Guidance on cloth choices for white tie, please — swatches incoming!

[Shedlock2000]

I’m ordering white tie tails for a convocation in the coming year.

I’ve been to my tailors today to select the material for the tailcoat, waistcoat, and trousers. I’m stuck on the material for the tailcoat and pants and I’m looking for some thoughts.

The first swatch is a 12oz fine twill in midnight blue, English wool. It’s paired with a 12oz pick and pick waistcoat cloth and a black grossgrain for the lapel.

The second is an even darker midnight blue, 10oz pick and pick weave, English wool. This feels heavier due to the weave, but is a lighter cloth.

The first one has a slight ashy-grey due to the Sheen on the cloth and, against the gross grain, looks a little bluer. The pick and pick is much flatter and appears almost black (though there is a clear distinction in the daylight).

Which do you think is a better fit for white tie tails? I am a little grey around the hills these days, so the ashier blue suits my complexion more — but I worry that the midnight blue is a bit too light and the material has a lack of weight to it, given the finer weave.

Here’s Me for reference:

 

[Werther Hartmann]

The 10oz wool sounds best, you want to to look as black as possible. For that exact reason, I would choose a black fabric, just so that I always look black, but in todays world midnight blue is totally fine and if you like it better than the black fabrics, you should go with that.