinner Jacket

Waist wear and Neckwear - You can either wear a waistcoat or a cummerbund whichever you would choose, but it should match the material of the lapels on your jacket. If you are wearing the double breasted jacket you should not wear any kind of waist covering. Your neckwear should be a black silk bowtie that is self tied and can be either batwing style or butterfly shape; your tie should always match your lapels.

The Shirt - The shirt is what makes the dinner suit more comfortable the collar doesn’t have to be detachable. You can have the wingtip collar or the turn down collar is acceptable. The shirt must be made of white material and can have a pleated or pique front, or the standard stiff un-pleated bib is preferred by most aficionados. The shirt should be either fly fronts or French cuffs.

Accessories & Warm Weather Wear- The common accessories found with these type of suits are men’s hosiery of black silk or similar fabric style and texture and must come above the calf, button on suspenders, black, gold, or mother of pearl cuff links, and a white linen handkerchief. You can also wear a over coat for winter and a white silk scarf with tassels at each end. Warm weather wear for these events is similar to cold weather or regular black tie attire. The difference is the jacket can be white or ivory, and made of cotton, wool, or linen. Trousers can be flat black, and the accessories should be dark colored silk and linen. These are small differences that determine what to wear based on the seasons.

Footwear - The most classic and traditional of them all is the black shiny Patent leather Pump with grosgrain bow also known as the Court Shoe. These shoes have been around since the 18th century and were original worn by Aristocrats with knee breaches and silk stockings. If you are going for pumps remember to wear black silk socks. The less formal but more practical is the lace patent leather Oxford shoes. When I say practical I mean these can be worn with other formal wear such as work suits. Patent leather is important as its shinny and compliments the black/midnight blue suit and silk/grosgrain lapel facings. If you haven’t got a pair of black silk socks you can always hide your pair of black any socks it under the Oxford shoes whereas with the Pump it’s a bit harder.

Conclusion
I hope this has been a helpful style tip for those special dinner occasions. I think it is very helpful to know just what to wear at the right time, and for dinner parties and that kind of affair this type of suit is the standard and as they say the suit makes the man. Here at Huality Tailoring we not only make dinner suits to your specification but we also make suits for all occasions so check out our mens suits styles.