Men's formal wear
Black tie, white tie, protocol and accessories
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Groom's checklist
The Tuxedo was
first worn in 1886, the invention
af a New York dandy, and its use has evolved until it is now worn
for special afternoon as well as evening events.
Its distinguishing
features are the satin lapels and the outside stripe on the trousers,
and the most popular colors are black and varying shades of gray.
At contemporary weddings and parties, men often sport cummerbunds
and bow ties in colors and sometimes metallic or iridescent fabrics.
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Photo by Jocelyn Marino
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Most formal for daytime weddings, before 6 p.m., is the cutaway coat
with its gray vest, ascot, and striped gray and black trousers.A variation on the cutaway is the stroller
coat.
Black full dress is the most formal of evening wear, although
sometimes it is worn in daytime weddings in colors or white. The
collar is very formal, with a white tie, and the vest should never
be seen below the edge of the coat.
On all formal wear, studs with
an inset stone are used instead of buttons. The shirt also requires
cuff links, often a gift from the groom. Since the trousers are
worn high above the waist, suspenders are another necessity as well
as black dress shoes.
Some guidelines for choosing the groom’s wedding attire:
- The formal wear chosen should not clash with the colors the bride has chosen.
- The groom’s attire should not upstage the bridal gown.
- For more on the various types, SEE definitions.
Experienced wedding planners also suggest that someone in the bridal party bring an emergency pair of men’s black socks. Groomsmen have been known to show up in white athletic socks!
Definitions:
There are several classifications of traditional
formal attire: white tie, white tie and tails, black tie and morning
coat or daytime.
White tie: The most formal way of dressing. The gentlemen
of the wedding party wear black tails and matching black pants,
white pique front, wing collar, shiny, white pique vest and bow tie,
and studs with white stones. (Pique refers to a pattern of small
bumps running across thr front vest or tie.) Today's standards allow
some variation of this and you may use a shirt, vest and tie that
is not pique.
"White tie and tails" is traditional for
evening weddings and receptions. However, contemporary standards
accept this attire for grooms at any time of the day and allow it
to be used along with black tie formal wear for groomsmen to distinguish the groom from the rest of the party.
Black tie: This can best be described as "party
wear" or "evening wear." Tuxedos fall into this category. Tailcoats
are not, properly speaking, tuxedos. A tuxedo is a suit that consists of
a standard-length coat with some dressy trim and a pair of matching
pants. The term "black tie" can be confusing because it was adopted
when black was the only color in which formal ties were available.
Today, the term merely means that a gentleman may wear his tuxedo
or dinner jacket with any color tie and cummerbund set. Tuxedos
and dinner jackets come in many colors and styles, making it easy
to coordinate with the colors chosen by the bride.
Morning coat: Daytime formal attire is referred to as
a "morning coat." Although it was originally designed for daytime
wear, it now is acceptable for evening weddings as well. The morning
coat attire gives the men in your party a turn-of-the-century appearance
and is a popular choice. It comprises either a black or gray
coat with matching gray and black striped pants, a pearl gray or
light gray vest, gray-and-black striped four-in-hand tie (standard
necktie) or ascot tie, and either a collared or wing collar shirt.
The coat is designed as either a "cutaway" with tails or a "stroller"
without tails.
Your formal wear specialist will be able to guide you in choosing the formal
attire that best represents the mood you want to create. Remember, the groom and his
groomsmen's attire set the degree of formality of the wedding.
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