The Do’s and Don’ts of Morning Attire

I learned a lot from my client and friend Wesley Wilson about traditional morning wear. When he approached me in late 2017 regarding the formal attire for his wedding in Berkeley Castle, in a small countryside village in the UK, I was without much understanding of the traditional rules. Below is a list of some of the rules and recommendations that I implemented when creating his Bespoke Morning Suit, a suit that adheres to some of the highest of dress codes.

While these rules and traditions are not laws of physics, so to speak, there are a lot of things that you want to DO right in order to create true masculine elegance.

DO

Wear an appropriate removable collar on your dress shirt with French Cuffs

High-waisted trousers suspended with braces (suspenders) achieve the most desired look.

Your morning coat should only have one fastening button that can be made in the form of a traditional button/buttonhole or a special tuxedo chain button

Your sleeve length should end right at the break of your wrist, allowing 1/2″ (1 cm) of shirt cuff to show through underneath.

It is proper to hem the overall length at the top of the calf or just a slight amount higher but not above the bend of the knee.

Morning Dress calls for well-polished black oxford or plain toe shoes with black silk socks.

Wear your Morning Suit as if you were an English Royal

In addition to DOing everything above right, there are some things that you definitely DO NOT want to mess up:

DO NOT

Wear a morning coat for an evening event (after 6 pm). Evening events call for the most formal dress code.

Buy a morning coat with notch lapels or more than one button.

Let your dress shirt show under your waistcoat or vest.

Wear trousers with a cuff hem

WIGGLE ROOM: Some suggestions for personalization include

Having a made-to-measure or true bespoke morning coat made.

Striped or Solid Trousers

Wear a similarly matching striped or blue button-down shirt with white collar and cuffs.

The waistcoat or vest gives you a lot of room for variation and personalization. Dove grey, cream, beige, or gold colors are best. Single-breasted with no collar/lapel or double-breasted with the half collar/lapel

Go for the all grey morning suit or opt for a combination of grey pants, colored waistcoat, and midnight navy morning coat.

Wear a Tie or Bow Tie or Cravat as neckwear

Morning Dress calls for accessories but don’t overDO it. Try cufflinks or a pocket watch and chain. A pocket square is also optional but if boutonniere is worn you may wish to opt-out for fear of overaccessorizing.