Formalwear- Dinner Jacket History

By Author: wilvalor brisbane
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As the name suggests the dinner jacket was first made as a less formal dining ensemble to be worn in the privacy of a person’s home or club. The original design was created for Prince of Wales in the late nineteenth century so he could break from the tradition of wearing tales to dinner each night. The first model was supposedly single breasted with a shawl lapel. To give you an insight into where the word Tuxedo came from, in 1886 a group of upstate New Yorkers founded a private club called Tuxedo Park. In the spring of that year one of the members visited England with his wife who apparently caught the eye of the Prince of Wales, therefore they were both invited to his estate for dinner. The Prince of Wales suggested he wear a dinner jacket for the occasion and upon returning to Tuxedo Park he wore the dinner jacket which was then adopted by other members. The members of Tuxedo Park were then recognized because of the new form of jacket, hence the jacket name ‘Tuxedo’ becoming somewhat the norm. Generally though, it is correctly termed dinner jacket both here and aboard.

In Men’s suits, particularly the dinner ...
... jacket, are closely associated with formal events such as a black tie affair. With this in mind, getting to know the dinner jacket is an important step in understanding the intricacies of dressing well for a formal affair.

Types of Dinner Jackets
As a direct descendant of the tailcoat, the single breasted dinner jacket with peak lapels gives all men prominence and height with usually only one button to fasten, although you do commonly see a two button version. Traditionally the double breasted dinner jacket offers equal distinction, but is less popular at this time of the fashion cycle. The shawl collar dinner jacket conveys somewhat more of an old world image than the peak lapel with the curve of the lapel favouring more angular facial features.

Whatever the season may be, for as long as you adhere to the formal standards of the affair, you should be able to look immaculate with your bespoke tailoring style. Traditional attires for black tie events usually rely on dinner jackets and dictate the formal standards of the affair.

We specialise in dinner jackets and suits so please feel free to contact us with any queries.

This is how we work…

With an average of 2 fittings the construction takes about 40 hours, usually requiring 3 weeks from order to delivery.

We favour a natural looking shoulder, a working buttonhole, working cuff buttons, working pockets with hand stitching detail on the lapel, pockets, vents and cuffs.
We are highly trained with our expertise in colour, fit and style particularly appreciated by our clients.

We are one of only a few tailors who provide the exclusive Lora Piana and Zegna Fine Wools. Our mills are Italian or English using mostly Australian wools. Our linen is Italian and our Velvet is German.

Become Part of the Gentry

The colours of white and black present all men at their charming best. The dinner suit is a symbol of elegant style and has endured time because it is simplistic and refined.
We advise on both single and double breasted versions, depending on the person, the occasion and future use.
Our black's and midnight blues in both fine wool and velvet hold a lustre which is ideal for formal occasions.

Classic Style

A shawl or peak full satin lapels is a style for men who appreciate the classic style and would like longevity from their dinner suit.

Contemporary Style

At the moment we are creating both extremely wide lapels (i.e. Tom Ford) or narrow lapel as current fashion dictates. We are using self patterned satin as the trim instead of the full satin lapel which creates individual dinner suits. Our complete knowledge of modern trends and classic sophistication allow you to always be stylish.

For a free style & colour assessment which includes showing you our range of fabrics contact us today.
We come to you or set an appointment at our studio - 5/41 Park Rd Milton, Brisbane. Visit our website now.