Rate my morning suit outfit

[Tibo]

Here is what I was wearing at the wedding of one of my best friends last Saturday, I'd be happy to hear your comments regarding fit and al.

Outfit consisting of:

- My morning suit, acquired at a local store and of a totally unknown (German) brand (pants and jacket - pants have been retailored to be a little fitter than in the origin)
- Favourbrook waistcoat with notch lapels, in a superb pale yellow/buff silk, with a 'tapestry' pattern
- H&K white shirt with French cuffs and semi-cutaway collar
- Red Hermes tie with yellow birds
- Church's Chetwynd on the 88 last

Disclaimer: I'm not wearing a pocket square because I was due to wearing a boutonnière a couple of minutes later ...

 

[cuffthis]

GREAT RUG!!!!!! Oriental, that is.

Not a fan of the shoes with this outfit. Classic, but not appropriate with the rest of the clothes, IMHO.

 

[Tyto]

Great rug *and* great armoire.

I love that folks still wear morning coats. Wanted 'em for my wedding party, but couldn't find them inexpensively enough to do it.

I'm with cuffthis on the shoes--much as I love wingtips and find any excuse to wear them, they aren't formal enough for a morning coat. Also, the pockets on the coat seem a little large. Lastly, I'm pro-dimple for FIH ties, but whatever.

In any case, well done--you look very stately.

 

[Full Canvas]

Another more color co-ordinated tie (perhaps plain, tiny pattern, or without pattern) with a visible dimple would be a good beginning. The coat itself appears to need some fitting attention in the collar/shoulder, chest, and waist areas to provide cleaner lines and eliminate the button pull. With the coat properly fitted, your posture/attitude would not cause such visible faults. Some simple and function-appropriate shoes or pumps would be a good conclusion. Otherwise, congratulations on keeping the morning dress tradition alive.

Originally Posted by Tyto

Also, the pockets on the coat seem a little large.

I believe the coat has no hip pockets visible on the front. It's likely you are noticing the horizontal seam that joins the upper body to the coat's lower body and tail. Light and shadow make the seam appear to be a pocket.

____________________________________

 

[Tibo]

Thanks for your comments; a couple of explanations/thoughts about your suggestions

- I know that wingtips aren't the most formal shoes, and as such the most appropriate for morning suits, but I have had plenty of occasions to wear my morning suit with Oxfords and wanted to try something a bit different, but at the same time more than formal enough. I wouldn't stick to it all the time (at my wedding, I wore Oxfords, for instance), but I still think it looks good enough (specially if you compare to the crowd of poorly-shooed people)
- The FIH knot without a dimple is a personal choice, specially for Hermes ties (which I know aren't much praised on ths forum). As far as the red tie is concerned, thank the bride, who asked me to wear one.
- Regarding the fitting of the morning coat itself: 1) there are no pockets and as such they can't be too large and 2) I consider that the 'poor fitting' is rather acceptable for a RTW morning coat, and am well aware that I could have much better in bespoke. But there are many bespoke items I'll buy before a bespoke morning coat.

Cheers

Tibo

NB: the morning suit tradition is well alive in Belgium. In my opinion, it must be the country where it is most worn, second only to the UK for that matter.

EDIT/ here's a picture of my wedding day, which ironically enough seems to adress a lot of the concerns mentioned here, that is plain oxfords and a more subtly-coordinated tie. Still no dimple, though ;-)

 

[jmatt]

Originally Posted by Tibo

EDIT/ here's a picture of my wedding day, which ironically enough seems to adress a lot of the concerns mentioned here, that is plain oxfords and a more subtly-coordinated tie. Still no dimple, though ;-)

I must say, I think the 2nd picture looks much more put-together. I like the shoes better, and the tie works well IMO. However, if the bride wants the red tie . . . .

 

[philosophe]

Your wedding picture is great. Way to keep an elegant tradition alive!

 

[whnay.]

I must say I quite like the outfit. I would agree that the shoes do seems a bit misplaced. Overall though I think it works.

 

[kitonbrioni]

Sharp--you go dude.

 

[Jovan]

I think I need myself a second hand morning suit. Looking good, Tibo, only thing I'd do is have a dimple and have plainer (= more formal) shoes.

 

[MrDaniels]

So, are you in the Witness Protection Program or something? ;o)

Great outfit! The only quibble is that with the aristocratic look I might have gone with a Full or Half-Windsor...looks like it would have fit well into the collar.

 

[LabelKing]

A boutonniere, and pocket hadnkerchief always go together if well-chosen.

 

[Roy Biggins]

You look nice. Do you have any up close pictures of the red tie with birds?

 

[whoopee]

Since you asked, I personally would prefer a shorter DB waistcoat in a cooler shade like pearl gray. This SB could lose the lapels. The peak lapels of the morning coat look a bit skimpy. Still it's nice to see them being worn.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by Full Canvas

Some simple and function-appropriate shoes or pumps would be a good conclusion. Otherwise, congratulations on keeping the morning dress tradition alive.

"Pumps"????!!! I had never heard that they were appropriate with morning dress. That's a new one on me!