The evening suit, and when to wear it

The evening suit is a strict formal suit, it is warn to a white tie event. It is acceptable to wear such a suit to events such as, state dinners and hunt balls. This type of suit has remained largely unchanged since the 1840/1870's ere.

The suit consists of a black dress coat with silk facings, this type of dress coat has been referred to as an evening tailcoat, and therefore it should be made of wool. It is not uncommon to get the dress coat in a dark blue colour. the trousers should be of the same material and colour, however in the united kingdom it is conventional to have two narrow satin stripes on the sides of the trouser leg, where as in the united states this and one single thick strand of satin is acceptable. As an option the trousers can be warn with braces to keep the trousers up instead of a belt, belts should not be warn.

A white stiff front shirt and a white stiff winged collar should be warn, these should be made from cotton. A white bow tie is warn and should also be cotton, just like the low cut waistcoat. the waistcoat most commonly today should not be visible below the cut away of the coat, this has been made fashionable since the 1920's, however the more traditional look is that the waistcoat should be seen below the cut away by one or two centre meters. The trouser waistline should never be visible, in either style. It is possible for the waistcoat and bow tie to be made from silk in modern society. Black court pumps are a must with, of course, black socks.