Dress code — Manlygents

What to wear and when to wear it

It is always good manners when inviting people to an event to specify the manner of dress that will be expected. You will not want your guests to feel uncomfortable by being either over or under dressed. And if you are an invited guest, it is important to know what the dress code means, because you do not want to embarrass yourself by being improperly dressed, and also you do not want to disrespect your host.

ManlyGents wants to help you look your best at any party or event, so I have decoded the important parts of a gentleman’s dress code for you here:

Formal Wear: There are four types of men’s clothing that can be called formal wear. In descending order from most formal to least, these are White Tie, Black Tie, the Morning Suit and the Stroller Suit. White and Black Tie are to be worn after 5pm. The Morning Suit and the Stroller Suit are worn during daytime hours.

White Tie: is the most formal attire. The long tails of the man’s tailcoat require long dresses for women as well, so the woman should be wear a floor length evening gown.

Black Tie: is the traditional tuxedo (called a ”Smocking” in Europe) with silk-faced lapels and trousers of the same material as the jacket, with a silk stripe on the outside of the leg. This is considered less formal than White Tie, but it is the most common formal evening attire. In the winter, the jacket can be made of velvet with an ascot tie.

There are variations to Black Tie that may appear on an invitation:

Black Tie Optional / Black Tie Invited: means that you may wear a tuxedo if you own one, but it is not required if you do not. In this case, a guest will want to wear a black suit, white shirt and possibly a black tie and, certainly, black leather shoes.

Creative Black Tie: allows a man to express himself with color or tie or shoes other than the traditional black as long as the formal style of the suit is maintained. This can be very classy if it is worn well.

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Morning Suit or Stroller suit: is the attire most often used for day weddings. The pants are light gray with darker pinstripes, a lighter gray or yellow vest (double-breasted is preferred), with a charcoal gray, black, or (more modern) navy blue jacket. The Morning Suit jacket will have tails, while the Stroller Suit jacket will be a normal blazer. Because most people are not familiar with the tern “Stroller Suit,” you will rarely see that term on an invitation, but it is still a really elegant option.

All the above formal wear requires patent leather shoes.

Semi-formal: In the past, this meant a Stroller Suit during the day and a regular tuxedo at an evening event, but today, this term on an invitation means a dark suit that can be double-breasted or three-piece with a complementary tie. This term can create confusion for guests, and a host may want to avoid using it.

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Business Attire or Business Formal: This term is the most common dress term used today for events after work. It simply means a suit and tie for a gentleman, and I would suggest a darker colored suit for an evening event.

Evening events suggestions:

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Daytime events suggestions:

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Business casual: This term does not require a suit, but it usually means wearing a pair of smart pants (not jeans), a collared shirt, a sweater or blazer, and relaxed but elegant shoes. Generally a tie is not needed, but if you are in doubt, bring one in your pocket. This attire can also be called Dressy Casual, and, in that case, I would recommend a blazer rather than a sweater or to wear a blazer over the sweater if it is cool. You can never go wrong with a double breasted blazer or blazer over a cardigan.

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Smart chic: this term refers to the idea of Business Casual but with the option of wearing nice jeans, a polo shirt, and loafers.

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Cocktail Attire: Its is actually the equivalent of the Semi-formal explained here above; the only difference? You don't have to wear a tie and you can use more colorful patterns for your suit ad shirt.

Casual Attire: is the attire most open to interpretations, however it does not include athletic or street wear. Most commonly it refer to chinos, khaki pants or well fitted jeans, shirt or polo, it can include t-shirtsas far as are plain (you can find more on the Gentleman Basics to have a better visual idea). In regards of shoes sneakers, boat shoes, sleeper shoes, driving mocs or any summer shoes are acceptable. You could probably hear about the Mainstream Casual, which is more like business casual attire

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Beach Formal Attire: this dress code is often used for beach weddings but is could also a choice of the host in having the guests dressed with lighter colors, pastel tones in a warm weather.

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After all of this, I am sure you may feel that it is difficult to dress well on all occasions, but actually, putting these terms to use on invitations will allow guests to attend an event well-prepared to enjoy their time without worrying about what they should wear.

I am here for questions or discussion. If you have any question feel free to ask

Photo credits: tie-a-tie, New York Public Gallery, Suitsupply