Style GuideThe ABC of formal wear
The tail coat
| Occasion: | Very formal evening events from 7pm, e.g. gala dinners or state receptions, plus theatre premieres and weddings. Invitation note: ‘White tie’. |
|---|---|
| Style: | Double-breasted, but should not be buttoned up. Rising, silk lapels. Cutaway coat tails at the front, running out into a dovetail at the back. Well set off by a deep cut waistcoat and bow-tie in white piqué, tail coat shirt with stiff piqué front, upright collar and tail coat trousers with twin silk braiding and no turn-up. |
| Colour: | Black. |
| Beware: | Never sit on the coat-tail, but carefully hang it instead to the side or rear over the edge of your chair. |
