Morning dress Totally Explained

Everything about Morning Dress totally explained

Morning dress is the daytime form of men's formal dress.

History

The name originated from the practice of gentlemen in the nineteenth century riding a horse in the morning with a cutaway front single breasted morning coat. It was originally a more casual form of half dress but as the nineteenth century progressed it gradually became acceptable to wear it in more formal situations instead of a frock coat and in the Edwardian era took over from the frock coat as the standard daytime form of men's full dress. When it was regarded as a more casual coat, it was common to see it made with notched lapels but as it took over from the frock coat in formality it began to be made with the more formal peaked lapels.

Occasions

Men wear morning dress when members of a wedding party. In common with court dress, mess dress, and white tie, morning dress is for prestigious and important social occasions. Despite its name, morning dress may be worn to afternoon social events before five o'clock, but not to events beginning after seven o'clock in the evening. White tie (evening dress) is the correct, equivalent formal dress for evening social events. The cutaway front of the morning coat differs from the tail coat (dress coat) in that the waist of former is cut obliquely while the waist of the latter is cut horizontally. The skirt waist construction of the coats is equestrian in origin, to ease the wearer's riding his horse. In the U.S., the morning coat is referred to as a cutaway coat.
In the U.K. and the Continent, morning dress is worn to equestrian events (Royal Ascot races), weddings, funerals, and state events. It is also worn by members of a wedding party in the Commonwealth, for example Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, the groom sets the sartorial tone: the guests wear morning dress if he does. In the U.S., morning dress is rare; it usually is worn in traditional weddings and political formal events. In the American South, morning dress is commonly worn by a governor-elect when sworn to office.
Calling any and every type of formalwear a tuxedo or tux is common in North American (Canada and America) English. Strictly speaking, “tuxedo” refers to the semi-formal black tie dinner jacket worn in the evening. Wearing morning dress to a semi-formal or a formal evening social event is sartorially incorrect.

Elements

Morning dress consists of:

a morning coat
a waistcoat (AmE: vest), which may be either single-breasted or double-breasted
a pair of formal trousers, worn with braces (AmE: suspenders)
a double-cuffed (AmE: French cuff) shirt
a stiff white collar
a cravat (AmE: ascot tie) or necktie (at weddings, a cravat affixed with tie pin is worn with a wing-collar shirt)
black dress shoes

The following can be worn/carried with Morning dress:

a top hat usually black or grey

gloves of suede, chamois, or kid leather, or grey cotton

a cane The morning coat is usually black, and the skirt of knee length. The formal trousers worn with it are grey striped. For less formal ceremonial occasions such as weddings a lighter coloured morning coat, a non-matching lighter coloured waistcoat and grey striped trousers are worn. Light grey coats are especially popular on the Thursday of the Royal Ascot race meeting. Traditionally, only the groom and bride's father are allowed to wear a grey morning coat to a wedding and all other guest wear black morning coats, though it's rare to see this rule enforced today.
   The most traditional colours for a waistcoat are grey or buff (a yellowish tan colour), with white as another alternative. A black morning coat with matching black waistcoat is the most formal option, being worn for funerals, memorial services, diplomatic dress, and with academic regalia. The United States Solicitor General and deputies, for example, wears a black morning coat with matching black waistcoat and striped trousers when he argues before the Supreme Court of the United States. Sometimes a white slip, an under-waistcoat just showing inside the top opening of the waistcoat, is worn. Nowadays coloured and patterned waistcoats are sometimes seen, but these are really only considered suitable for weddings.
   The trousers shouldn't have turn-ups (cuffs), and should have one pleat to each leg. Braces (American English: suspenders) should be worn to prevent the waistband from appearing beneath the waistcoat.
   A white stiff collar is worn, normally of the plain turn-down variety in which case a standard long tie is worn. Apart from at weddings, in most situations a long tie and turn-down collar have become more standard. With a cravat (AmE: ascot tie) a winged collar is worn. If the shirt has turn-down collars it should have sleeves with double cuffs fastened with cufflinks. If a winged collar shirt is worn it should be with a single cuff fastened with cufflinks, with detachable collar and cuffs being the more strictly traditional option. The most formal colour for a shirt is white, but if a coloured or striped shirt is worn, it should have contrasting white collar and cuffs.
   Previously, a grey or (if at a funeral) a black tie was obligatory. Now all colours are worn.
   Shoes should be of the traditional, black plain captoe Oxford type without brogueing, but not patent leather which is reserved for evening formal wear. In the Victorian and Edwardian era button boots and Oxford boots were worn and these can be correctly worn with morning dress today. When worn at equestrian events, boots of equestrian origin such as jodhpur boots and Chelsea boots are also acceptable. Spats were once frequently seen with morning dress, but are now rarely worn, except as historical costume.

Scottish Highland dress

Scottish Highland dress may also be worn at events requiring morning dress:
The morning suit version of Highland dress consists of:

Black (or charcoal) semi-formal kilt jacket - the Argyll (or Crail or Braemar) jacket is suitable

Black (or charcoal) barathea waistcoat matching the jacket

Kilt

White shirt with cufflinks (collar either standard or wingtip)

Silver tie or a tie in a single colour matching the kilt (for example not a tartan tie)

Black Ghillie brogues

Kilt hose of a colour (not tartan) matching the kilt; alternatively, cream kilt hose.

Flashes

Sporran

Sgian dubh

Dirk See also: Scottish apparel

Semi-formal morning dress

Just as evening dress comes in a formal (white tie) and a semi-formal (black tie) version, so too does daytime formal wear have a semi-formal equivalent in the form of the stroller. Just as the dinner jacket is a lounge suit version of evening dress, the stroller has a lounge-suit coat in grey or black all other features are the same as for morning dress. The stroller has largely overtaken full morning dress in the United States.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Morning Dress'.

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