For summer events, don’t be daunted by morning dress

Something unexpected is happening in London’s West End. Many of the capital’s tailors are reporting increased demand for morning wear — one of menswear’s most arcane dress codes. Dark tailcoats, colourful waistcoats and traditional black and grey “cashmere stripe” trousers are de rigueur at dressy occasions this summer.

At Oliver Brown, the Chelsea-based gentleman’s outfitter, founder Kristian Robson says the house has hired out approximately 7,000 sets of morning dress so far in 2023 — a 20 per cent increase on 2022 — and hundreds of antique silk top hats. He reports that “it’s been a record year” for antique silk toppers, many of which are more than 100 years old (the only factory that made “silk plush” fabric for hats ceased production in 1968).

At Henry Poole on Savile Row, managing director Simon Cundey says “Savile Row has seen a definite increase in demand for morning dress, particularly for weddings. More men are thinking ‘let’s do it in style’.” Down the street at Cad & The Dandy, co-founder James Sleater notes that “demand for formalwear normally spikes when times are tough — that’s when people want to feel good”.

As a style geek, I’m a huge fan of morning dress; it appeals to the detail-orientated pedant in me, and I enjoy the sense of occasion. It is, though, one of the hardest men’s dress codes to get right — and arguably the least understood.

Prince Harry, for example, demonstrated a lack of appreciation for the finer points of morning dress at his father’s coronation. He made the mistake of trying to modernise his morning suit with a monochrome colour palette and edgy cut. The plain black coat and waistcoat with dark charcoal trousers (plain, not striped — a big morning dress faux pas) looked strangely flat. The skinny lapels looked miserly and the flap pockets on the coat detracted from its otherwise neat silhouette. The latent fashion historian in me was dismayed, to say the least.

How, then, can you avoid making similar mistakes when the next “formal” wedding invite arrives? Or, if, like me, you’re currently contemplating slipping on a morning coat for your own nuptials?

To Robson, morning dress is primarily a question of proportion. “The morning coat button must be in-line with your natural waist and the tails no longer than the backs of your knees,” he explains. “The top hat should sit dead-straight on your head, not slant backwards or sit on your ears. And it’s imperative never to show your shirt between the trouser waistband and waistcoat hem. The waistcoat should cover the top comfortably and your trousers kept high with braces.”

Nailing the morning suit’s fit is one thing, but how do you style it? There’s a knack to following the dress code’s age-old conventions while expressing some personality. Firstly, it’s “correct” to wear a plain black wool morning coat with a colourful single or double-breasted waistcoat (unless you’re attending sober events like a state funeral or memorial, in which case, the waistcoat should be black too). Classic waistcoat colours include buff (my favourite — it’s warm in tone and feels suitably old school), powder blue or dove grey in lightweight wool. Should you opt for a linen waistcoat instead, pastel shades such as dusty pink and butter yellow work too.

The trousers should be a dark grey striped affair also in wool or a fine black-and-white houndstooth. Black and white checked or chalk-stripe trousers are also permissible, if you’re feeling brave. Pleats and turn-ups are optional. The shirt should feature a light coloured body — sky blue or baby pink — and a contrasting white collar, which nods to the starched detachable shirt collars of yesteryear. You can also opt for a matching three-piece morning suit in plain mid-grey or charcoal wool, seen as a little less formal.

However, the thing that matters most is to keep the shirt, tie and accessories understated and appropriate to the occasion. “There’s a difference between morning wear for a wedding and morning wear for the races,” says menswear designer and stylist, Chris Modoo. “At a wedding, you want to be less flashy — the bride is the star. And if you’re the groom, remember you’re the bride’s accessory.”

“Choose a subtle waistcoat, not a bright one,” he continues. “Wear a pale blue shirt. Choose subtle patterns for your tie and hanky. It’s all about discreet styling, good personal grooming and traditional elegance.

Daisy Knatchbull, founder of The Deck, Savile Row’s first female-only tailor, knows how to get the look right: in 2017, she caused a stir as the first woman to wear morning dress to Royal Ascot. “It’s important not to wear lapels that are too skinny, the morning coat shouldn’t be too shiny and the trousers shouldn’t sit too low. Morning dress trousers should be high waisted to balance your silhouette. The lines need to be clean on a morning suit because they’re all working in tandem with each other.”

Those are the ground rules, but what if you want to push boundaries with your own morning suit? Oliver Spencer, founder of men’s formalwear specialist Favourbrook says you can, within reason. In 2020, Spencer unveiled the first midnight blue morning suit officially sanctioned for Royal Ascot, in partnership with Ascot Racecourse to “respond to fashion-forward Royal Enclosure Members” and changing tastes. Historically, morning coats could only be black or grey (a precedent set by renowned dandy Beau Brummell in the late 1700s), so the midnight variant is a positively racy new option. “It’s like wearing a midnight blue dinner suit,” says Spencer. “It definitely steals a march on a black morning coat.” If you choose midnight blue, though, keep everything else strictly by the book.

“Wear a shirt with a proper collar and double cuffs, and make sure your tie and your pocket square complement each other, but don’t match. The way you accessorise a morning suit is what gives the outfit personality,” Spencer adds.

If you’re in need of a morning dress muse, look to a young King Charles or the late Rolling Stone, Charlie Watts. A famously well-dressed man, Watts always got the details just right. “He killed it,” comments Modoo. “He even used to wear a collar pin, but he carried it brilliantly. Accessories like a tie pin or lapel flower absolutely make a morning dress outfit. So does your tie knot — wear a small, tight knot with a dimple. A loose tie ruins the look.”

The morning suit might be old fashioned, but that’s the point. As Spencer puts it, “some things are best left to tradition”. So, the next time you need to wear one, lean into the dress code’s foibles — don’t fight them. When in doubt, be less Harry, more Charlie.

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