The first morning suit I wore made me look like a ten-year-old messing about in his grandfather’s closet. The tails dragged on the floor, the waistcoat was cavernous, and the top hat – oh God, the top hat – rested on my head like a toy salesman’s penis extension. I blame the salesperson who rented it out to me.
I was nineteen years old and overdressed at a distant cousin’s wedding in Gloucestershire. Judging from photographs of me from that day, they measured me using the length of theiralls. Ok, it’s not the worst-kept British secret: We Brits don’t exactly roll in morning dress.
Tales of misery abound. Mine isn’t special.
Most British men I know have a similar horror story of wearing morning dress for the first time.
We’ve pioneered the hell out of that thing, yet most of us can barely manage to wear one without looking like a total tool. Is it because most gentlemen only wear morning dress once or twice a year (weddings) and once (Royal Ascot)? It doesn’t help when you only put it on once or twice a decade that you remember how to dress yourself properly in it.
Or could it be that wearing an article of clothing that actually has tails sends the modern man into textural intimidation? When your daily uniform comprises jeans and button-ups, suddenly receiving an invitation requiring morning dress feels like you need to learn how to wear clothes all over again. I’m not sure why we continue the charade of our abject embarrassment when it comes to tail coats and striped trousers, but we do.
In America, most grooms and guests now default to the wedding suit they bought for the ceremony or rent a tuxedo for the reception, day or night. We British people, however, continue to stubbornly insist on our arbitrary timeline of morning and evening attire. Morning suits before noon, black tie after.
Long may that tradition continue. Ok, so what is morning dress, and how can you wear it without terrifying your girlfriend’s mama? Morning dress 101: A morning suit, also known as a wedding suit, consists of several items.
The traditional version comprises a tailcoat, striped trousers, waistcoat, shirt with detachable collar, cravat/tie, and other accessories such as pocket square, cufflinks, gloves, and so on. Simply put, a morning coat is a jacket cut short at the front (waist length) and long at the back (we call those tails, pal). Pair that with some grey striped trousers, a waistcoat, and a shirt, and you’re good to go…in theory.
There are really three schools of thought for morning dress. You can go completely by the book and wear exactly what George>III would have worn, down to the white spats. You can go a more modern route, which still uses traditional components but with updated fit and styling.
And you can cheat. Wear brightly coloured trousers, remove the waistcoat, and go full hipster Ted Baker while everyone else is wearing rules-following norgeorges. As with most things in life, I think option 2 is the way to go for the average guy.
Respect tradition, but make sure you actually feel like yourself when wearing it. First up, how do you even acquire such a thing? Unless you’re a frequent attendee of shoot weekender weddings or the staff at a funeral parlor, you’re most likely going to rent your morning suit.
Renting is fine, but don’t autumn into the trap of accepting the first thing from a rental shop you find in a Google search. My first attempt at wearing morning dress was a rental suit fail. The thing fit like a corpse wrapped in leather.
Not only did my trousers ride up when I sat down, but my coat looked like it was stolen from my granddad, circa 1982. If you must rent, go to a nicer shop. Oliver Brown are great and will lend you something that’s cut more modern.
Of course, you can always dig around for a vintage number. Morning suits are built to last, and plenty of quality tailcoats from the 1950s and 1960s are likely hiding away in someone’s closet. Not only will you find better cloth/fabric, but they’ll likely fit you much better than a hired suit.
I got mine (pictured above) for £120 from a vintage clothing store at a vintage clothing market. My lovely tailor had to lengthen the sleeves and clean up the shoulders a bit, but it was worth it. You’ll have something with character that actually fits like a glove.
Pound shops and charity stores are also gold mines for vintage formalwear, though it requires some patience. Lastly, you can always go bespoke/made-to-measure. Yes, this is baller shit to do for one day of the year, but it also means your morning suit will fit you as if it were your skin.
Companies like Favourbrook offer bespoke suits that fit as modernly as possible while keeping with traditional morning wear etiquette. Rule number one when wearing morning dress: Fit is everything. Make sure your coat is sitting properly on your shoulders and that your sleeves aren’t drowning you in shirt cuff.
Your waistcoat should cover your waistband completely, and your trousers shouldn’t pool at your shoes. Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about what terrible mistakes you can make to instantly ruin an otherwise nice morning suit. First up: ditch the white gloves.
Nothing says “look at me!” like a pair of white gloves clutched in your hand. Trust. Second: patterns, colours, and general outfit coordination.
This is where it all falls apart for many dudes. See above:neutral tones. You’re aiming to channelLeave that shit to the father of the bride.
White waistcoat? Hell yes. Bright pink one with neon trimming?
No. Speaking of colour… Image by Tony Lewis courtesy of Favourbrook Stripes only on your trousers and keep it dark grey or black for the coat. Yes, some grooms have been seen wearing coloured morning suits (racing green, army green, navy blue, hang-gliding yellow).
News flash: they are the groom. You are a guest. Wear grey or black.
If wearing with your other half, avoid matching exact colours and fabrics. Remember when everyone’s dads used to match their waistcoat and partner’s dress exactly in colour and fabric? Never been a fan.
Touching subtlety to your wedding outfit would be to maybe let your pocket square or boutonniere pick up an colour from your partners outfit. That way, you’re coordinating without_matching. Ok, now that we got that nonsense out of the way, a few more helpful hints.
Since when did humans start wearing five layers of clothes to weddings?
Good tailoring and fabrics can help. Ask the hire shop what fabric their coats are cut from.
Most are pure wool these days, which means it’ll breathe better than a polyester monstrosity. Speaking of hire… Summer wedding = morning suit worst nightmare. Steer clear of hire if you’re getting hitched in July and care about not sweatin’ bullets all afternoon.
Lastly, practise putting your ass in a seat while wearing tails. Trust me. Either perch forward when sitting down or lift your legs and tailing slightly as you sit.
You’ll quickly figure it out. Just trust me. Want some more modern tips for wearing morning suits?
Cheque out this great little article my friend Jack wrote for City Bride.
